Brussels LEZ fine: rules, amount and how to object

A Brussels LEZ fine amounts to 350 euros and is imposed when you drive into the Brussels-Capital Region in a vehicle that does not (or no longer) meet the standards of the low emission zone. It is a regional administrative fine, not a criminal traffic offence: no public prosecutor, no criminal record and no driving ban are involved. Below we explain which vehicles are banned, how the fine works and how to contest it.

An administrative fine, not a criminal case

The low emission zone (LEZ) is based on the Brussels Code on Air, Climate and Energy Management (BWLKE / CoBrACE) and on the Order of the Brussels-Capital Region Government of 25 January 2018 establishing a low emission zone. Article 3.4.1/1 BWLKE provides for an administrative fine of 350 euros for each infringement. The fine is imposed by an official of the Region (Brussels Fiscality), not by the police or the public prosecutor.

That is a major difference from an ordinary traffic offence, such as a speeding offence. In Brussels, a LEZ infringement is not punished under criminal law: there is no immediate payment (onmiddellijke inning), no summons, no penalty level, no entry in the criminal record and no disqualification from driving (verval van het recht tot sturen).

The police court (politierechtbank / tribunal de police) only comes into play if you want to take the matter further after your objection has been rejected. It then acts as a court reviewing the administration’s decision (Article 601ter, 6° of the Judicial Code), not as a criminal court. You can read how this court works in our article on how the police court works.

Which vehicles are banned, and since when?

The LEZ applies to the territory of the Brussels-Capital Region, with a few exceptions such as the access roads to certain park-and-ride car parks. Electric and hydrogen vehicles are always allowed. For other vehicles, access depends on the fuel and the Euro standard.

Since 1 January 2026, diesel vehicles with a Euro 5 standard or lower and petrol, LPG or CNG vehicles with a Euro 2 standard or lower may no longer enter the zone. According to Brussels Environment, this applies to cars, vans, buses and lorries. Petrol motorcycles that do not meet at least the Euro 3 standard are also banned.

Postponement, annulment and the 2026 fines

This step was originally planned for 1 January 2025. The Brussels Parliament postponed it by the ordinance of 21 March 2025, but the Constitutional Court suspended that ordinance in judgment no. 115/2025 of 11 September 2025 and annulled it in judgment no. 174/2025 of 11 December 2025, because the postponement meant a significant step backwards for the right to a healthy environment.

After that annulment, owners first received warning letters. According to Brussels Environment, fines are sent from 1 July 2026, for infringements committed from 23 June 2026.

What comes next?

The timetable continues. According to Brussels Environment, diesel vehicles will be banned in 2030 and petrol, LPG and CNG vehicles in 2035; the Order of 30 June 2022 also contains an intermediate step in 2028 and a final phase in 2036. On 17 July 2026 the Brussels Government approved at first reading a reform with an annual pass of 350 euros, a monthly pass of 80 euros and a social rate of 200 euros, aiming for entry into force in early 2027. As of November 2026 that reform is not yet in force: following a critical opinion of the Council of State, the text has to be reworked.

Foreign vehicles: registration is mandatory

Vehicles registered in Belgium are checked automatically on the basis of their registration data. A vehicle that is not on the Belgian vehicle register must be registered before the journey via lez.brussels (Article 3.2.16 BWLKE).

If you do not register, you risk an administrative fine of 150 euros, even if your vehicle meets the standards. If the vehicle is also too polluting, the ordinary fine of 350 euros applies. The Order exempts from registration vehicles from countries whose registration data the Region can already consult under international agreements; so check in advance whether your country is covered.

Amount of the fine and waiting period between two fines

The fine amounts to 350 euros. Someone who has been fined does not immediately receive another fine: the Order provides for a tolerance period running from the infringement for which a fine was imposed. For vehicles banned since 2026, the Region applies its own arrangement.

According to Brussels Environment, the fine can be paid in 4 monthly instalments, or in 10 on request.

Day pass, exceptions and exemptions

With a non-compliant vehicle you can occasionally enter the zone with a LEZ day pass. According to Brussels Environment, you can buy a maximum of 24 day passes per calendar year; the 2018 Order set the price of a day pass at 35 euros. The day pass is bought online, in principle before the journey, and at the latest on the following calendar day.

In addition, the Order provides for exceptions, including for:

• Priority vehicles. Vehicles of the emergency services and the army.
• Persons with disabilities. Adapted vehicles and, per special parking card, one vehicle of a person with a disability.
• Classic vehicles. Vehicles more than thirty years old, under the conditions of the Order.
• Diversions. If the police or the road authority diverts you through the zone, no fine is imposed.

For some exceptions you must submit a prior application to Brussels Fiscality. You can also ask them to correct a wrong Euro standard in the LEZ database, for example on the basis of your vehicle’s certificate of conformity.

How do you contest a LEZ fine?

The procedure is set out in Article 3.2.23 BWLKE and has two stages.

• Objection to the administration. You submit a written, reasoned objection (bezwaar / réclamation) to the official designated for that purpose by the Region. The time limit is 30 days, on pain of forfeiture, and starts on the seventh day after the payment request was sent.
• Hearing. You or your lawyer may ask to be heard, and you can add new arguments until the decision is taken.
• Appeal to the police court. If your objection is rejected, you can bring an action before the police court within three months of notification of that decision. If you do not, the decision becomes final.

Please note: the objection does not suspend the payment deadline. However, the law provides that no enforced recovery may take place as long as there is no final decision.

Possible arguments include: you were not driving yourself (the driver owes the fine, but the law presumes this is the registration plate holder unless proven otherwise), the Euro standard in the database is wrong, you had a valid day pass or exemption, a diversion led you through the zone, or the fine fell within a period in which no new fine could follow.

What should you do?

1. Note the date on which the fine was sent straight away and calculate the 30-day time limit for your objection.
2. Check on lez.brussels which Euro standard is registered for your vehicle and compare it with your registration certificate and the certificate of conformity.
3. Gather evidence: day pass, exemption, registration of your foreign vehicle, proof of sale or of a diversion, or proof that someone else was driving.
4. Submit a written, reasoned objection and keep the acknowledgement of receipt.
5. If your objection is rejected, have it assessed within the three-month time limit whether an action before the police court makes sense.
6. If you still drive a non-compliant vehicle, consider a day pass or an exemption application to avoid new fines.

How Novex Advocaten can help

Our firm analyses your fine, the finding and your vehicle data, and we draft a reasoned objection. If it is rejected, we assist you before the police court. You can find more about our approach on our page traffic law lawyer and, for cases in the capital, on traffic law lawyer in Brussels.

You can contact us in Dutch, French, English or Arabic; before the police court, proceedings are conducted in Dutch or French. We agree clear fee arrangements in advance (see cost of a traffic law lawyer), and your legal expenses insurance often covers the costs.