Starting from today, people in Belgium who have not yet had the chance to be fully vaccinated can request up to two free PCR tests from the Belgian government.
The tests can be requested from today, which is two days earlier than the previously announced 28 June date, confirmed Frank Robben, IT manager of the federal government at a weekly press briefing on Saturday.
"Everything is live, you can request your code, but it is only valid for ten days," he said, urging people not to rush to request their tests immediately if they do not need them yet.
"There is no point in applying for codes now to keep them for later, because then you will lose them," Robben stressed, adding that most countries do not accept tests older than 72 hours.
How does it work?
Log on to the www.mijngezondheid.be government website (with eID, Itsme,...).
If you are a Belgian resident, click on the link to request an activation code for a free PCR test: 'Request a code for a free or paid PCR test *' and follow the steps.
If you are not a Belgian resident, however, click on the link to request the activation code for a paid PCR test: 'Request a code for a paid PCR test (non-residents of Belgium)' and follow the steps.
To book a test moment at a test centre, click on the link "Make an appointment for a test with a code" and follow the steps.
Normally, the test centre knows if it concerns a free or a paid PCR test, but the authorities ask people to bring their activation code to the centre with them, just to be sure.
Who can request the free tests?
The codes are available to anyone living in Belgium (according to the data in the National Register) who has not yet had the opportunity to be fully vaccinated, starting from the age of 6, if they:
- have not yet been invited for vaccination,
- were invited for vaccination less than 30 days ago,
- received the first of two required doses less than 49 days ago for Moderna or Pfizer, or less than 84 or 70 days ago for AstraZeneca (depending on whether the first dose was given before or after 25 May),
- received a dose of Johnson & Johnson less than 14 days ago.
People who do not want to be vaccinated against the coronavirus are not entitled to the two free tests.
If someone has already used their two free tests, or they are not entitled to them, they can also request a regular, paid test via the website. An activation code for such a paid PCR test is valid for 30 days.
