Entry Requirements/Customs:
USA and Canadian citizens need a valid passport. A visa is not required for stays of less than 90 days. Other nationalities should check with the Belgian Embassy or nearest Consulate Office for visa requirements.

Belgium Embassy - US
3330 Garfield Street
N.W. Washington, DC 20008
Tel: (202) 333-6900
Fax: (202) 333-3079

Belgium Embassy - Canada
80 rue/street Elgin
Ottawa, ONT, K1P 1B7
Tel: (613) 236-7267
Fax: (613) 236-7882

Consulate Offices:
Atlanta
225 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30303
Tel: (404) 659-2150
Fax: (404) 659-8474

New York
1330 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10019-5422
Tel: (212) 586-5110
Fax: (212) 582-9657

Chicago
333 N. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60601
Tel: (312) 263-6624
Fax: (312) 263-4805

Los Angeles
6100 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Tel: (323) 857-1244
Fax: (323) 936-2564

Montreal
999 Blvd. de Maisonneuve Ouest
Montreal, Quebec, H3A 3C8
Tel: (514) 849-7394
Fax: (514) 844-3170

Toronto
2 Bloor Street, West
Box 88, Toronto, ONT, M4W 3E2
Tel: (416) 944-1424
Fax: (416) 944-1421

The following allowances apply for U.S. and Canadian Citizens:
• 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco
• 1 liter with alcohol content of over 22% (whiskey, cognac, gin, etc..) or 2 liters with alcohol of less than 22% (champagne, sherry, aperitifs, etc…)
• 2 liters of wine (non sparkling)
• 250ml eau de toilette or 250ml eau de parfum or 250ml aftershave
• 50 grams perfume
• 1 still camera with 12 rolls of film; 1 movie camera with 6 rolls of film
• 1 portable radio
• 1 portable typewriter

You can buy other tax-free products up to 90 ECU (FB 3,800, $ 100.00) per passenger, per trip ( a round trip=2 trips). If you wish to purchase in excess of the above allowances, you may do so, providing the taxes are paid.

Currency:
EURO (Eur). Euro notes are issued in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 euros, and coins in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents and 1 and 2 euros. Many foreign exchange offices open on Sundays. Foreign exchange traffic is not regulated. No limit on the amount of foreign currency which may be brought in or out of the country.

Banks are open Mondays through Fridays, 9:00am until 3:30pm or 4:00pm and closed on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays. Sometimes banks close during lunch-hour

All major cards are honored (i.e.: Visa, American Express, Dinners Club and Eurcard) as well as Travellers Cheques. ATM machines are available in major cities. The use of the EURO by credit cards began on January 1, 1999.

ATM Machines - VISA: Click on the ATM Locator on Visa's Expo site to pinpoint the exact location of ATM machines in Belgian cities

Electricity:
A.C. 220 volts - 50 cycles. Plugs are of the round 2-pin type.

Language:
There are three officially recognized languages: French and Dutch are the main languages; German is spoken by a small segment of the population and English is widely spoken.

Time:
Belgium is six hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time and nine hours ahead of Pacific Standard time.

Climate:
Belgium is seldom too hot or too cold. Summer temperatures average 54 F (13 C) to 72 F (21 C) and Winter averages from 32 F (0 C) to 43 F (6 C).