Police Court Lawyer in Aalst

The Aalst police court (politierechtbank / tribunal de police) is a division of the East Flanders police court. If you are booked in Aalst, Ninove, Denderleeuw, Haaltert, Erpe-Mere or Lede, your case will generally end up here (those six towns and municipalities make up the territory of the Aalst division) — and you will find that the distance from Brussels makes no difference to the sentence, but it does affect how the hearing is organised in practice. As your police court lawyer in Aalst, we assist you with your traffic case, from the summons (dagvaarding / citation) to the judgment.

Aalst police court: address and practical information

• East Flanders police court, Aalst division (Politierechtbank Oost-Vlaanderen, afdeling Aalst), Dr. André Sierenstraat 16 bus 3/B, 9300 Aalst — court registry (griffie / greffe): 02 682 05 02.
• The East Flanders police court also has divisions in Dendermonde, Ghent, Oudenaarde and Sint-Niklaas. If you have been summoned to appear in Dendermonde (Noordlaan 31/3, 9200 Dendermonde), we can assist you there as well.
• Proceedings are conducted in Dutch.
• In most traffic cases, representation by your lawyer is sufficient, which saves clients from the Brussels periphery a journey.

What you may be tried for at the Aalst police court

Drink driving

From 0.35 mg/l of exhaled alveolar air, the offence is alcohol intoxication within the meaning of Article 34(2) of the Road Traffic Act (Wegverkeerswet / loi relative à la police de la circulation routière). If you are summoned, for offences committed on or after 1 September 2026 you face a fine of €2,000 to €20,000 (a level 1 penalty) and a possible driving ban (verval van het recht tot sturen / déchéance du droit de conduire). Since 12 December 2025, the East Flanders public prosecutor’s office has also applied the 0.35 mg/l threshold for the immediate withdrawal of your driving licence, in principle for fifteen days.

From 0.78 mg/l, the judge must in principle impose an alcohol interlock (alcoholslot / éthylotest antidémarrage) and must give specific reasons if he decides not to. Supplying the grounds for that decision is precisely the work of the defence. Drink driving · The alcohol interlock.

Speeding on the E40 and the N45

A minor speeding offence is usually dealt with by an on-the-spot fine (onmiddellijke inning / perception immédiate); for a serious excess, the file goes to the public prosecutor, who may offer a settlement (minnelijke schikking / transaction) or summon you. For offences committed on or after 1 September 2026, speeding falls under level 1, with a fine of €100 to €5,000. If you exceed the speed limit by more than 40 km/h, or by more than 30 km/h in places such as a built-up area, a zone 30 or a school zone, a driving ban is, as a rule, mandatory: if the judge does not impose it, he or she must give reasons for that decision (Article 29(3) of the Road Traffic Act). Speeding.

Hit and run

Mere damage to bodywork is enough to amount to a hit-and-run offence (vluchtmisdrijf / délit de fuite). For offences committed on or after 1 September 2026, it carries a level 1 penalty: no more imprisonment, but a fine of €2,000 to €20,000 and a possible driving ban. If anyone is injured, it is a level 2 penalty (level 3 if someone dies), the driving ban is mandatory and getting your licence back depends on passing the theory and practical tests and a psychological assessment.

For offences committed before 1 September 2026, the old rules continue to apply, including a prison sentence of 15 days to 6 months where only property is damaged, unless the new rules are more favourable (Article 2 of the Criminal Code). Hit and run.

Driving bans and reinstatement tests

A two-month ban without tests or a three-month ban with four reinstatement tests (herstelexamens / examens de réintégration): because of the waiting times at the approved centres, that is in practice the difference between two months and often many months without a licence. That is why we argue not only about the length of the ban, but also about the scope of the tests imposed.

Since 1 January 2026, the judge may also make reinstatement conditional on a specific training course, which may supplement or replace tests. The ban may also be suspended (Article 65 of the Criminal Code), although at least eight days must actually be served (Article 41 of the Road Traffic Act). Reinstatement tests · Limiting a driving ban.

Drugs, driving licence and insurance

These cases also come before the police judge: a positive saliva analysis, driving without a valid licence or driving without insurance, each with its own rules of evidence and its own openings for the defence. For offences committed on or after 1 September 2026, drug driving carries a level 1 penalty and driving without a licence a level 2 penalty, each with a fine of €2,000 to €20,000. Driving without insurance falls under level 1. Drug driving · Driving licence · Insurance.

What determines your sentence in Aalst?

Three factors outweigh all others: your criminal record over the last three years, the seriousness of the findings, and the extent to which your personal situation is documented in the file. When setting a fine, the judge also takes your financial means into account; if your financial situation is precarious, the judge may go below the statutory minimum (Article 52(2) of the Criminal Code).

If, within three years of a conviction for certain serious traffic offences, such as alcohol intoxication, drug driving, hit and run or driving without a licence, you commit one of those offences again, a driving ban of at least three months follows, together with the four reinstatement tests (Article 38(6) of the Road Traffic Act). Anyone who drives again within three years with 0.35 mg/l or more, while drunk or under the influence of drugs, also faces a level 2 penalty, with a fine of €4,000 to €50,000 (Article 36 of the Road Traffic Act).

Besides a fine, the police judge may, among other things, impose community service (werkstraf / peine de travail) or a probation sentence, or grant a suspension of the pronouncement of sentence (opschorting / suspension du prononcé) or a suspended sentence (uitstel / sursis). Knowing this changes how you prepare for your hearing. Suspension, suspended sentences and community service · The new Criminal Code.

Preparing your case remotely

For cases in Aalst, we often work entirely digitally: you send us the summons and the documents by e-mail, we request the criminal file, we discuss the strategy by phone or at our office in Brussels, and we appear for you at the hearing. As a rule, you therefore do not lose a working day. Just received a summons? Also read what to do now.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to appear in person before the Aalst police court?

In most traffic cases, no: your lawyer can represent you. The judge may, however, order you to appear in person; we discuss with you beforehand whether your attendance would be useful. Appearing in person.

Can my case in Aalst be heard in French?

If you only know French or express yourself more easily in that language, you can ask for your case to be referred to a French-speaking court (Article 23 of the Act of 15 June 1935 on the use of languages in judicial matters – wet op het gebruik der talen in gerechtszaken / loi concernant l’emploi des langues en matière judiciaire); the judge may refuse in certain circumstances. Mr Asfour pleads in both languages. Change of language.

Does my legal expenses insurance cover a lawyer before the police court?

Often, yes, and in court proceedings you are free to choose your own lawyer (Article 156 of the Insurance Act of 4 April 2014 – wet betreffende de verzekeringen / loi relative aux assurances). Do check, however, that your policy covers criminal defence in traffic cases. Legal expenses insurance · The cost of a lawyer.

Can I challenge a judgment of the Aalst police court?

Yes. You can lodge an objection (verzet / opposition) against a judgment given in your absence within 15 days of its service, and a judgment can generally be appealed (hoger beroep / appel) within 30 days of its delivery. The time limits are short, so do not wait. Objection or appeal.

Novex Advocaten: your lawyer in Aalst and Dendermonde

Mr Mohamed Asfour, lawyer, pleads before the police courts of Aalst and Dendermonde, as well as those of Brussels, Halle, Vilvoorde and Leuven, in Dutch, French, English and Arabic.

Call 0484 99 22 72 or e-mail asfour@novexadvocaten.be.