Got your ticket? Then you’re good to go.

From 1 July 2026, you must buy your ticket before you board the train. This ensures clear rules for everyone and guarantees that all passengers travel with a valid ticket.

You can easily purchase your ticket in advance via the SNCB-NMBS app, the website, a ticket vending machine, or at the ticket counter.

No. From 1 July 2026, it will no longer be possible to buy a ticket on board for journeys within Belgium.

Are you boarding at a station without a ticket office and with a ticket machine out of service? We take that into account. If there was truly no way to buy a ticket in advance, you will only pay the price of your journey, with no extra charges.

You’ll receive a blue regularisation ticket, which you can easily pay afterwards online via the QR code, at a ticket vending machine or ticket counter.

You have 3 easy ways to pay: scan the QR code on the blue regularisation ticket and pay online, use the QR code at a ticket vending machine to pay immediately by card, or go to the ticket counter.

You must have bought your ticket, or activated your travel pass, before you board the train. 

Specifically: 

• Standard tickets: you must be able to show your ticket to SNCB-NMBS staff, either printed or digitally via the app or your ID card. The ticket must be valid for you personally, for the date of your trip, and for the specific route you are travelling.
• Season tickets: Your season ticket must be valid and not expired, and your journey must match the route covered by your season ticket. If you forget to bring your season ticket, this unfortunately isn’t considered a valid excuse and you will receive a regularisation. You then have 14 days to prove that you did, in fact, hold a valid season ticket at the time of travel.
• Flex and Student Multi: you must validate your ticket, or enter your travel date, before boarding the train. You must be able to show the digital version on your smartphone during ticket inspection.
• Multimodal tickets: your journey must be properly validated for use on the SNCB-NMBS network.

A dead battery or a malfunctioning smartphone is not accepted as a reason for being unable to show your ticket.

You must have your travel ticket sorted before entering the platform. Once you are on the platform and planning to take the train, you must already have your valid ticket ready to present if an SNCB-NMBS staff member requests it. After getting off the train, you must still be able to show your ticket until you have left the station.
If you are accompanying someone who needs assistance—such as a child travelling alone or someone who needs help with luggage or boarding—you may temporarily be on the platform to provide that assistance.

Our system records which ticket machines are operational, out of service, or unable to accept cash payments. If there was no option to pay with cash at your departure station, you will be issued a regularization at the applicable fare. You can settle this amount later online using the QR code on the blue regularization card, at a ticket vending machine, or at a ticket office. If payment is not received within 14 days, the amount will automatically increase to €90.

 No. Payments cannot be made to the train manager. You can pay the amount due online using the QR code on the blue regularization card, at a ticket machine, or at a ticket office.