How can you obtain or renew a STIB school subscription in Brussels?

STIB updated its school-subscription guidance on 2 March 2026, confirming a relatively simple route into the new school year: young people aged 12 to 17 can obtain the €12 annual STIB school pass without submitting a school certificate, while anyone aged 18 to 24 who is officially domiciled in the Brussels-Capital Region can buy the €12 “18-24 Brussels resident” subscription whether or not they are studying. The main requirement in both cases is a personal MOBIB card on which the subscription can be loaded.

For families arriving in Belgium, the crucial word is “domiciled”. It means officially registered at a Brussels commune or gemeente, not merely renting a room, attending a Brussels school or spending most weekdays in the city. The 19 municipal administrations—from Anderlecht and the City of Brussels to Ixelles/Elsene, Schaerbeek/Schaarbeek and Woluwe-Saint-Lambert/Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe—record residents in the population registers. STIB uses that official status to distinguish Brussels residents aged 18 to 24 from students who live elsewhere.

## First identify the right subscription

The easiest way to avoid an unnecessary form is to start with age and registered address. According to STIB, the routes are:

1. **Under 12:** STIB’s under-12 subscription is free. A personal MOBIB card is still needed once the child requires a transport pass. 2. **Aged 12 to 17:** the annual STIB school subscription costs €12 and no school certificate is required. 3. **Aged 18 to 24 and domiciled in Brussels:** the annual STIB 18-24 Brussels resident subscription costs €12, with no school certificate and no requirement to remain a student. 4. **Aged 18 to 24 and not domiciled in Brussels:** the €12 school rate is available to eligible students, but STIB requires a school-attendance certificate before the pass can be purchased.

These €12 prices are confirmed by the Brussels government’s tariff order effective from 1 February 2026. The subscription covers STIB buses, trams and metros, subject to the operator’s airport exception: it does not cover a journey departing from Brussels Airport on the Airport Line.

## How to buy or renew it

If the passenger already has a personal MOBIB card, the quickest option is normally to buy or renew through STIB’s website or at a GO ticket machine. GO machines are installed in every metro station and at major surface stops; STIB says the outdoor machines are accessible around the clock. Have the 19-digit MOBIB number and a payment card ready when buying online.

A card issued by SNCB-NMBS, TEC or De Lijn can also carry a STIB subscription. STIB advises first-time customers using another operator’s MOBIB card to scan it at a GO machine and accept STIB’s sales conditions before trying to upload documents or make the first purchase online.

Anyone without a personal MOBIB card can order one online or visit a BOOTIK. STIB lists staffed BOOTIK locations at Gare du Midi/Zuidstation, Rogier, Porte de Namur/Naamsepoort, Roodebeek and Gare de l’Ouest/Weststation. Bring an identity document and, where required, the paper school certificate. KIOSK counters can renew subscriptions and receive documents, but a BOOTIK offers the broader range of services, including issuing a personal card or replacing an expired, lost or defective one.

After an online purchase, follow STIB’s activation instructions rather than assuming the product is already readable on the card. Depending on the transaction, activation can be completed using compatible equipment or by presenting the MOBIB card to the appropriate STIB machine.

## When a school certificate is necessary

The remaining paperwork mainly concerns 18-to-24-year-old students whose official home address is outside the Brussels-Capital Region. They must submit STIB’s current school-attendance form, completed by their educational institution. STIB accepts the document through its online process or at a KIOSK or BOOTIK.

Students enrolled at an institution elsewhere in the European Union face an additional step: STIB says they must submit both evidence issued by their institution and the operator’s own completed certificate. Applicants should use the form for the relevant academic year rather than recycling an older version.

Brussels’ linguistic landscape need not complicate the transaction. STIB-MIVB provides French, Dutch and English web guidance, while municipal names and station names often appear in both official languages. A certificate from a French-, Dutch- or other EU-language institution should nevertheless clearly identify the student, institution and enrolment period; ask the school and STIB whether a translation or supplementary document is needed if the information cannot readily be verified. No language test is attached to the transport discount.

## STIB-only or Brupass?

A STIB school pass is sufficient for travel solely on the capital’s metro, tram and bus network. Pupils who regularly combine those services with SNCB-NMBS trains or urban TEC and De Lijn services inside Brussels should compare it with Brupass School, which integrates the four operators within the Brupass zone.

The legally published tariff applying from February 2026 lists Brupass School at €57 a year. Some STIB guidance pages indexed around the tariff change still display €56, so applicants should treat the checkout price and current tariff page as authoritative before paying. The same official order lists a reduced €45 Brupass School price from the third qualifying purchase, while the third and subsequent qualifying STIB school or 18-24 Brussels resident subscriptions cost €0. Families must keep their household composition updated with STIB, and the order in which subscriptions are purchased determines which one receives the reduction.

The broader policy dates from 2021, when Brussels cut the student subscription from €50 to €12, followed in 2022 by the €12 offer for all Brussels residents aged 18 to 24. BX1 reported in August 2025 that the operator had further simplified the procedure by removing the certificate requirement for Brussels residents. The practical result is a system built around age, official residence and a reusable MOBIB card rather than an annual paperwork exercise for every pupil.

The sensible back-to-school routine is therefore to check the card’s expiry date, confirm that the commune or gemeente registration is current, submit any required certificate before the rush and then buy or renew online or at a GO machine. Prices and forms can change between academic years, particularly for integrated Brupass travel, so families should make one final check on the STIB-MIVB website before renewal.