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)
FIP accepted Reservation possible

High-speed trains of Deutsche Bahn, operated by SNCB in Belgium. They run between Brussels (Midi) and Germany (Cologne / Frankfurt am Main). Some trains also run between Germany and Antwerp via Brussels Airport Zaventem or in summer between Germany and the Belgian coast. All ICE trains can also be used within Belgium with FIP Tickets without surcharge.

Intercity (IC)
FIP accepted No reservation possible

Unlike in other countries, these are not real long-distance trains, but rather fast regional trains with few stops.

Eurocity Direct (ECD)
FIP accepted No reservation possible Important information

International train between Lelystad, Amsterdam and Brussels with stops in Almere, Schiphol, Rotterdam and Antwerp.

Important Information

For journeys within the Netherlands, special regulations apply, see NS ECD

Eurocity (Direct) Network
Eurocity (EC)
FIP accepted No reservation possible

International train between Rotterdam and Brussels with several intermediate stops.

Train local oder Lokale trein (L)
FIP accepted No reservation possible

Regional trains stopping at most stations, often simply referred to as R for regional train in connection information.

Train S oder S-Trein (S)
FIP accepted No reservation possible

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.

Train d’heure de pointe oder Piekuurtrein (P)
FIP accepted No reservation possible

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.

Express (E/EXP/EXTRA)
FIP accepted No reservation possible

Additional trains during high traffic periods, especially in the summer months to the Belgian coast.

Tourist (T)
FIP accepted No reservation possible

Additional trains to certain tourist destinations, often simply referred to as R for regional train.

Ticket and Reservation Purchase

Online

Domestic journeys unfortunately cannot be purchased online.

SNCB International Website
Only for cross-border journeys to/from Belgium with FIP Coupon.

When using a FIP Coupon for SNCB, CFL, or NS, you can book a cross-border ticket on the website that takes the free travel into account for the Belgian, Luxembourgish, or Dutch section. To do this, select one of the following discounts for the travelers:

  • 100% Discount Belgium (SNCB)
  • 100% Discount Luxembourg (CFL)
  • 100% Discount Netherlands (NS)

This allows you to book cross-border trains from Belgium, for example to Lille in France (except for the TGV, which has a Global Fare and is not operated by SNCB), at a very low price. For sections, where no discount is selected, the full fare will be charged instead of the FIP 50 fare.

Book an SNCB FIP Ticket
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 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.

Book DB reservation
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 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.

Employees of ÖBB, SBB, and PKP can also book tickets that are only valid for the German section of the route. For the section within their own country, an additional ticket is required, as the ticket price is calculated starting from the German border. The ticket is not valid in the country where the FIP Card was issued.

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
  • Franceonly regional trains between Germany and France
  • Germany
  • Italyonly Brenner route with Austria and ECE Frankfurt – Milan
  • Luxembourg
  • Netherlands
  • Poland
  • Switzerland
ticket selection

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.

Book DB reservation
To Booking WebsiteAdditional Information

Telephone

SNCB Telephone
Booking Fee
€0.30 / minute + service charge

Bookings by phone are possible via the SNCB hotline:

+32 70 79 79 79

Opening hours: Mon-Fri: 8am-8pm / Weekends and holidays: 9am-5pm

Cost: €0.30 / minute (Higher fees may apply when calling from abroad.)

You will need to provide personal information and an email address when booking. Payment is possible by credit card (Visa, Mastercard, or American Express).

A service fee will be charged.

FIP 50 Tickets

SNCB sells tickets with a 50% FIP discount.

Additional Information

On-site

SNCB Ticket Office

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 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

FIP discounted tickets can generally be purchased on board the trains. The usual SNCB surcharge for on-board sales is not charged, as the tickets are not available at ticket machines. 1, 2

Discounts

Up to four children under the age of 12 travel for free when accompanied by an adult (a person aged 12 or over in possession of a valid ticket) and do not need a ticket. If all children belong to the same household, more than four children may travel for free. A valid official document (identity card or passport) proving the child’s age is required for the journey. If a child is travelling alone or the limit of four free children per adult is exceeded, a ticket must be purchased at the Youth rate, which is 40% less than the Standard rate. If the children are FIP eligible, they receive a 50% discount on the Standard rate with the FIP 50 Ticket. 3

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. 4

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. SNCB Website ↩︎

  3. SNCB Child Policy ↩︎

  4. Rail Delivery Group ↩︎