NIS code

The NIS code (Dutch: NIS-code, French: code INS) is an alphanumeric code for regional areas.

This code is used for statistic data treatment in Belgium. This code was developped mid 1960s by the Statistics Belgium. It was first used for the census of 1970.

Structure of the code

The NIS code consists of 5 digits:

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.

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.

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 independance 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.

40000: Province East Flanders

73032: Community Hoeselt

61012: Community Clavier

23105: Community Affligem

23 Arrondissement of Halle-Vilvoorde
105 Community Affligem (new name of this community, resulting in the number no longer corresponding with the alphabetic order)

71022E: Community part Stokrooie