SNCB / NMBS

Last updated:

The SNCB (Société nationale des chemins de fer belges) or NMBS (Nationale Maatschappij der Belgische Spoorwegen) is the Belgian national railway operator and the most important railway operator in Belgium.

Summary

  • SNCB accepts FIP Coupons and FIP 50 Tickets
  • No reservation required
  • Surcharge for trips to/from Brussels Zaventem Airport

Validity of FIP Tickets

FIP Coupon: ✅FIP Coupon for relatives: ✅FIP 50 Tickets: ✅

FIP Coupons and FIP 50 Tickets are valid on SNCB connections. For cross-border trips, either a continuous FIP 50 ticket or FIP Coupons from both countries must be available.

Train Categories and Reservations

Within Belgium, no reservation is required for SNCB and in many trains, it is not possible. For the cross-border ICE to Germany, a reservation is possible and was mandatory in summer 2024 (only for cross-border journeys).

Intercity-Express (ICE)

Description:High-speed trains of Deutsche Bahn, operated by SNCB in Belgium. They run between Brussels (Midi) and Germany (Cologne / Frankfurt am Main), but can also be used with FIP Tickets without surcharge within Belgium between Brussels Midi and Liège-Guillemins.Reservation possible: yesReservation required: no

Intercity (IC)

Description:Unlike in other countries, these are not real long-distance trains, but rather fast regional trains with few stops.Reservation possible: noReservation required: no

Eurocity Direct (ECD) ⚠️

Description:International, supplement-required train between Lelystad, Amsterdam, and Brussels, stopping at Almere, Schiphol, Rotterdam, and Antwerp.More informationReservation possible: noReservation required: noSupplement: ⚠️Between Rotterdam and Schiphol, a supplementof 3€ must be paid for both FIP 50 Tickets and FIP Coupons. This can be purchased online, in the NS app, or at ticket machines/counters. The supplement can be loaded onto an OV-chipkaart. Without an OV-chipkaart, an additional fee of 1.50€ is charged for a single-use ticket.Holders of an OV-chipkaart can buy a discounted supplement for 1.80€ at the supplement counter in the station during off-peak times.With FIP 50 Tickets, prices may vary by train category.

Eurocity (EC)

Description:International train between Rotterdam and Brussels with several intermediate stops.More informationReservation possible: noReservation required: no

Train local or Lokale trein (L)

Description:Regional trains stopping at most stations, often simply referred to as R for regional train in connection information.Reservation possible: noReservation required: no

Train S or S-Trein (S)

Description:A suburban train in the metropolitan areas of Antwerp, Brussels, Charleroi, Ghent, or Liège. They connect the major cities with the suburbs and usually stop everywhere. Unlike in other countries, the S-trains here do not have denser schedules than other train categories. In the connection information, these are sometimes also summarized as R for regional train.Reservation possible: noReservation required: no

Train d’heure de pointe or Piekuurtrein (P)

Description:Additional trains during peak hours from Monday to Friday mornings and late afternoons, often simply referred to as R for regional train in connection information.Reservation possible: noReservation required: no

Express (E/EXP/EXTRA)

Description:Additional trains during high traffic periods, especially in the summer months to the Belgian coast.Reservation possible: noReservation required: no

Tourist (T)

Description:Additional trains to certain tourist destinations, often simply referred to as R for regional train.Reservation possible: noReservation required: no

Ticket and Reservation Purchase

Online

Domestic journeys unfortunately cannot be purchased online.

SNCB International Website
Only for cross-border journeys to/from Belgium
FIP 50 Tickets ✅

When using a SNCB FIP Coupon, a cross-border ticket can be booked via the website, which takes the free travel within the Belgian section into account. To do this, select the discount “100% Discount Belgium (SNCB)” for the travelers. This allows, for example, very affordable bookings for trains from Belgium to Lille in France (except for the TGV, which has a Global Fare and is not operated by SNCB).

FIP 50 Tickets

The SNCB sells tickets online with a FIP 50 discount for cross-border connections to Belgium’s neighbouring countries. Simply select the discount “50% Discount Belgium (SNCB)” for the travelers. Multiple discounts can also be specified here, e.g., a simultaneously valid FIP Coupons for CFL (Luxembourg) or NS (Netherlands).

To Booking Website
DB Website FIP (DB Employees)
Cross-border FIP 50 Tickets between Germany and Belgium, with ticket portion only for the Belgian section. For Deutsche Bahn employees only.
Reservation ✅
FIP 50 Tickets ✅
Reservation Costs
1st Class: €6,90
2nd Class: €5,50

FIP 50 Tickets

Deutsche Bahn employees can purchase FIP 50 Tickets online for journeys from Germany to neighboring countries. These tickets are available in the DB Reisemarkt > Bahnangebote > Ausland > FIP-Angebot. The FIP 50 ticket is only valid for the foreign section of the route. This is especially important for DB employees, as FIP 50 Tickets are not valid in your own home country. Therefore, an additional ticket is required for the domestic section within Germany up to the border point.

Booking is only possible via the link in the DB Reisemarkt. Discounts do not need to be selected; they are applied automatically.

FIP 50 Tickets can be purchased for the following countries:

  • Poland
  • Austria
  • Italyonly Brenner route with Austria and ECE Frankfurt - Milan
  • Czech Republic
  • Switzerland
  • Luxembourg
  • Denmark
  • Netherlands
  • Belgium
  • France

Reservations

The reservation price is calculated per journey. This means that for connections with transfers, you only need to pay once for multiple trains.

Seat reservations can be purchased via the Deutsche Bahn website. To do so, select the “Book seat only” option in the search.

Additional Information
DB Website FIP (International)
Cross-border FIP 50 Tickets between Germany and Belgium for the entire route (not valid in the issuing country of the FIP Card)
Reservation ✅
FIP 50 Tickets ✅
Reservation Costs
1st Class: €6,90
2nd Class: €5,50

FIP 50 Tickets

Online FIP 50 Tickets for journeys within Germany and neighboring countries can be booked via Deutsche Bahn. The tickets must include at least one section within Germany. The FIP 50 ticket is issued for the entire route. The ticket is not valid in the country where the FIP Card was issued; an additional ticket is required there.

Booking is only possible via the link. Discounts do not need to be selected—they are applied automatically.

FIP 50 Tickets can be purchased for the following countries, as long as a section in Germany is included:

  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • France
  • Germany
  • Italyonly Brenner route with Austria and ECE Frankfurt - Milan
  • Luxembourg
  • Netherlands
  • Poland
  • Switzerland

Reservations

The reservation price is charged per journey. For connections with transfers, you only pay once for multiple trains.

Seat reservations can be purchased via the Deutsche Bahn website. To do so, select the “Seat reservation only” option in the search.

To Booking WebsiteAdditional Information

On-site

SNCB Ticket Office
Reservation ✅
FIP 50 Tickets ✅

FIP 50 Tickets

FIP 50 Tickets for domestic and cross-border journeys can be purchased at the SNCB ticket office.

Reservations

Since reservations for trains cannot be purchased in Belgium, SNCB only sells international reservations, e.g., for the ICE Brussels - Frankfurt.

Additional Information
DB Ticket Office
Reservation ✅
FIP 50 Tickets ✅
Reservation Costs
1st Class: €6.90
2nd Class: €5.50

Deutsche Bahn ticket offices are called DB Reisezentrum and are located in many larger stations throughout Germany.

FIP 50 Tickets

At DB ticket offices, FIP 50 Tickets can be purchased for journeys within Germany and to many European countries.

It is also possible to issue FIP 50 Tickets where only the section outside Germany is charged, and an additional ticket is required for the German section. This is especially important for DB employees, as FIP 50 Tickets are not valid in their home country.

Reservations

The reservation price is calculated per journey. This means that for connections with transfers, you only need to pay once for multiple trains.

Reservations can be made not only for Germany but also for a large number of trains throughout Europe.

Additional Information

On the train

If no ticket counter is available or open, a ticket can be purchased on board the train from the conductor if approached immediately. The usual SNCB surcharge for on-board sales is not charged in this case. 1

Discounts

Children up to 5 years old travel free on SNCB trains. Children aged 6 to 11 are entitled to a 50% discount on the adult fare, and from 12 years old, they pay the adult fare. If they are FIP eligible, they also pay only half the normal price with FIP 50. 2

Special Tariff Conditions

Brussels Zaventem Airport

For connections to and from Brussels Zaventem Airport, a surcharge must be paid for the FIP Coupon. This currently amounts to 6.70€ (see SNCB info) and must also be paid if the note No Supplement Necessary is indicated. For FIP 50 Tickets, this is already included in the price. 2

Recommendations

Personal Tip

The first class in SNCB / NMBS trains is often used with second class tickets. Also, the 1st class is usually not much more comfortable than the second class. Unlike in other countries, buying first class tickets to have more space and quiet is only worthwhile to a limited extent.

Sources

  1. SNCB User Feedback ↩︎

  2. Rail Delivery Group ↩︎ ↩︎