**For ordinary international tickets, you need to choose a travel date when buying.** Under current SNCB rules, an “open” Flex/Standard ticket for Belgium–Netherlands travel lets you choose any eligible train **on the date and route printed on the ticket**. Cheaper EuroCity/EuroCity Direct Saver tickets are tied to a particular train. [SNCB international ticket FAQ](https://www.b-europe.com/EN/Questions/Tickets)

Belgian ticket machines sell international tickets to a limited selection of cross-border destinations, including **Roosendaal and Maastricht**. For the full international range, use SNCB International’s website or a specialist international ticket office. Buying at a counter still requires choosing the travel date. [SNCB sales information](https://www.b-europe.com/EN/Questions/Tickets)

For your friends, I would prepare the routes now, then buy their tickets online once their dates are known. SNCB International offers electronic tickets that can be printed on A4 paper, so you can give them paper copies and instructions in their own language. A Flex/Standard fare would give them flexibility over departure time that day. [SNCB ticket formats and validity](https://www.b-europe.com/EN/Questions/Tickets)

For travel **within Belgium**, ordinary tickets also have a specified date; some fares have peak/off-peak restrictions. When buying online for your friends, enter each traveller’s details, since online tickets are personalised. [SNCB domestic ticket rules](https://www.belgiantrain.be/en/support/faq/faq-tickets-and-railcards/faq-validity-restrictions)

If you encounter older advice recommending an undated **Rail Pass/Standard Multi**, that product was withdrawn from sale on **15 October 2025**. [SNCB Standard Multi notice](https://www.belgiantrain.be/en/tickets-and-railcards/railpass?journey=1)