Police court lawyer in Halle

Have you been summoned to appear before the police court (politierechtbank / tribunal de police) in Halle? Then more is at stake than a fine. The police court judge also decides on your driving licence, on any reinstatement tests (herstelexamens / examens de réintégration) and — where people were injured — on compensation for the other party. As a police court lawyer in Halle, Mr Mohamed Asfour appears there every week and prepares your case properly: with the criminal case file in hand.

Halle police court: practical information

• Halle police court (Politierechtbank Halle), Zuster Bernardastraat 76, 1500 Halle.
• Competent for traffic cases from the judicial cantons of Halle, Lennik and Sint-Genesius-Rode in the Halle-Vilvoorde district, including Halle, Beersel, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw and Lennik.
• Proceedings are conducted in Dutch. If you live in a municipality with language facilities, you can ask for your case to be transferred to the French-speaking police court of Brussels (Article 15, § 2 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); if you speak only French, you can request a change of language (Article 23 of that Act). Raise this beforehand: a change of language must be requested in good time.
• In traffic cases you do not have to appear in person: your lawyer can represent you, unless the judge orders you to appear. Even for a community service sentence (werkstraf / peine de travail), it is enough for you to consent through your lawyer (Article 45 of the Criminal Code).

Which cases come before the Halle police court?

Since 1 September 2026 the new Criminal Code has been in force, and the penalties under the Road Traffic Act (Wegverkeerswet / loi relative à la police de la circulation routière) have been converted into penalty levels. Ordinary alcohol, drug and speeding offences fall under level 1, which no longer carries a prison sentence. For offences committed before that date the old rules continue to apply, unless the new rules are more favourable (Article 2 of the Criminal Code). Read more about the new Criminal Code and traffic offences.

Drink driving

From 0.35 mg/l of exhaled alveolar air, the law speaks of punishable alcohol intoxication (Article 34, § 2 of the Road Traffic Act). For offences committed on or after 1 September 2026, this is a level 1 offence carrying a fine of 2,000 to 20,000 euros. Between 0.22 and 0.35 mg/l the offence is also level 1, with a fine of 250 to 5,000 euros (Article 34, § 1). At the lower bands the police may offer an on-the-spot fine (onmiddellijke inning / perception immédiate); if none is offered or it is not paid, a summons may follow.

For offences committed before 1 September 2026, the fine from 0.35 mg/l was 1,600 to 16,000 euros, or 2,000 to 20,000 euros for offences committed on or after 1 February 2026. A driving ban (rijverbod / interdiction de conduire) may be added, and from 0.78 mg/l an alcohol interlock is in principle mandatory (from 0.50 mg/l for repeat offenders). We check whether the breath analysis complied with the formal requirements — second analysis, calibration — and, where appropriate, argue for a weekend-only driving ban or a suspended sentence. Read more about drink driving.

Speeding

The N6 (Bergensesteenweg), the A8 and the many 30 km/h zones around schools in Halle and Beersel produce a constant stream of cases. For offences committed on or after 1 September 2026, speeding is a level 1 offence carrying a fine of 100 to 5,000 euros (Article 29, § 3 of the Road Traffic Act). For a limited excess the police usually offer an on-the-spot fine; for larger excesses a settlement offer (minnelijke schikking / transaction) or a summons follows.

If you exceed the limit by more than 30 km/h in a built-up area, a zone 30 or a school zone, or by more than 40 km/h elsewhere, an on-the-spot fine is ruled out (Article 7 of the Royal Decree of 19 April 2014), a driving ban is in principle mandatory and the case will, as a rule, come before the police court judge. Read more about speeding offences.

Drug driving

Detection follows a standardised checklist, a saliva test and a laboratory saliva analysis or, failing that, a blood analysis. These steps have their own thresholds and formal requirements, and that is precisely where cases fall apart. For offences committed on or after 1 September 2026, driving under the influence of drugs (Article 37bis, § 1 of the Road Traffic Act) is a level 1 offence carrying a fine of 2,000 to 20,000 euros; the court may also impose a driving ban (Article 38, § 1, 1° of the Road Traffic Act). Read more about roadside drug tests.

Hit and run

A collision causing only minor bodywork damage is enough. The prosecution must prove that you knew an accident had occurred and that you drove off to evade the necessary findings — often the weak point of the case. For offences committed on or after 1 September 2026, a hit and run (vluchtmisdrijf / délit de fuite) involving only material damage is a level 1 offence: a fine of 2,000 to 20,000 euros and possibly a driving ban, but no prison sentence.

If people were injured, it becomes a level 2 offence, and level 3 if someone was killed, with a fine of 4,000 to 50,000 euros. The driving ban (verval van het recht tot sturen / déchéance du droit de conduire) is then mandatory (three months to five years, or for life) and reinstatement tests follow: a theory and practical test and a psychological assessment. For offences committed before 1 September 2026, the old rules still provided for a prison sentence of 15 days to 6 months, even where there was only material damage. Read more about hit and run.

Driving without a licence or without insurance

Driving without a valid driving licence is an offence under the Road Traffic Act and in Halle it is dealt with by the police court judge, not by the criminal court (correctionele rechtbank / tribunal correctionnel). For offences committed on or after 1 September 2026, it is a level 2 offence carrying a fine of 2,000 to 20,000 euros; where there are mitigating circumstances, the judge may fall back on a level 1 penalty. Driving while disqualified is also a level 2 offence, carrying a fine of 5,000 to 20,000 euros.

Driving without insurance is an offence under the Act of 21 November 1989 on compulsory motor vehicle liability insurance (WAM). For offences committed on or after 1 September 2026 it is treated as a level 1 offence, without a prison sentence; for older offences the law still provided for a prison sentence of 8 days to 6 months. If you cause an accident, the Belgian Common Guarantee Fund (Belgisch Gemeenschappelijk Waarborgfonds / Fonds commun de garantie belge) compensates the victims and then recovers the full amounts, as a rule from the owner of the uninsured vehicle. Driving without a licence · Driving without insurance.

Driving bans and reinstatement tests

If your case ends in a driving ban, its length is not the only thing that matters. The set of reinstatement tests — medical, psychological, theory, practical — determines how long you will remain without a licence afterwards.

Since 1 January 2026 the judge may also impose a specific training course as a condition for reinstatement, in addition to or instead of those tests. Length, tests and training must therefore all three be argued at the hearing. Limiting a driving ban · Reinstatement tests.

Your police court lawyer in Halle: what we do in practice

1. Requesting the criminal case file from the court registry and reviewing it before the hearing: police report, calibration certificates, photographs, statements.
2. Gathering the documents the judge needs: employer’s certificate, payslips, family situation, proof that the injured party has been compensated, certificate of a completed training course.
3. Arguing both guilt and sentence: acquittal where the file allows it, and otherwise suspension of the pronouncement (opschorting / suspension du prononcé), a suspended sentence (including for the driving ban), community service, a conviction by declaration of guilt, a weekend-only driving ban or a restriction to certain vehicle categories. More about the lighter sentences.
4. Following up the civil side where there is an injured party, so that the criminal case and the settlement of damages do not work against each other.

Three tips before your hearing in Halle

• Do not wait until the week of the hearing: obtaining the criminal case file takes time.
• Bring proof of why you need to drive. A judge who knows you have to be at a building site in Brussels at 5 a.m. rules differently from a judge who does not.
• Have you already been convicted within the past three years? Say so straight away. For repeat alcohol or drug offences committed on or after 1 September 2026, the offence becomes level 2, carrying a fine of 4,000 to 50,000 euros, and the defence must be built around that.

Frequently asked questions

Can my case in Halle be heard in French?

Proceedings before the Halle police court are conducted in Dutch. Under certain conditions you can request a change of language, but this must be done in good time. We assess beforehand whether this is possible and worthwhile in your case. More about changing the language of proceedings.

Do I have to attend the hearing myself?

No. In traffic cases your lawyer can represent you, unless the judge orders you to appear in person. It can still be useful to attend, for example to explain yourself why you need your licence. More about appearing in person.

What penalty do I face for offences committed on or after 1 September 2026?

The judge chooses a penalty within the penalty level of the offence. For level 1 this includes a fine, community service of 20 to 120 hours, a probation sentence or a conviction by declaration of guilt, but never a prison sentence. Suspension of the pronouncement and suspended sentences remain possible, and a driving ban may be added as an additional penalty.

What happens if I do not pay an on-the-spot fine or a settlement offer?

The public prosecutor (procureur des Konings / procureur du Roi) may then summon you or, in certain cases, issue a payment order (bevel tot betalen / ordre de paiement), increasing the amount by 35 %. You can appeal against that order to the police court within 30 days. Do not let that deadline pass without advice. More about settlement offers.

Novex Advocaten

Mr Mohamed Asfour, lawyer at the Brussels Bar, assists you in Dutch, French, English and Arabic — before the police courts of Halle, Vilvoorde, Leuven, Aalst and Brussels. The office is located at Avenue Louise (Louizalaan) 379, 1050 Brussels.

Call 0484 99 22 72 or email asfour@novexadvocaten.be. Send us your summons for an honest assessment of your case.