You've seen a Garmin badge announced – maybe Kings Day in the Netherlands, or another event-based challenge that's live right now – but it doesn't show up in your Garmin Connect app. You haven't missed the deadline. Your app is up to date. The badge simply isn't there.

This is the Global Badge problem, and it affects a growing number of Garmin users in 2026.

What Are Garmin Global Badges?

Garmin runs badge challenges tied to specific regions or countries. These are often national holidays or cultural events – a Kings Day badge only available to users registered in the Netherlands, for example, or a Bastille Day badge for users in France.

Until recently, these were called regional badges. Garmin has since rebranded them as Global Badges and made them a central feature of their Connect+ subscription.

How It Used to Work

Previously, there was a simple workaround: change your country setting in Garmin Connect. By switching your account region to the Netherlands, you'd see the Kings Day badge, complete the activity, and unlock it. Then switch back.

It wasn't officially supported, but it worked. Garmin users across the world used this method to collect badges from other regions for years.

What Changed in Early 2026

At the start of 2026, Garmin quietly removed the ability for users to change their own country setting in Garmin Connect. The self-service option in the account settings is gone.

If you want to change your registered country now, you have to contact Garmin customer support and request it manually – a process that takes time, requires justification, and isn't guaranteed to be approved for badge-hunting purposes.

This wasn't a technical change. It was a deliberate business decision.

Why Garmin Did This: Connect+

Garmin introduced Connect+, a paid subscription service, which includes access to Global Badges as one of its headline features. With Connect+, you automatically see and can unlock badge challenges from all regions – no country switching required.

By removing the self-service country switch, Garmin effectively closed the free workaround. If you want Global Badges, the intended path is now Connect+.

What This Means for You

If you see a badge listed on a site like BadgeHero but can't find it in your Garmin Connect app, there are two likely explanations:

1. The badge is region-locked – it's only available to users registered in a specific country.
2. You don't have Connect+ – without the subscription, regional badges from other countries are invisible to you.

There is currently no free way to access Global Badges if you're registered outside their target region. The country-switch workaround no longer works via self-service.

Your Options in 2026

Option 1: Subscribe to Connect+ The most straightforward path. Connect+ unlocks Global Badges across all regions automatically. If you're serious about collecting badges, this removes the problem entirely.

Option 2: Contact Garmin Support You can request a country change through Garmin's customer support. Be aware: this is intended for people who have actually moved countries, not for badge hunting. Response times vary, and approval is not guaranteed.

Option 3: Wait or Skip It Some regional badges recur annually. If you miss this year's Kings Day badge, it will likely be available again next year – provided you have Connect+ or have changed your region by then.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still change my country in Garmin Connect? Not via self-service. As of early 2026, changing your registered country requires contacting Garmin customer support directly.

Will Connect+ show me badges from all countries automatically? Yes. Connect+ includes access to Global Badges from all regions, without any manual country switching.

I've always been registered in the Netherlands – do I still need Connect+ for Kings Day? No. If your account is already registered in the right region, you'll see and unlock that region's badges without Connect+. The issue only affects users whose account region doesn't match the badge's target region.

If I subscribe to Connect+ and then cancel, do I keep the badges I unlocked? Badges earned while Connect+ was active remain on your account permanently. They are not revoked if you cancel your subscription.

Is this confirmed by Garmin, or just speculation? The removal of self-service country switching is confirmed – it's gone from the app. The connection to Connect+ is Garmin's stated positioning of Global Badges as a Connect+ feature. The business motivation is the most logical explanation for why these two changes happened simultaneously.