Nepal-Belgium Relations

Nepal-Belgium Relations

Political Relations

Nepal and the Kingdom of Belgium established diplomatic relations on 19 August 1963. The relations between Nepal and Belgium are marked by goodwill, trust and mutual respect. Nepal opened its residential embassy in Brussels in 1992. The Embassy of Belgium in New Delhi is concurrently accredited to Nepal. Belgium has its Honorary Consulate in Kathmandu.

Exchange of Visits:

Exchange of visits and contacts at various levels has further strengthened the bilateral ties between the two countries. Such visits include the visits of the Head of States, Head of Governments, Foreign Ministers and other high-level dignitaries from both sides.

The recent visit from the Nepali side includes visit of Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba in December 2024. High level visits in the past included visit of Prime Minister Mr. Sher Bahadur Deuba (2002), Prime Minister Shushil Koirala (2014) and Crown Prince Dipendra (1997).

The recent visit from the Belgian side happened in January 2020 when Princess Astrid, the younger sister of the King of Belgium visited Nepal. Likewise, King Albert II in 1980s and King Phillippe in 1998 had visited Nepal.

Bilateral Consultation Mechanism

The MoU on Establishing Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) between the Foreign Ministries of Nepal and Belgium was signed on 27 June 2018. The mechanism was operationalised with the convening of its first meeting in September 2019 in Kathmandu. The second meeting of the mechanism was held in Brussels in February 2023.

Development Cooperation

Belgium has been contributing to Nepal’s development efforts by channeling its assistance through EU and other multilateral agencies.

One of the major areas of Belgian financial and technical cooperation was in the telecommunication sector. In the 1990s, Belgium provided Nepal with concessional state-to-state loans to upgrade the telephone exchange into digital.

Trade and Investment

The trade data of last few years depicts that the balance of trade is heavily in favour of Belgium. Readymade garments, woolen goods, ready-made garments, handmade papers and handicrafts are the key export items to Belgium. Similarly, textile materials, machinery and parts, industrial raw materials, electrical goods, research equipment are major import items from Belgium. The table below reflects the export/import trends between the two countries.

(Value in 000 Rupees)

Tourism

A few thousand Belgian tourists visit Nepal every year, especially for trekking, mountaineering and adventure tourism.

The number of Belgian tourists visiting Nepal for the last two years is shown in table below:

It is estimated that around 17,000 Nepalis currently reside in Belgium.

Europe Division

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

As of March 2026