In most of the countries you will find diplomatic missions, which usually refers to an embassy and/or a consulate. Diplomatic bodies represent other country interests in Belgium, with the aim of strengthening international relations between the states and providing services for their citizens in Belgium.

Embassies and consulates are considered legal territories of their home countries. They are not "foreign territory" but they are protected and considered the property of the country using them, meaning that Belgium does not have jurisdiction over the embassy or consulate of another country.

What is the difference between Embassy and Consulate

The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations international treaty defines the diplomatic mission’s purpose and framework. The various diplomatic missions offer several services and carry out different missions. For example:

• Embassy: This is the primary diplomatic representation of a country’s government and is headed by an ambassador. An embassy is the main location for a diplomatic presence of one country in another. A country has at most one embassy in another country, and is always established in the capital city of the host country. In the absence of a consulate in a country, the embassy has also a consular section to carry out all the relevant consular services (see below).
• Consulate General: This is a diplomatic mission, headed by a consul that provides a full range of services such as: issuing passports/visas, keeping birth and marriage records, assisting expats, providing legal information, translations etc. It can be located in any major city of the host country, although often in the capital city (in certain cases, in the same building as the embassy). In major countries and large territories, you often have more than one consulate.
• Honorary Consulate: It supplements the Consulate to provide a limited range of consular services and is headed by an honorary consul. They help nationals abroad. For example, in the event of a hospital stay, missing person, death, natural disaster or other emergency. They can also issue emergency travel documents and consular declarations for which the applicant is required to appear in person.

NB: You will usually apply for a visa at the Consulate of the country you want to visit. However, if there is no such representation in Belgium, you can apply for a visa at the embassy.

Where to find Consulates and Embassies in Belgium

Not all countries have an Embassy and/or a Consulate as it depends of the political situation, the relationship with the host country, the size of the country, and the number of foreign citizens living there.

In some cases, countries can share representations and you can be assisted by the services of another embassy or consular service to get the information you need.

We recommend you register/contact your country’s embassy at your destination. It is a free service provided by any diplomatic mission and it will allow them to record information about your upcoming trip abroad. It can be used to assist you in case of an emergency.

Registration will also allow you to get routine information from your nearest embassy or consulate, as citizen residing abroad.

The Belgian capital, Brussels hosts 184 embassies.

There are also 140 consulates and eight other Representative Offices in Belgium:

• European Union
• Faroe Islands
• Gibraltar
• Greenland
• Hong Kong
• Macau
• Palestine
• Taiwan

All consulates and honorary consulates are located in Brussels, except for those countries who own an embassy in the capital of Belgium and might have another diplomatic mission outside the capital.

You will find below a list of selected countries (the list is not exhaustive) that have a diplomatic mission in Belgium. The list includes embassies, consulates, honorary consulates and sometime other official representations for you to be able to get information and services.

Embassies and Main Consulates in Brussels

Canada

Canadian Embassy in Belgium
Address: Avenue des Arts 58, 1000, Brussels
Tel: +32 2 741 0611
E-Mail: bru-consular@international.gc.ca
Social Media: https://twitter.com/CanEmbBELUX
Opening hours: 09:00 - 12:00 and 13:30 - 17:00 (Under appointment)

The embassy of Canada in Brussels provides consular services to Canadians visiting and living in Belgium such as registration of child birth abroad, requirements and documents and processes for getting married abroad, notarial services, passport services, etc.
The embassy also provides services to Canadians visiting and living in Luxembourg.

Honorary Consulates: In addition to the embassy in Brussels, Canada has another honorary consulate in Gent (flanders@international.gc.ca)

China

Embassy of China in Belgium
Address: 443-445 Ave. de Tervuren, 1150 Woluwe Saint-Pierre, Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 2 771 2038
E-Mail: chinaemb_bel@mfa.gov.cn
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/ChinainBelgium/
Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 15:00

The consular section shares the same details as the embassy. They provide a range of consular services such as visa and passport processing as well as document legalization, notary certification and marriage registration.  

France

French Embassy in Belgium
Embassy:
Address: 65 rue Ducale, 1000 Brussels
Tel: +32 2 548 8711

General Consulate:
Address: 42 Boulevard du Régent, Brussels
E-Mail: consulat@consulfrance-bruxelles.org
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/FranceaBruxelles and https://twitter.com/ConsulFranceBel and https://www.instagram.com/consulfrancebel/
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8:45 am - 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

The French General Consulate in Belgium provides reception of the public (consular affairs), register of French nationals established outside France, identity cards and passports, civil status: marriages, births ..., other steps (legalization of signature, driver's license...), elections, national service and assembly of French nationals abroad.

Honorary Consulates: In addition to the embassy in Brussels, France has other honorary consulates in Antwerp, Brugge (onsulfrance.bruges@skynet.be), Charleroi, Courtrai, Gent, Kortrijk, Liège (consulat.liege@ambafrance-be.org), Mons, Namur and Tournai.

Germany

Embassy of Germany in Belgium
Address: 8-14, rue Jacques de Lalaingstraat, 1040 Brussels
Tel: (+32) 2 787 1800*
E-Mail: info@bruessel.diplo.de
Social Media: https://twitter.com/GermanyDiplo and Auswärtiges Amt - Inicio | Facebook and Auswärtiges Amt (@auswaertigesamt) • Fotos y videos de Instagram
Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 09.00 to 15.00 *In emergencies, the on-call service can be reached after hours until midnight and on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 8 a.m. to midnight on the following number: +32 (0) 475 57 77 62

The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Belgium provides passports and ID cards’ services, nationality, family and inheritance matters, criminal records, visa and entry, lawyers, doctors and translators and customs service, etc.

Honorary Consulates: In addition to the embassy in Brussels, Germany has other honorary consulates in Antwerp (antwerpen@hk-diplo.de), Eupen (eupen@hk-diplo.de), Lüttich and Zaventem (zaventem@hk-diplo.de)

Japan

Embassy of the Japan in Belgium
Address: Rue Van Maerlant/ Van Maerlantstraat 1, 1040 Bruxelles/Brussels
Tel: (+32) 2 513 23 40 (embassy) (+32) 2 500 0580 (consulate)
E-Mail: info@bx.mofa.go.jp
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/JapanEmbassyBelgium/ and https://twitter.com/belgiumembjapan?lang=en
Opening hours: From Monday to Friday from 9:15 to 12:00 and from 13:30 to 16:00

The Japanese consulate shares the same details as the embassy. They provide a range of consular services such as visa and passport processing as well as document legalization.

Russia

Embassy of Russia in Belgium
Embassy:
Address: De Frelaan 66, 1180 Uccle
Tel: (+32) 2 374 6886
E-mail: amrusbel@skynet.be, amrusbel@inbox.ru
Social Media: https://twitter.com/amrusbel and https://www.facebook.com/amrusbel

Consular Section at the Embassy
Address: 78 Roberts Jones Street, 1180 Uccle
Tel: (+32) 2 375 9121
E-mail: rusconsbru@gmail.com
Social Media: https://twitter.com/amrusbel and https://www.facebook.com/amrusbel

For services such as issues of citizenship of the Russian Federation, visa and passport processing as well as document legalization, it is requested to visit the Consular Section upon appointment.

Honorary Consulates: In addition to the embassy in Brussels, Russia has another honorary consulates in Antwerp (temporally closed).

United Kingdom (Great Britain)

British Embassy in Belgium
Address: Avenue d’Auderghem 10, 1040 Brussels
Tel: (+32) 2 287 6211
E-Mail:
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/ukinbelgium and https://twitter.com/UKinBelgium and https://www.instagram.com/ukinbelgium/
Opening hours: Monday to Thursday: 8:30-16:00 and Friday: 8:30-15:30

The British Embassy in Belgium provides services to British nationals living in and visiting the country. Some of the services are: emergency travel document replacement, notarial and documentary services, marriage, consular fees, visa services, etc.
Note that the Consular Section does not process visas.

USA (United States of America)

Embassy of the United States of America in Belgium
Address: Regentlaan 27 Boulevard du Régent, B-1000 Brussels
Tel: (+32) 2 811 4000
E-Mail: uscitizenbrussels@state.gov
Social Media: https://twitter.com/usembbrussels/ and https://www.facebook.com/usembassybelgium and https://www.instagram.com/usembassybelgium/
Opening hours: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday: 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM & Wednesday and Friday: 10 AM to 12 PM (Closed on U.S. and Belgian holidays)

The US representation in Belgium provides a range of consular services such as regular passport applications and renewals, Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (CRBA), and notarial services, assistance on death of a U.S. Citizen and emergency financial assistance, etc.

Honorary Consulates in Belgium

Contact directly the Embassy/Consulate website for more information.

For countries with no consulates or embassies in Belgium, the Honorary Consulates are supervised by diplomatic representations located in other country, often London, in the United Kingdom or Berlín, in Germany for Belgium.

Honorary Consulates in Antwerp

• Austria
• Denmark
• Finland
• Italy (consolato.anversa@gmail.com)
• Luxembourg (anvers@consul-hon.lu)
• Mexico
• New Zealand
• Switzerland (antwerpen@honrep.ch)

Honorary Consulates in Liège

• Austria
• Denmark (danconsul.liege@gmail.com)
• Finland
• Luxembourg
• Mexico
• Netherlands
• Switzerland (liege@honrep.ch)

Honorary Consulates in Gent

• Austria
• Denmark
• Finland
• Italy
• Luxembourg

Honorary Consulates in Brugge

• Croatia (cons.croatia.belgium@gmail.com)
• Mexico