The Embassy of Belgium in Bern is the official point of contact for relations between Belgium and Switzerland, including services for Belgian citizens.
Contact Details
| Address | Weltpoststrasse 4, 3015 Bern, Switzerland |
| Telephone | +41 31 350 01 50 +41 31 350 01 60 |
| bern@diplobel.fed.be | |
| Website | switzerland.diplomatie.belgium.be |
| Social Media | |
| Head of Mission | Patrick Guido M Van Gheel, Ambassador |
| Consular district | Bern, Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Zug, Fribourg, Valais and Neuchâtel |
Consular Section
| Telephone | +41 31 350 01 50 |
| bern.consular@diplobel.fed.be |
Opening Hours
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday | 09:00 - 12:00 / 14:00 - 16:00 |
| Tuesday | 09:00 - 12:00 / 14:00 - 16:00 |
| Wednesday | 09:00 - 12:00 / 14:00 - 16:00 |
| Thursday | 09:00 - 12:00 / 14:00 - 16:00 |
| Friday | 09:00 - 12:00 / 14:00 - 16:00 |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may differ on public holidays. Please confirm before your visit.
Location of the Embassy
Who runs the Belgian Embassy?
Patrick Guido M Van Gheel has served as Belgian ambassador to Switzerland since August 2025. 6 diplomats and attachés are registered with the FDFA for this embassy. Its defence attaché is resident in Paris. The consular section covers Bern, Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Zug, Fribourg, Valais and Neuchâtel.
Embassy or honorary consulate?
The consular section of the embassy is responsible for Belgian citizens in Bern, Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Zug, Fribourg, Valais and Neuchâtel. Five honorary consulates (Basel, Geneva, Lugano, St. Gallen and Zurich) can help with information and some formalities.
Documents checklist
The most frequent applications and the documents the Belgian authorities ask for:
Belgian passport (application abroad)
- You must be registered in the population register of a Belgian embassy or consulate (Belgians registered in a Belgian municipality cannot get an ordinary passport abroad)
- Apply in person (from age 6) – fingerprints from age 12; many posts work by appointment
- Completed and signed application form; one recent photo (many posts take the photo themselves)
- Your current passport, which is cancelled when the new one is delivered
- Minors: form signed by both parents
- You may also apply at another Belgian post or a Belgian municipality – this can take longer
Sources: FPS Foreign Affairs Belgium – ordinary passport, FPS Foreign Affairs Belgium – biometrics and passport applications from Belgians abroad (checked October 2026). Requirements and fees can change and individual posts may ask for more – confirm the current list with the embassy before your visit.
Visa and entry information
Visa rules for Swiss passport holders are set by Belgium; the embassy confirms the current requirements on request. The FDFA has no general travel warning for Belgium. See the FDFA travel advice.
Other consulates and embassies in Bern
93 other countries are represented in Bern, among them: Bosnia and Herzegovina (embassy), Brazil (embassy), Bulgaria (embassy), Cameroon (embassy), Canada (embassy), Chile (embassy), China (embassy), Colombia (embassy), Costa Rica (embassy), Croatia (embassy), Cuba (embassy), Czech Republic (embassy), Côte d’Ivoire (embassy), Democratic Republic of the Congo (embassy), Dominican Republic (embassy), Ecuador (embassy), Egypt (embassy), Finland (embassy), France (embassy), Georgia (embassy). The full list of all 94 missions is on the overview page for Switzerland.
Closing days
The embassy is closed on Swiss public holidays and on the Belgian national holiday (21 July). Religious holidays observed in Belgium may lead to further closures.
Emergency assistance
Typical cases are a stolen passport before a trip home, a hospital stay or an arrest; legal fees and travel costs remain the citizen’s responsibility. For Swiss travellers in Belgium, the contacts are the Swiss Embassy in Brussels (+32 2 285 43 50) and the FDFA Helpline (+41 58 465 33 33, around the clock).
Diplomatic missions between Belgium and Switzerland
Belgium in Switzerland
Measured in a straight line from Bern, the nearest other Belgian office is the Honorary Consulate in Basel (about 69 km). Distances in brackets are straight-line distances from Bern.
- Bern – Embassy of Belgium (this page)
- Basel (69 km) – Honorary Consulate (Solothurn, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Aargau and Jura)
- Geneva (130 km) – Honorary Consulate (Vaud and Geneva)
- Lugano (160 km) – Honorary Consulate (Ticino)
- St. Gallen (150 km) – Honorary Consulate
- Zurich (110 km) – Honorary Consulate (Zurich and Schaffhausen)
Switzerland in Belgium
- Brussels – Swiss Embassy
- Antwerpen – Swiss Honorary Consulate General
- Liège – Swiss Honorary Consulate
Frequently asked questions about the Embassy of Belgium in Bern
At what times can I visit the Belgian Embassy?
Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 16:00.
Does the FDFA warn against travel to Belgium?
There is no general FDFA travel warning for Belgium; check the current travel advice before you go.
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Details checked on 8 October 2026. Sources: Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) – list of the diplomatic and consular corps in Switzerland, FDFA travel advice for Belgium, switzerland.diplomatie.belgium.be. Rules and opening hours can change. Confirm with the embassy before your visit.
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