Best neobank in Belgium (2026)

A neobank (an app-only bank or payment account) is often the first account an expat opens in Belgium. You can sign up from your phone, verify your identity with a passport or a video selfie, and have a card in your wallet within minutes. For the weeks when you are still waiting for your commune registration and your Belgian card, that speed counts for a lot.

But not every app is equal for life in Belgium. Some give you a Belgian IBAN (starting BE), some a German or Lithuanian one. Some are full banks covered by a deposit guarantee, others are payment or e-money institutions that are not. And some Belgian “mobile banks” only accept people who already hold a Belgian identity card.

This guide compares six app-based or online accounts available to residents of Belgium on what they publish: the IBAN country, the free plan, the price of paid plans, the physical card, deposit protection and the type of licence. Two well-known apps, Revolut and Trade Republic, could not be rated because their pages were not readable when we checked. If you would rather have a traditional bank with branches, see our guide to the best bank for expats in Belgium.

How to choose a neobank in Belgium

The IBAN country: BE or not?

Your IBAN’s first two letters show the country of the account. bunq states it plainly: bunq gives a BE IBAN to customers who sign up while living in Belgium. (source, checked 2 November 2026) N26 does not: N26 customers in Belgium get a German (DE) IBAN. (source, checked 2 November 2026)

In law, a non-Belgian IBAN should not be a problem inside the EU. Under EU rules, your account may not be refused for SEPA credit transfers or direct debits because it is held in another EU country, if the counterpart accepts those payments from domestic accounts; IBAN discrimination can be reported to the competent authority in the counterpart's country. (source, checked 2 November 2026) In practice, newcomers still meet employers, landlords, utilities and public bodies whose forms only accept a BE IBAN, or whose staff ask for one. If your main reason for opening an account is to receive a Belgian salary or pay Belgian rent by direct debit, a BE IBAN removes that friction. If you mostly need a card for daily spending and currency conversion, the IBAN country matters less.

Bank or payment institution: what protects your money

A licensed bank in the EU belongs to the deposit guarantee scheme of its home country. bunq’s protection is Up to €100,000 (Dutch DGS), and N26’s is Up to €100,000. bunq’s guarantee is Dutch and N26’s is German, not Belgian. That is normal for a bank passporting its licence across the EU, but it means a claim would go through the home scheme.

A payment institution or e-money institution is not a bank. It is not covered by a deposit guarantee scheme; under EU rules it must instead keep customers’ money separate from its own. In this guide Wise’s licence is not publishedad on the pages we read, and Vivid says of itself that it is Not a bank (per Vivid). Neither is a problem for a spending account, but think twice before parking large savings there. You can check any firm in the EBA Payment Institutions Register and the ECB list of supervised banks. The National Bank of Belgium lists were unreadable on the day we checked, so we relied on the ECB list for the banks here.

What you need to sign up

App accounts are popular with newcomers because most accept a passport. Wise accepts a passport or a national ID card from residents of Europe, but not a driving licence. N26 asks for a valid photo ID and a valid address in Belgium. bunq runs a quick video check with your ID. Vivid verifies identity without a video call. Keytrade Bank accepts a passport from non-Belgian residents, but you must live in Belgium or be tax resident there. Hello bank! asks for a Belgian identity card. Our bank finder puts these requirements side by side with their sources.

Free plans and their limits

Most neobanks have a free tier and sell paid plans with more cash withdrawals, insurance or metal cards. Read what the free tier leaves out: a physical card may cost extra, free withdrawals may be capped, and some free plans are free only if you use the account actively. The table shows the free plan, the cheapest paid plan and the physical card for each.

Cash

App-only accounts are weak on cash. You can withdraw at machines within each provider’s allowance, but depositing cash is rarely possible. Keytrade Bank says outright that cash deposits are not possible. If you are paid partly in cash or run a small business that takes cash, pair your neobank with a traditional bank.

The providers compared

The order follows the scores in the table. Every figure links to the page we read on 2 November 2026.

Two popular apps are not rated. Revolut’s Belgian pricing page and its help article on Belgian IBANs refused our access when we checked, and Trade Republic’s page on its IBAN for Belgian customers returned a “not found” error. We have no verified data on their plans, IBAN or protection, so the table lists them as not rated. If you consider either, read Revolut’s sitead or Trade Republic’s sitead yourself and check the IBAN country and licence before you move your salary.

If you do not have a Belgian card yet

This is where neobanks earn their place. In order of usefulness for the first weeks:

• bunq if you need a BE IBAN quickly. It gives one to people who sign up while living in Belgium and verifies you by video with your ID.
• N26 if a German IBAN is acceptable to you. It needs a valid address in Belgium and a photo ID.
• Wise if you mainly need to receive or convert money in several currencies. It accepts a passport.
• Keytrade Bank once you live in Belgium. It takes a passport but the paper contract route is slower.

Hello bank! is closed to you until you hold a Belgian identity card. Once your commune registration is done and your card arrives, every option in this guide opens up, and you may want to move your salary to a Belgian bank with branches.

If your employer or landlord asks for a Belgian IBAN

Start by pointing out, politely, that refusing an IBAN from another EEA country breaches EU payment rules. The European Commission’s Your Europe page on payments and transfers explains your rights and where to complain. If you do not want the argument, open an account that gives a BE IBAN. Among the rated providers, bunq states it gives one to Belgian residents, and Wise’s help page shows a sample of euro account details with one without saying who gets it; for Keytrade Bank and Hello bank! the IBAN country was not stated on the pages we read.

Rental guarantees are a separate case. A landlord in Belgium often wants the guarantee blocked on an account at a Belgian bank, and a neobank will not usually offer that. See our guide to the best rental guarantee in Belgium.

If you are a US citizen

Hello bank! states that it does not accept American nationals because of FATCA. The other providers in this guide did not publish a nationality restriction on the pages we read, which does not guarantee acceptance. Check each provider’s terms before you start, and keep an account in the US for the first months if you can.

If you are paid in several currencies

If part of your income arrives in dollars, pounds or another currency, conversion cost matters more than the monthly fee. Wise publishes its conversion pricing openly. Vivid advertises many currencies. For transfers abroad, compare services in our guide to the best way to send money abroad from Belgium.

Step by step: opening a neobank account in Belgium

1. Choose by IBAN and licence first. Need a BE IBAN: bunq, or a Belgian bank. Need deposit guarantee cover: pick a bank (bunq, N26, Keytrade Bank, Hello bank!), not a payment institution.
2. Check what ID you have. Passport only: bunq, N26, Wise, Keytrade Bank (as a resident). Belgian identity card: Hello bank! too.
3. Have a Belgian address ready. N26 asks for one; other providers will ask for your address during sign-up.
4. Get a Belgian mobile number. Keytrade Bank needs it to activate cards remotely, and a local number makes security codes easier.
5. Download the app and verify your identity. Expect a photo of your ID and a selfie or short video.
6. Order a physical card if you need one. Some free plans charge for it; check the table.
7. Share your IBAN with your employer and set up direct debits. Keep your home account open until your first Belgian salary has arrived.

Our verdict

Keytrade Bank comes out ahead in the table. Keytrade Bank fits if you live in Belgium and want a free online account from a bank with a Belgian branch and a passport-friendly process. bunq is the pick for your first days: a Belgian IBAN from your phone, with Dutch deposit protection. Hello bank! is an excellent free account once you have a Belgian identity card. N26 is quick and fully in English but gives a German IBAN. Wise is the tool for multi-currency money rather than a main account, and Vivid suits users who want many sub-accounts and accept that it is not a bank.