Service fee for buying international tickets by phone or at the station
A few words of explanation
SNCB Europe aspires to provide the best possible service for the preparation of your international train journey on all occasions.
To substantiate that ambition, SNCB Europe is continuously investing in new technologies and qualified personnel:
Our new switchboard installed at the end of last year ensures an even faster connection with a professional operator from our Contact Centre.
Our sales offices at the stations Brussels-Midi, Antwerp Central and Liège-Guillemins are currently undergoing renovations to provide fast and efficient services there as well.
Booking your international train ticket to many destinations in Europe, your train pass, travel insurance, hotel, rental car, etc., is simpler than ever on our brand new website www.sncb-europe.com.
And in addition, for purchases at a distance we offer the possibility of printing your ticket at home* or travelling without a ticket**, making your travel preparations even easier.
Under the current developments involved in the liberalisation of international train traffic we endeavour to guarantee you optimum services at all times. Following trends in the worldwide travel market, SNCB Europe is therefore forced to charge a service fee for the purchase of international train tickets through the SNCB Europe Contact Center or at the SNCB Europe railway stations.
This service fee amounts (VAT included) to:
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€ 7,00 for booking on high speed trains or overnight trains
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€ 3,50 for buying tickets for conventional daytime trains
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This service fee has been applied since 23 August 2010 at the stations and since 5 July 2010 at the SNCB Europe Contact Center.
Purchasing train tickets, train passes and other products through our website www.sncb-europe.com remains free of the additional charge.
The SNCB Europe team thanks you for your confidence and remain at your service, now more than ever.
Exceptions
For certain specific products and services for international transport travellers (e.g. cross-border traffic, persons with reduced mobility, etc.) you will not be charged this personal assistance supplement.
List of products for which the personal assistance supplement is or is not payable > (PDF file, in French)
Destinations available over the Internet without a service fee
Unique in Europe: the SNCB Europe site offers an integrated module where you can check the times of all trains in Europe and buy tickets to the most commonly requested destinations online.
This module lets you buy tickets online to the main destinations in the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland and Austria (whether you travel on high speed trains or not). An online product range that grows month on month!
Basic principle
Through www.sncb-europe.com you can buy your tickets online for international journeys:
- Departing from or arriving in Belgium. Bookings between foreign countries or within the same foreign country are not offered online (apart from journeys within France).
- On daytime trains (high speed or otherwise. Not overnight trains,* then).
Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg
Online booking is now offered for departures or arrivals at over 300 stations in Belgium, 300 in the Netherlands and 70 in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Very soon booking will even be possible for departure from all stations and all stopping points in Belgium! (over 500)
N.B.: Tickets for small cross-border journeys (which may only be issued in border stations) may be purchased in border stations without a personal assistance supplement.
France
At present, online booking is possible to a hundred or so major destinations in France (those that are part of what the French railways consider as mainline stations). In the autumn of 2010 the number of French stations available online will double.
Germany
Online booking is available to about a hundred large destinations in Germany served by Thalys, ICE or IC train. At the end of 2010 about 70 additional German stations will be added to the number available online.
N.B.: Online booking for trains to Germany is only possible for connections where the border crossing is made at Aachen on Thalys or ICE.
Great Britain
Online booking is possible for the 3 Eurostar station stops in England: London (St Pancras), Ebbsfleet and Ashford International.
Switzerland
Booking in Switzerland is available to about forty destinations in Switzerland. These are destinations served by the three direct Eurocity trains leaving Brussels or by Lyria TGV (via Paris).
Austria
Online booking is available to about fifty destinations in Austria. All these destinations are served by ICE via Cologne. At Christmas or Carnival time you can also book your tickets online for Treski, the direct ski train.
And beyond?
Booking online is possible towards Milan (with TGV Artesia via Paris and Turin), and will be also possible to Figueras (Spain) as from 3 November 2010 with the new Paris-Figueras TGV connection (to be extended to Barcelona).
For connections that are not available online the site gives you the number of the Contact Centre from which the trip can be booked. SNCB Europe therefore offers a solution for every trip!
*On an overnight train journey, we do not just choose a train and a price but also overnight comfort (couchette, sleeper, etc.). Overnight comfort may differ considerably from country to country or train to train; consequently it is very difficult to offer all of these
overnight trains on a single web interface.
* Digital Homeprint: only applies to Thalys, Eurostar, ICE, international SNCB trains to the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Lille and certain tariffs for the TGV Brussels-France
** Ticketless: only applies to Thalys, on the condition of registration for the service
*** applies only to purchases, not to the provision of information on international train travel and not to aftersales on tickets (purchased at SNCB Europe)