NIS code

Structure of the code

• The first number identifies the province. if this digit is followed by 4 zeroes, this code identifies the complete province. Example: 70000 identifies the province Limburg.
• The second digit identifies the arrondissement within this province. If after the two first digits there are three zeroes, then this code identifies the complete arrondissement. Example: 71000 identifies the arrondissement of Hasselt.
• The last three digits uniquely identify the community within that arrondissement. Example: 71066 identifies Zonhoven.

  Special cases

• The country Belgium received the code 01000.
• The three regions received the codes 02000 for Flanders, 03000 for Wallonia and 04000 for the Brussels region.
• In 1995 the province of Brabant with first digit 2 was split in Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant. Flemish Brabant received code 20001 and Walloon Brabant received code 20002. The arrondissements kept their old codes.
• The provinces and communities of Brussels are sorted alphabetically on their French name.

  Mergers

• Communities that were merged and received a new name also received a new NIS code, which followed the last number of the list of communities of that arrondissement.
• Communities that lost their independence by merger and became community parts, also lost their NIS code. Per merged community only 1 NIS code remained. At the same time the structure of the NIS sector was adapted. An alphabetic letter was added per community part to be able to uniquely identify such a community part.
• The Arrondissement of Brussels-Periphery with code 22000 merging in 1971 with the arrondissement of Halle-Vilvoorde, also lost its code by merger. The communities within this arrondissement received a new NIS code.

  Examples

• 4 Province East Flanders
• 0000 This code identifies the complete province

• 3 Province West Flanders
• 2 Arrondissement of Diksmuide
• 000 This code identifies the complete arrondissement

• 7 Province Limburg
• 3 Arrondissement of Tongeren
• 032 Community Hoeselt

• 6 Province Liège
• 1 Arrondissement of Huy
• 012 Community Clavier

• 23 Arrondissement of Halle-Vilvoorde
• 105 Community Affligem

• 7 Province Limburg
• 1 Arrondissement of Hasselt
• 022 Merged community Hasselt
• E Community part Stokrooie, which had the code 71056 before the merger.