Loss of parental authority
Parents who have lost their parental authority do not qualify for the discount.
Divorced parents
Parents with lifetime discounted travel will retain their entitlement. The children qualify for the discount under the standard conditions.
Separated parents
Parents and children qualify for the discount under the standard conditions.
If the parents don't live in the same region, two separate applications may be necessary (one to each local authority) to cover the whole family. Care must be taken to attach the applications to each other, in which case the processing fee will only be charged once.
Shared custody
In the event of shared custody as confirmed by court ruling or notarial deed, both parents qualify for the discount.
Without a court ruling or notarial deed concerning custody, the children are considered to be under guardianship of the parent that they live with.
Blended family (cohabiting, remarried)
If the new family consists of at least three children who meet the necessary conditions, the children are entitled to the discount. The parents may qualify for an annual card or a lifetime discount, depending on how many of their own children they have.
If only one parent in the family has custody of the children, then these children are not taken into account when determining whether the other parent's new partner is entitled to lifetime discount. Only a court ruling or notarial deed concerning the shared custody of the children will be eligible and can be included where necessary.
Parental relationship acknowledged officially or by court ruling
In the event of a parental relationship acknowledged officially or by court ruling outside of marriage, an unmarried mother or father with at least three of his/her own children qualifies for a lifetime discount. The children qualify for the discount under the standard conditions.
In all cases, the application must state each child’s name, relationship, marital status, date of birth and address.
Orphans
Orphans qualify for the discount under the standard conditions.
Foster children
Children who have been placed in foster families by official institutions (justice of the peace, juvenile judge, public prosecutor, Public Social Welfare Centre, etc.), as well as their foster parents and their own children who are eligible for child benefit, can temporarily be considered for the discount provided the family qualifies under the standard conditions.
Deceased children
Deceased children who have been entered into the population register by name will be taken into account when determining whether parents or partners and other children are entitled to the discount.
Children that have been stillborn and have therefore not been entered into the population register by name can still be considered in an application for discounted travel on presentation of a certificate of stillbirth or an attestation issued by the midwife.
Nationality
For Belgian family members who live abroad but who are staying in Belgium temporarily, and for recognised political refugees, the nationality of the family members will always be taken into consideration if they do not have Belgian nationality.
For the latter, entitlement to the discount depends on whether they are required to live in Belgium.
If the parents have Belgian nationality or come from a country that has ratified the Council of Europe’s Social Charter, and they are entitled to an annual card, they will continue to qualify as long as one of their children is a card holder.
Belgian family members resident abroad who are staying in Belgium temporarily
Applications can be made on plain paper, but must include a certificate from the registry office detailing the family’s composition.
The registry certificate must be drawn up either by an appropriate Belgian officer (consular officer, military authority for military personnel stationed abroad, Federal Public Service for Foreign Affairs, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade) or by the local authority in the applicant’s place of residence.
Recognised political refugees
Temporary entitlement to discounts is granted to parents and their children under 25 who are recognised as political refugees resident in Belgium and who are noted in the foreign registry.
If there are no longer three children in the family who meet the necessary conditions, the children who still receive child benefit will retain temporary entitlement to the discount until their 25th birthday.
The parents are entitled to the discount provided that one of their children is eligible for child benefit.
The initial application must include a photocopy of the special ID card that the head of the family has received from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
When applying for renewal, the head of the family should present the special ID card to determine whether the family still qualifies for discount cards.
Disabled children
A child that has a recognised disability of higher than 66% qualifies as two children.
