Automatic issuance of the European Disability Card from 2024

Please note that this information applies to Belgian citizens only.

From 1 January 2024, persons with disabilities will automatically be issued with a European Disability Card (EDC) as soon as they receive recognition of their disability status. This was agreed by the competent ministers and state secretaries at the meeting of the Interministerial Conference (IMC) on Disability. It was also decided that the card will be automatically renewed after the expiry date of 5 years for citizens who already hold the card.

Since 2017, Belgium has been one of the eight pioneers of the European card pilot project. The EDC Card ensures that people with disabilities receive special attention in certain areas such as sport, leisure and culture. The partners participating in the project commit to offer a special welcome or service to the card holders, such as adapted accessibility, reduced rates, special assistance, etc.

Currently, only about 150,000 Belgian citizens have taken the necessary steps to obtain this EDC card, while close to one million people with disabilities have been recognised by the various authorities.

Therefore, at the Interministerial Conference (IMC) on Disability, the competent ministers decided to automatically link the card to the recognition of disability recognition. In this way, Belgium is building on the experience of this European pilot project to continue to lead the way in the field of disability in the run-up to its European Presidency in 2024.

In addition to automatic issuance for new applications, it was also decided to automatically renew the card for people already receiving existing benefits, as the card now expires after five years.

The IMC has taken these decisions on the basis of the recommendations from, among others, the Directorate General for Persons with Disabilities (DG HAN) of the FPS Social Security.

Accessibility declaration

The Federal Public Service (FPS) Social Security strives to make its websites accessible, in accordance with the law of 19 July 2018 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public bodies.

This accessibility declaration applies to:

  • eudisabilitycard.be

Compliance status

This website partially complies with accessibility requirements.

Inaccessible content

  • The website contains images that are unfairly not marked as decorative (WCAG 1.1.1).
  • The contrast errors mentioned in the report (WCAG 1.4.3) are due to bugs in the testing tool and not genuine inaccessibility errors.
  • There is no link at the top of the page to go directly to the main content area (WCAG 2.4.1.) (resolved)
  • A title attribute is missing in the head element (WCAG 2.4.2.) (resolved)
  • Language attribute missing in html element (WCAG 3.1.1.) (resolved)

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This accessibility statement was drawn up on 2023-08-28.

The accessibility statement was last revised on 2023-08-28.

Feedback and contact details

FPS Social Security
Communication Service
Finance Tower
Kruidtuinlaan 50 bus 145
1000 Brussels
Contact us by e-mail

Enforcement procedure

Do you not get an answer or are you not satisfied with the answer you get? Then contact the Federal Ombuds Service:

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The FPS Social Security, which is the administrator of this website, uses three types of cookies on eudisabilitycard.be:

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The FPS Social Security uses essential and functional cookies to manage the content of its website. These cookies are necessary for the proper functioning of this website. You cannot refuse these cookies if you want to visit our websites.

The FPS Social Security also uses "Matomo" for analytical purposes. This analysis tool measures website visits. In order to collect additional useful information, this analysis tool places cookies which we use to measure the website visits (traffic). This enables us to know, among other things, how many times a particular page is read. We only use this information to improve the content of our website or as a starting point for a new campaign on a particular subject of interest.

For this analysis tool, we use a Matomo-Cloud, an external partner that has both its organisation and the underlying data centres in Europe and is fully committed to GDPR compliance and respect for privacy. For the use of cookies for analytical purposes, your prior consent is requested.

These cookies will therefore only be installed on your device after you have given your consent. If you do not give your consent, only limited visitor statistics are collected without cookies being installed.

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These cookies are needed for purely technical reasons to be able to visit the website. Because of the technical necessity, only an information obligation applies and these cookies are placed as soon as you visit the website.

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Please note that the information on this website applies to Belgian residents only, as well as the users of the EDC in Belgium.

  • The European Disability Card allows you to prove that you are recognised as disabled even if your disability is invisible
  • The card gives you the right to various advantages in your free time, such as a discount on an entry ticket to a museum or better access to attractions at a theme park. 
  • The card is not only recognised in Belgium, but also in Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Malta, Slovenia and Romania.
  • The card is free and you can apply for it online in Belgium. From 1 January 2024, eligible Belgian citizens and residents with a Belgian recognition of their handicap will even get the card automatically. More information

Do you have any questions?

Do you have any further questions about the European Disability Card? Take a look at our answers to frequently asked questions. If you can't find the answer to your question, please contact us via the form below or email us at: EUdisabilitycard@minsoc.fed.be.

Please note that we only answer questions from Belgian citizens. If you live in Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Malta, Slovenia or Romania, please contact the competent authorities of your country.