Belgium has confirmed that residents will soon be able to keep a legally-valid identity card on their smartphone. Digital-government minister Vanessa Matz told The Brussels Times that the mobile credential will be rolled out through the MyGov.be app in the first half of 2026, mirroring every function of today’s chip-and-PIN plastic card. The announcement, published on 8 December, positions Belgium alongside early adopters such as Germany and the Netherlands in Europe’s fast-evolving eID landscape.
Under the plan, newly-arrived expatriates will no longer have to make multiple trips to their local commune and wait up to three weeks for the residence card to be printed. Once a foreign assignee’s address is verified, the e-ID can be downloaded in minutes, drastically shortening the critical “settling-in” phase of a relocation. The Interior Ministry is drafting operational guidelines so that Federal Police at Brussels, Charleroi and Liège airports can accept the phone-based credential on intra-Schengen flights, and discussions are under way with Eurostar and Thalys to recognise the QR code as an automated ticket ID.
![Belgium to Launch Smartphone-Based e-ID Card in 2026, Slashing On-Boarding Times for Expats]()
Global-mobility teams will have to amend onboarding check-lists, update mobility handbooks and advise assignees to install the MyGov.be app before arrival. Banks, health-insurance funds and HRIS vendors are already developing API connections that will allow real-time verification of residency status—reducing KYC friction and enabling automated compliance alerts when permits approach expiry. Because the credential is stored locally on the device with biometric phone unlock and remote-wipe capability, privacy watchdogs have signalled provisional support, provided that no centralised movement tracking is introduced.
Security remains a sticking point. The National Cybersecurity Centre has completed penetration tests and will publish results next month. Employers are being told to phase out photocopies of plastic cards and prepare for mixed workflows during the transition period when some staff still carry the physical e-ID.
Under the plan, newly-arrived expatriates will no longer have to make multiple trips to their local commune and wait up to three weeks for the residence card to be printed. Once a foreign assignee’s address is verified, the e-ID can be downloaded in minutes, drastically shortening the critical “settling-in” phase of a relocation. The Interior Ministry is drafting operational guidelines so that Federal Police at Brussels, Charleroi and Liège airports can accept the phone-based credential on intra-Schengen flights, and discussions are under way with Eurostar and Thalys to recognise the QR code as an automated ticket ID.
Global-mobility teams will have to amend onboarding check-lists, update mobility handbooks and advise assignees to install the MyGov.be app before arrival. Banks, health-insurance funds and HRIS vendors are already developing API connections that will allow real-time verification of residency status—reducing KYC friction and enabling automated compliance alerts when permits approach expiry. Because the credential is stored locally on the device with biometric phone unlock and remote-wipe capability, privacy watchdogs have signalled provisional support, provided that no centralised movement tracking is introduced.
Security remains a sticking point. The National Cybersecurity Centre has completed penetration tests and will publish results next month. Employers are being told to phase out photocopies of plastic cards and prepare for mixed workflows during the transition period when some staff still carry the physical e-ID.
