Latest Notices

Updated: 10 April 2021

1. Travel to Ireland | 2. Travel to Belgium | 3. Embassy Services

1. Travel to Ireland

From 15 April, any passenger who has been in Belgium in the previous 14 days, even if only transiting and remaining airside, is legally required to quarantine at a designated facility (Mandatory Hotel Quarantine) on arrival in Ireland. There are very limited exemptions to this requirement.

Additional information on Mandatory Hotel Quarantine, including in relation to costs, is available at: www.gov.ie/quarantine.

Passengers leaving Belgium must have a Sworn Statement with them, as regards the essential nature of their travel (this is a requirement of Belgian authorities).

Passengers arriving in Ireland must complete a mandatory COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form and submit it to the relevant authority at their port of entry.

Passengers are required to show a negative result of a pre-departure RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours of arrival in the State. Children aged six and under are exempt.

There is a legal requirement (with limited exceptions) to quarantine for all passengers arriving in Ireland.

Details of the steps to follow on arrival in Ireland from Belgium, including testing and quarantine requirements, are available here.

If you have queries regarding travel to Ireland in the context of COVID-19, the DFA Emergency Travel Advice Line number is +353 1 613 1700.

Please contact the dedicated HSE phone line +353 41 685 0300 with queries relating to public health measures in Ireland and the COVID-19 passenger locator form.

Details of the restrictions currently in place in Ireland can be found on www.gov.ie/level5

Information on testing in Belgium is available from the Belgian Health Ministry and a map of coronavirus testing centres in Belgium can be found here.

2. Travel to Belgium

Our travel advice for Belgium is available here. Follow @IrishEmbBelgium on Twitter for our latest updates. Further information is available on the Re-Open Europa website.

A ban on non-essential travel to/from Belgium is currently in place. Travel to/from Belgium is only permitted for reasons deemed essential by Belgian authorities. Details of the accepted essential reasons are available here.

All passengers must complete a Passenger Locator Form in the 48 hours prior to travel and a Sworn Statement as regards the essential nature of travel.

Those arriving from a red zone region (see ECDC map) are subject to mandatory testing and quarantine requirements.

Testing requirements differ for Belgian residents and non-residents.

Non-residents (i.e. those not in possession of a Belgian residence card) arriving from a red zone need to have a recent (max 72 hours) negative PCR coronavirus test result. A second test must be taken on day 7 of quarantine.

There are additional criteria for entry for non-residents travelling to Belgium from a third country (non-EU & non-Schengen countries, including the UK). More information is available here.

Residents (i.e. those with valid Belgian residence cards) arriving from red zones must be tested following arrival (day 1). You must quarantine and be tested again on day 7.

Those resident or visiting Belgium are encouraged to familiarise themselves with public health measures and may wish to download the Belgian Government COVID-19 tracking app Coronalert.
Sign up to BE-Alert to receive the latest email updates directly from the Belgian Crisis Centre.
A map of coronavirus testing centres in Belgium is available here.

Irish citizens travelling to or resident in Belgium are encouraged to register their contact details with the Department of Foreign Affairs so that we can contact you or your family in case of emergency.

3. Embassy Services

In order to provide a safe environment for our staff and our visitors, and adhere to public health guidelines, the Embassy is currently operating with reduced on-site staffing.

Our public office is closed as the Embassy is currently focused on providing emergency consular services only. Appointments are available for Irish citizens requiring emergency consular assistance by contacting us.

Embassy Services FAQs

For all other queries, please email us and we will respond to you as soon as possible.

If contacting us by phone, please ensure you include a phone number if leaving a voicemail message so that we can return your call.

Irish Passport Services

For the latest update on passport services, please visit: www.dfa.ie/passports

It is currently only possible to apply for an Irish passport (renewal or first passport) in Belgium using Passport Online. You should not make travel arrangements without a valid passport.

Please do not send us paper application forms (APS2) as these cannot currently be processed.

Passport Online FAQ | Passport Application Tracking & Postal Tracking: Belgium

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If you need a travel document for a genuine emergency (death or serious illness of a family member, or emergency medical treatment), please contact us.