Before you start

National register number, issued after the agent de quartier check
Belgian eID, or Annexe 15 plus passport depending on the bank
Proof of address
A Belgian mobile number for two-factor authentication

Step-by-step

1
Wait for the national register number
Most banks will not complete onboarding without it. Some will open a limited account on an Annexe 15 and passport, but policy differs by bank and even by branch — ask before booking an appointment.
In personWho: YouAfter commune registration
2
Compare on fees, not on brand
BNP Paribas Fortis, ING Belgium, Belfius, Crelan and CBC (KBC's French-speaking arm) all operate here. Nearly all charge an annual account fee plus card fees, and the standardised fee document they are obliged to give you is the honest comparison. Student and under-26 packages are often free and worth asking for explicitly.
OnlineWho: You
3
Ask whether the adviser can work in English before you book
In Wallonia, French is the working language of retail banking and English-speaking advisers are the exception rather than the norm. Ask on the phone rather than discovering it at the desk with an hour of paperwork in front of you. Bringing a French-speaking friend to the first appointment is a normal and effective thing to do.
In personWho: You
4
Activate itsme as soon as the eID arrives
itsme is the key to MyMinfin, mutuelle portals, commune e-services and most bank logins. Activation normally needs a Belgian eID with its PIN, or a Belgian bank card and reader. Until then you will be doing in person what residents do on a phone.
Mobile appWho: You
5
Get a Bancontact debit card and expect it to be the default
Bancontact is the domestic debit scheme and is accepted almost everywhere, including small shops, market stalls and surgeries that may refuse a foreign Visa or Mastercard. Payconiq QR payment runs alongside it. La Batte on a Sunday is a good test of how much cash you still need.
Mobile appWho: You
6
Invoke the basic banking service if you are refused
Belgian law gives residents a right to a basic banking service with essential payment functions. Newly-arrived foreign residents are exactly the group most often refused on internal risk criteria, and most simply try elsewhere rather than knowing the entitlement exists.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

eID, or Annexe 15 with passport
National register number
Proof of address
Employment contract or enrolment certificate, sometimes requested
Tax residence declaration (FATCA/CRS), always requested

Things most newcomers don’t know

itsme gates Belgian digital life and obtaining it is circular.

Tax filing, mutuelle portals, commune e-services, pension records and most bank logins run through itsme. Activating it normally requires a Belgian eID and PIN, or a Belgian bank card and reader — and the eID requires commune registration, which requires the police check. Arrivals hit this loop in week three and conclude the country is obstructive. It is simply sequential: commune, register number, eID, itsme, then everything opens at once.

Source: community-reported; FPS Home Affairs

In Wallonia the language of the branch is a real obstacle, not a formality.

Belgian banking law and products are identical across the country, but the delivery is not. In Brussels an adviser will switch to English without being asked and in the Flemish cities most will manage it. In Liège that is much less reliable, and a first account-opening appointment involves anti-money-laundering questions, a tax residence declaration and a standardised fee document — none of which you want to answer by guesswork. Ask when booking, and take someone with you if the answer is no.

Source: community-reported

There is a legal right to a basic banking service if a bank turns you away.

Belgian law obliges the sector to provide residents with a basic account offering essential payment functions. Refusals of foreign residents in their first months are common and usually generic rather than personal. Naming the entitlement converts many soft refusals on the spot, and there is a formal route when it does not — most newcomers never learn it exists and just try the next bank.

Source: FPS Economy

Bancontact, not your international card, is the one that always works.

The domestic debit scheme is accepted essentially everywhere, including bakeries, market stalls and doctors' surgeries where a foreign-issued credit card can fail. Belgium is broadly cashless, but the gap between 'card accepted' and 'your card accepted' is real in exactly the small everyday places — and at a market the size of La Batte, cash still has a role. Carry some until the Belgian debit card lands.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Trying to open an account before your commune issues your national register number.
Booking an appointment without checking whether it can be held in English.
Signing up without reading the standardised fee document.
Accepting a refusal rather than asking for the basic banking service.
Sending large non-euro transfers through a Belgian bank.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.