Open Records Laws › Belgium

Belgium

Law on Transparency of Administration (Loi relative à la publicité de l'administration)

Loi du 11 avril 1994

RTI Rating: 59 (source)

Response Timeline

Initial Response
30 days
Extension
15 days

Authorities must respond within 30 calendar days. A 15-day extension is available for complex requests. Silence is deemed a refusal. For correction requests the deadline is 60 days (extendable by 30). Amended significantly in May 2024 to expand active transparency requirements. Belgium's regions (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels) each have separate FOI laws.

No residency or citizenship requirement. The law states 'everyone' (toute personne / eenieder) has the right to access administrative documents.

How to Submit a Request

Accepted Methods

  • portal
  • email
  • mail
  • in_person

Written requests required. The Transparencia.be portal (built on Alaveteli) provides online request submission and public tracking. Requests can also be sent by email or mail.

Required Elements

  • {'note': 'Clear description of the administrative documents sought.', 'field': 'description'}

Optional Elements

  • {'note': 'Preferred format for receiving documents', 'field': 'preferred_format'}

Fees

No application fee. Copy costs may be charged but are limited to actual reproduction costs as determined by Royal Decree.

Exemptions

  • Population Safety
    Protection of population safety.
  • Fundamental Rights
    Protection of fundamental rights and freedoms.
  • International Relations
    Federal international relations of Belgium.
  • Public Order and Security
    Public order, security, and national defense.
  • Criminal Investigation
    Investigation and prosecution of criminal offenses.
  • Federal Economic Interest
    Federal economic and financial interests.
  • Business Confidentiality
    Confidential business and manufacturing data.
  • Informant Protection
    Identity protection of confidential informants.
  • Personal Privacy
    Protection of personal privacy under data protection law.
  • Legal Confidentiality
    Legal professional privilege and obligations.
  • Government Deliberation Secrecy
    Confidentiality of government deliberations.

Exemptions are divided into mandatory refusals (public interest doesn't outweigh) and discretionary refusals. Requests may also be refused if unclear or overly vague, or if documents are incomplete.

Appeal Process

1

1

2

2

Two-tier system: first appeal to the independent Commission (advisory opinion), then to the Council of State for binding judicial review. The Commission operates independently and provides neutral advice.

Request Templates

Transparencia.be

Records Retention

Retention Law
Loi du 24 juin 1955 relative aux archives / Wet van 24 juni 1955 betreffende de archieven
Authority
Archives de l'État en Belgique / Rijksarchief in België (State Archives in Belgium)

Loi du 24 juin 1955, Moniteur belge du 12 août 1955 (modifiée par la loi du 6 mai 2009)

View retention law →

Sources & References