Do I need to open a bank account?
If you have a European bank card, you should have no problem making payments or withdrawing money in Belgium.
If you use a non-European bank card, you might be subject to extra charges. Make sure to check this with your current bank at home.
In order to avoid high banking fees, you can choose to open a bank account in Belgium or create an account with an online transfer platform. Keep reading to find out more information about both options.
Opening a Belgian bank account
Opening a Belgian bank account has a few big advantages: there are no additional fees when making a transfer, and you will automatically receive a bank card.
If you want to open a Belgian bank account, you can make an appointment with a Belgian bank while still outside of Belgium. Which bank you choose is completely up to you.
Here are some suggestions:
Using an online transfer platform
There are online transfer platforms available which you can use to reduce extra bank charges. You can hold, transfer and receive currency at a significantly lower cost.
Below are a few options of online currency platforms. Note that we cannot recommend one over the other, as these are private companies.
