All Belgian municipalities have ceased issuing 30-year electronic identity cards to citizens aged 75 and over, the FPS Home Affairs announced in a statement on Wednesday.
From 31 March on, all citizens over 18 will receive an identity card valid for 10 years.
This decision was necessary for technical reasons, since after 10 years, citizens can no longer use their cards to identify themselves online or sign documents electronically.
Municipalities must contact the individuals concerned by these long-term cards within three months of their card's tenth anniversary.
They will then be able to inform them that the electronic functionalities will no longer be guaranteed.
These citizens can, if they wish, request a new card free of charge.
