For the clinical background — what to test for, window periods, and how often — see The Testing Protocol. This article covers Belgium-specific access routes.

Belgium's testing infrastructure centres on two parallel systems: community services (Ex Aequo in Brussels, the ITM Help Center in Antwerp) for accessible, often free, affirming testing; and HIV Reference Centers (HRCs) attached to university hospitals for the full clinical pathway including PrEP enrolment and complex treatment.

1. ITM Help Center (Antwerp)

The Institute of Tropical Medicine's sexual health service is one of Europe's leading HIV and STI clinics for gay and bisexual men — comparable to London's 56 Dean Street or Copenhagen's Checkpoint. Operating within the ITM complex in Antwerp, it combines clinical rigour with a community-oriented approach.

Address: Nationalestraat 155, 2000 Antwerp (within the ITM complex) Website: itg.be — search for "Help Center"

Services:

  • Full STI panel including three-site gonorrhoea and chlamydia screening (throat, rectal, urethral)
  • HIV rapid and confirmatory testing
  • Syphilis, hepatitis B and C testing
  • PrEP enrolment (Convention) — this is an HRC, so it can initiate reimbursed PrEP
  • Monitoring for existing PrEP users
  • HIV counselling and post-diagnosis support
  • Vaccination (mpox, hepatitis A/B)

Cost: Testing within the PrEP Convention is largely covered. Standalone testing: modest co-payment with Mutuelle, higher without.

Booking: Via their website or phone. Some walk-in capacity.

2. Ex Aequo (Brussels)

Ex Aequo is Brussels' community organisation for gay and bisexual men. It runs rapid community testing services and is the most accessible and affirming testing option in the capital — free, no referral needed, peer-oriented.

Address: Rue du Marché au Charbon 81, 1000 Brussels (heart of the Brussels gay quarter) Website: exaequo.be

Services:

  • Free HIV rapid test
  • Free syphilis rapid test
  • STI counselling
  • Referrals to HRC clinics for follow-up and treatment
  • Harm reduction resources

Important: Ex Aequo provides rapid community testing, not a full clinical three-site panel. If you need a comprehensive gonorrhoea/chlamydia screen including rectal and throat swabs, the HRC at CHU Saint-Pierre or another university hospital clinic is the right referral.

Language: Primarily French. Brussels is bilingual in principle but healthcare in the city skews French.

3. HIV Reference Centers (HRCs) — The Full Clinical Pathway

HRCs are specialist HIV/sexual health units attached to university hospitals. They are the only institutions that can initiate the PrEP Convention (reimbursed PrEP), and they provide the most comprehensive STI management including treatment of complex or resistant infections.

Key HRCs:

Brussels:

  • CHU Saint-Pierre: Rue Haute 322, 1000 Brussels — the primary HIV reference for Brussels, most experienced with gay men's sexual health
  • ULB Hôpital Erasme: Route de Lennik 808, 1070 Brussels
  • UCL Cliniques Saint-Luc: Avenue Hippocrate 10, 1200 Brussels

Antwerp:

  • ITM (see above — both an HRC and the Help Center)
  • UZA (Universitair Ziekenhuis Antwerpen): Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650 Edegem

Ghent:

  • UZ Gent: De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent

Leuven:

  • UZ Leuven: Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven

Liège:

  • CHU de Liège: Domaine Universitaire du Sart-Tilman, 4000 Liège

A full list of all Belgian HRCs is maintained at aids.be.

4. GP (Huisarts / Médecin Traitant)

Your GP can order routine STI tests. Results go to your medical file. The practical limitations:

  • Most GPs are not experienced with three-site gay men's screening — specify throat and rectal swabs explicitly
  • GPs cannot initiate PrEP Convention reimbursement — that requires an HRC
  • Cost: consultation + lab fee, partially reimbursed by Mutuelle

Use your GP for general health needs; use the HRC or Ex Aequo for sexual health specifics.

Three-Site Screening

A urine test or genital swab alone misses most gonorrhoea and chlamydia in gay men — the throat and rectum are frequently the only positive sites. The ITM Help Center and HRC clinics routinely perform three-site testing. Specify at any clinic:

Dutch: "Ik wil ook een keel- en rectaaluitstrijkje." (I want a throat and rectal swab too.) French: "Je veux aussi un prélèvement pharyngé et rectal."

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