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I am an EU/US dual national. I am returning from a trip to California back home to Brussels. However, in the meantime, my European passport has expired! I have no other forms of European ID with me.

Must I enter the EU on my US passport, as a tourist, or is there some other way?

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  • I assume I cannot enter the EU on an expired EU passport, so must use my valid US one ... I was avoiding this because I think I will just get a 90 day tourist visa on the border – Teusz Jul 30 '16 at 11:49
  • Great, if it's no problem to enter the EU on a expired EU passport, then it's really no issue! But otherwise, the problem is that no one ever checks passports on the Belgian border, so I'd have a hard time getting an exit stamp on my US passport once to avoid violating my 3 month tourist visa (and maybe incurring a fine). – Teusz Jul 30 '16 at 12:00
  • If I stay "overstay" my tourist visa, I assume there's a penalty! – Teusz Jul 30 '16 at 12:07
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    They cannot fine you for staying in Schengen because you are Belgian. You don't lose your rights as a Belgian just because you show a US passport at the border. – phoog Jul 30 '16 at 17:08
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Timatic tells me that an expired passport is accepted, as long as it has been expired for less than five years. You can also use a national identity card, but it is not accepted if it is expired.

Passport required.

  • Nationals of Belgium are allowed to enter with an expired passport. The passport is accepted when expired for a maximum of 5 years.
  • Nationals of Belgium traveling without a passport must have a document accepted for entry, valid on arrival.

Passport Exemptions:

  • Nationals of Belgium with a national ID card.
  • Nationals of Belgium with an emergency or a temporary passport.
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