Belgian drivers have a reputation, and the roads have a reputation too, with long stretches of lit motorway at night, roundabouts, priority to the right, and a cheerful tolerance for improvisation. Your own paperwork, fortunately, is more orderly. Holding a driving licence in Belgium from another EU country is simple. The foreign car is where people lose time.
Can you keep your EU driving licence?
Yes. If you live in Belgium with a valid licence from an EU country, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you can keep driving with it. Exchange for a Belgian licence becomes compulsory:
- after loss, theft or damage;
- after a traffic offence;
- if your licence has no end date (an old paper licence): once you have been registered for two years in a Belgian commune.
You can also exchange it up to three months before it expires. Before an exchange, the commune first registers your licence.
How does the exchange work?
You go to the driving licence service of your commune. The commune checks that you have your normal residence in Belgium (at least 185 days of registration over the last 12 months, according to Liège) and has your licence checked by the FPS Mobility before it can be exchanged. Prices are set by each commune. Two examples: an exchange costs 38 euros in the City of Brussels (5 working days) and 57 euros in Liège (15 working days). Registering the licence costs 5 euros in Brussels and 37 euros in Liège.
What about UK and Swiss licences?
They are non-European national licences. For your first 185 days of registration in Belgium you may drive with a valid licence from a country recognised by Belgium. After that, you exchange it at your commune. GOV.UK says you can apply before the 185 days are over, but once you start the exchange you cannot drive until you get your Belgian licence. The City of Brussels lists the conditions: at least 185 days of registration, the original licence, still valid, issued by a recognised country and obtained before you registered in Belgium. Your licence is sent to the police to check that it is authentic (Brussels estimates about two months for the whole exchange), and a sworn translation is needed if it is not in French, Dutch or English. If your licence cannot be exchanged, you must pass the theory and practical tests. GOV.UK adds that Jersey and Guernsey licences cannot be exchanged. See also moving to Belgium from the UK.
How do you register a car from abroad?
Once you are registered in a Belgian commune (from the age of 16), the royal decree of 20 July 2001 obliges you to register in Belgium the vehicles you put into circulation there, even if already registered abroad. It provides no grace period. Wallonia says its inspectors tolerate 30 calendar days; after that, a car on foreign plates stopped in a check means higher taxes and a fine. Register as soon as you are registered.
- Insure the car with a Belgian insurer, who often handles the registration request.
- Declare it to customs. The clearance proof (e-705, which replaced the old 705 sticker) goes electronically to the DIV, the vehicle registration directorate.
- Pass the roadworthiness test before registration at an approved station, with the customs proof and the foreign registration certificate. The station can give you the registration request form. A car without European approval or modified must first be homologated. At AIBV stations in Wallonia, a full test costs 59.60 euros including VAT for a passenger car since 1 January 2026.
- Send the request to the DIV (via the insurer on WebDIV, by post or at the counter).
- Pay the taxes: the one-off registration tax and the annual circulation tax, both regional.
Documents: the foreign registration certificate, purchase invoice, certificate of conformity or manufacturer's data sheet, e-705 proof, the form from the test station and the insurance certificate.
Importing a car from outside the EU, or an older or powerful model, can change the tax a lot. Moovy can tell you which documents to collect for your car and in which order, and which regional taxes to simulate before you buy or ship it. It does not file the registration for you.
What do plates and taxes cost?
According to bpost, the plate costs 30 euros and the registration certificate 26 euros, set by royal decree and paid on delivery. The registration tax depends on the region and the vehicle. Wallonia has a calculation based on power, CO2 emissions, mass and fuel for cars registered since 1 July 2025, with a minimum of 50 euros after the large-family reduction. Flanders collects through the Flemish Tax Administration and provides an online simulator. Brussels has its own rules. Simulate before you buy.
Are there exceptions?
Yes, notably a car rented from a foreign professional lessor (up to 6 months, not renewable), a company car provided by a foreign employer, a car lent for up to a month, a car of a student who keeps their residence abroad, or a car registered in another member state in your name and used in Belgium 30 days a year at most.
What if you come from the UK or Switzerland?
A transfer of residence can give relief from customs duty and VAT on personal belongings, including private cars, if you lived outside the EU for at least 12 months, owned and used the car for at least six months before leaving, and import it within 12 months of settling. Do not lend or sell it for 12 months without telling customs. Ask Belgian customs before importing.
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Driving long on foreign plates once registered.
- Forgetting customs. No e-705, no form.
- Ignoring the date-less licence. Exchange after two years of registration.
- Not simulating the regional tax.
The regional taxes on a car change often and depend on its exact data. Before you buy or ship a car, have the figures confirmed by your region's tax office, or by an accountant or tax adviser in Belgium.
Then see moving to Belgium and cost of living in Belgium to budget your car.
Which driving licence in Belgium rules apply to you?
The category of your licence decides everything, so identify it first:
- EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein: keep it; exchange only in the compulsory cases above.
- Swiss or British: non-European national licence; 185 days, then exchange.
- Other countries: the national rules for third countries apply; ask your commune.
The commune looks at your licence in the European database, so an EU licence is quick to process. For UK and Swiss licences, the police check authenticity, which can take a couple of months, so start early. If the licence cannot be exchanged, you take the theory and practical exams. A driving licence in Belgium is therefore easiest to secure when you plan it during your first 185 days.
How do you get a car ready for registration?
Think of it as a chain where each link produces the document needed by the next:
- The insurer gives you the insurance certificate.
- Customs gives you the e-705 proof, sent to the DIV.
- The inspection station checks the car and gives you the registration request form.
- The DIV gives you the plates and certificate, delivered by bpost.
If any link is missing, the next cannot be completed. If the car has no European approval, or has been modified, homologation comes first.
What does a car cost to keep?
Besides the one-off registration tax and the yearly circulation tax, you pay insurance (civil liability is compulsory) and regular inspections. The inspection price depends on the region; the AIBV figure above applies to its stations. Estimate the circulation tax with the regional simulators before buying or importing. See cost of living in Belgium.
Do you need a car at all?
In cities such as Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent or Liège, many residents use trains, trams and bikes, and a car adds parking costs. Outside the cities a car is more necessary. Compare locations in the best places to live in Belgium before you decide to import a vehicle.