Who is entitled, what qualifies and the three ways to buy without VAT: 0% at the checkout, VAT-Refund afterwards and Peppol e-invoicing for Missions. By Diplomatic Card Services Belgium, authorised by FPS Finance (E.T.122.729).
The privilege depends on your status and on the reciprocity rules of the Belgian VAT administration. Your Protocol Office knows what applies to you.
Members of Missions and international organisations with a personal VAT privilege in Belgium. Family members registered at the Protocol with an MFA ID card, over 18 and without Belgian nationality, share the privilege.
For diplomats →Embassies, consulates, permanent representations and international organisations buy without VAT for their official needs, within the categories set by the Belgian VAT administration.
For Missions →Military personnel and staff of international organisations who hold a Certificate 151 use the C151 service.
Purchases in another EU member state and a car for personal use follow the Certificate 151 procedure.
Certificate 151 explained →The route depends on where you buy. With Diplomatic Card one account covers all three.
Not sure which route fits a purchase? Read 0% at the checkout or a VAT refund.
Every VAT exemption in Belgium is validated by FPS Finance on its VATVEE platform. After validation an E-Certificate is issued: the exemption document that proves the VAT exemption for the VAT return of the store or supplier.
Diplomatic Card submits every purchase for validation for you: at the checkout of a connected store, for each refund and for each Peppol invoice. Stores and suppliers find the E-Certificate on the Check Platform with their company number and the verification code of the declaration.
Where an E-Certificate is not possible, for example for a purchase in another EU member state or a car, the paper Certificate 151 applies.
Missions send all their invoices to Diplomatic Card. Each invoice is filtered and routed to an E-Certificate or a Certificate 151, across 28 spending categories. Purchases in other EU member states and cases such as works on official buildings above 2,500 euro, motor vehicles, utilities, official events and catering and excise goods follow the C-151 procedure, which Diplomatic Card prefills for free.
Official use for Missions →Suppliers send the invoice through the Peppol network. After validation by FPS Finance they issue a VAT-exempt invoice: no pre-financing, no refund procedure. Diplomatic Card is the only company accredited both as a Peppol Access Point and to process VAT exemptions for Missions.
Peppol for Missions →Members of diplomatic and consular Missions and international organisations with a VAT privilege, their registered family members within the same privilege, and the Missions and organisations themselves for official use. The privilege depends on the reciprocity rules of the Belgian VAT administration; your Protocol Office knows what applies to you.
In 550+ connected stores in Belgium and online at MediaMarkt.be, with the Diplomatic Card. Diplomatic Card is the only service in Belgium where diplomats pay 0% VAT directly at the checkout.
Ask for an invoice in your name and upload it in the Diplomatic Card app or the Client Portal. Diplomatic Card recovers the VAT from the store after validation by FPS Finance. The minimum is 125 euro excluding VAT per invoice.
Yes. Diplomatic Card is the only VAT service for diplomats in Belgium with its own mobile app: the digital card, invoice upload and the status of every refund. Available for iPhone and iPad; Android follows.
For private use, no: services of any kind and food and beverages are excluded. Missions follow the categories of the Belgian VAT administration for official use.
Article 42, §3 of the Belgian VAT Code, applied by FPS Finance together with the reciprocity rules of the Belgian VAT administration.
More answers in the FAQ or from our Support Desk, Monday to Friday 9:00 to 17:00, +32 2 402 30 93, info@diplomaticcard.be.
0% at the checkout in 550+ connected stores, VAT-Refund everywhere else and one app for both. Register in a few minutes; we check your entitlement with FPS Finance first.
