**No—ordinary Belgium–Netherlands train tickets require a travel date.** What operators sometimes call an “open ticket” means you can choose your departure time **on the printed date**, rather than travel on any date you like. [SNCB International explains this distinction here.](https://www.b-europe.com/EN/Questions/Tickets)

For international travel:

- **EuroCity and Eurocity Direct:** a **Flex** ticket allows a choice of departures on the specified date, route and train type. A cheaper **Saver** ticket ties you to a particular train as well as a date. [SNCB’s ticket conditions](https://static.b-europe.com/EN/Trains/EuroCity)
- **Eurostar:** tickets are for a specific departure and date. [NS International’s validity guide](https://support-en.nsinternational.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/8609/~/how-long-is-my-ticket-valid-for)
- **Belgian ticket machines:** SNCB lists cross-border tickets to Maastricht and Roosendaal among the products available at machines, but buying at a machine does not remove the date requirement. [SNCB sales channels](https://www.belgiantrain.be/en/support/customer-service/sales-channels/)

For **travel within Belgium**, ordinary tickets also have a specified date, but generally allow you to choose a domestic train on that route that day, subject to any off-peak restrictions. Older advice recommending an undated **Rail Pass/Standard Multi** is now outdated: those products were withdrawn on 15 October 2025. [SNCB ticket flexibility](https://www.b-europe.com/EN/Questions/Tickets), [Standard Multi withdrawal](https://www.belgiantrain.be/en/tickets-and-railcards/railpass?journey=1)

For your friends, I would prepare the routes and simple instructions now, then buy their tickets online once they confirm the dates and send them the PDFs to print or save. Choosing **Flex** for the international journey would give them freedom over the departure time, which may help if they are nervous about travelling. Include the station names exactly as shown on the tickets and clear instructions for any changes of train.