Use your electronic identity card on the web
To use your Belgian electronic identity card (eID) on a computer, you need three components. Here they are, what each one does, and where to download it.
The card reader is the physical device you insert your identity card into (or a laptop with a built-in card reader). Without a card reader, no software can reach your card. Card readers are inexpensive and available from any electronics retailer.
This is the base driver that lets your operating system talk to your card and card reader. Without it, your computer won't recognise your card, even with a reader plugged in. Download it for free at eid.belgium.be — available for Windows, macOS and Linux. A one-time install.
The official eID software lets your computer recognise your card, but doesn't yet give regular websites access to it. That needs an extra bridge between your browser and the card — that's what the beID Helper does. Without it, eID login or signing won't work on most websites.
The beID Helper is free, runs entirely locally (nothing is sent to a server), and is available for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Want more background on what beID actually is? Read What is beID?