Fares > Special discounts > The large Families discount card > Special cases

Special cases

Parents stripped of their parental rights

Parents stripped of their parental rights are no longer entitled to the discount.

Divorced parents

Divorced parents remain entitled to the card for life. Their children retain the right to the discount in the normal conditions.

Separated parents

Parents and children retain the right to the discount in the normal conditions.

When the parents don’t live in the same neighbourhood, two separate applications sometimes have to be filled in (on in each local authority district) to cover the whole family. The applications are combined and the issue fee is only paid once.

Joint custody

In the case of co-parenting by court ruling or notarised document, both parents retain the right to the discount.

In the absence of a court ruling or a notarised document regarding the joint custody of the children, the children are deemed to be in the custody of the parent with whom they officially live.

Blended families (cohabiting, remarrying)

If the new household has a total of three children who meet the conditions, the children are entitled to the discount. Depending on the number of own children, the parents are entitled to either an annual card or a card for life.

The children who are in the custody of one party, do not count to determine the lifelong entitlement to discount of the new partner of the other party. Only the court ruling or notarised document certifying the joint custody are taken into account and must be attached to the application.

Paternity acknowledged officially or by court ruling

In the case of paternity acknowledged officially or by court ruling, the single mother or father who has at least three children of his/her own obtains lifelong entitlement to the discount. Their children obtain a card in the normal conditions.

The form must state the name, relationship, marital status, date of birth and address of each of the children.

Orphaned children

Orphans remain entitled to the discount in the normal conditions.

Children in care

Children who have been placed in the care of a family by an official body (Justice of the Peace, Children’s Judge, Youth Judge, Crown Prosecutor or Public Welfare Centre,...) become temporarily entitled to the discount for themselves as well as for the foster parents and their own children for as long as the family formed in this way meets the required conditions.

Deceased children

Deceased children whose names are registered in the population register are taken into consideration when deciding on the entitlement of the parents and the other children.

Stillborn children whose names are not registered in the population register, will also be taken into consideration to determine the right to discount if a copy of the birth certificate of a stillborn child or a certificate of the obstetrician is attached to the application form.

Nationality

In the case of members of a Belgian family who are living abroad and residing temporarily in Belgium, or in the case of recognized political refugees, the nationality of the family members is always taken into consideration, especially if the family members do not have the Belgian nationality.

The entitlement to the discount for the latter mainly depends on the fact that they have to reside in Belgium.

For parents of Belgian nationality or from one of the Council of Europe Social Charter signatory countries, who are entitled to an annual card, it is assumed that their entitlement continues as long as one of the children retains the right to the card.

Belgian family members living abroad and residing temporarily in Belgium

Applications can be sent to SNCB along with a certificate of the civil status of the applicant's family (the certificate may be on unstamped paper).

This certificate must be drawn up by a Belgian official who is authorised to issue this document (a consular agent, military authority in the case of military personnel residing abroad, Ministry of Foreign Affaires, Development and Foreign Trade), or by the local authority for the place of residence.

Recognized political refugees

The temporary entitlement to the discount is granted to the parents and their children aged -25 who have the status of recognized political refugees residing in Belgium and who are registered in the Foreigners’ Register.

If a family no longer has three children meeting the conditions, the children who are still entitled to child benefit, retain their temporary right to the discount until their 25th birthday.

The parents retain the temporary right to the discount, as long as one of the children is entitled to child benefit.

A photocopy of the special card issued to the head of the family by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees must be presented with the first application.

When applying for a renewal, the head of the family simply presents this identity card to show that the family is still entitled to the card.

Children with a handicap

A child with a permanent impairment percentage of at least 66% counts per definition as two.