Driving with a foreign driving licence in Belgium: what is allowed and what are the risks?

In short, your foreign driving licence is recognised in Belgium, but not without limits. A licence issued in the European Economic Area (EEA) remains valid, even if you live here. A licence issued outside the EU must, as a rule, be exchanged within 185 days of your registration in Belgium; after that, you are driving without the required licence.

When is a foreign driving licence valid in Belgium?

The Road Traffic Act (Wegverkeerswet / loi relative à la police de la circulation routière) provides that no one may drive a motor vehicle on a public road without a licence lawfully issued in Belgium, or a foreign national or international licence that meets the rules of international road traffic (Art. 21 of the Act). The licence must be valid for the category of vehicle and you must carry it with you.

The key concept is normal residence (gewone verblijfplaats). The Royal Decree of 23 March 1998 on driving licences defines it as the place where you usually live, that is for at least 185 days a year (Art. 1, 11°). A person who is entered in the population, foreigners’ or waiting register of a Belgian municipality and has their normal residence here may only drive with a Belgian or a European licence (Art. 3, § 2).

Visitors without normal residence in Belgium may therefore drive with their valid foreign licence.

EEA licence: you may keep driving

A licence issued by an EEA state (the EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) is recognised in Belgium as a European licence. Even after registering with a Belgian municipality, you may continue to drive with it (Art. 3, § 2, Royal Decree of 23 March 1998). As long as it is valid, no exchange is required.

If your licence needs to be replaced, for instance after loss or theft, the municipality issues a Belgian licence (Arts 50 and 51, Royal Decree of 23 March 1998). When the expiry date approaches, book an appointment in good time. Several municipalities also offer registration of a European licence.

Non-EU licence: exchange within 185 days

For a licence from a country outside the EEA, the rule is stricter. As long as you do not have your normal residence in Belgium, you may drive with it. Once you are registered here, municipalities such as the City of Brussels and Leuven apply a period of 185 days from registration: during that period you may drive with your recognised foreign licence, after which it must have been exchanged for a Belgian licence.

An exchange without new tests is only possible for a licence recognised by Belgium (Art. 23, § 2, 1°, of the Act). In addition, the licence must have been issued by the country where you had your normal residence at the time, and before your registration in Belgium (Art. 27, 2°, Royal Decree of 23 March 1998). If your licence is not recognised, you will in principle have to pass a theory test and a practical test to obtain a Belgian licence.

You apply at the driving licence department of your municipality. The foreign licence is often first checked for authenticity, and a sworn translation may be requested. If your licence is about to expire, book an appointment before the expiry date, even if the 185-day period is still running.

Is an international driving permit enough?

An international driving permit is not a separate licence. It is a document based on an international convention model that translates your national licence; always carry it together with your national licence. A Belgian international driving permit, for example, is valid for no more than 3 years and never longer than the national licence (Art. 55, Royal Decree of 23 March 1998).

For residents of Belgium, an international driving permit does not solve the problem: with normal residence here, you need a Belgian or European licence. For visitors, however, it may be useful or necessary, depending on the country and the model of their licence.

Driving without a valid licence: what are the risks since 1 September 2026?

Anyone living in Belgium who keeps driving with an unexchanged non-EU licence after the permitted period risks prosecution for driving without the required licence (Art. 30, § 1, 1°, of the Act). The same applies to a licence that is not valid for the category of vehicle. See also our page on driving without a licence and our article on the consequences of driving without a licence.

Since 1 September 2026, the law expresses penalties as penalty levels (strafniveaus / niveaux de peine) (Art. 36 Criminal Code). The amounts below are the amounts actually payable, including the statutory surcharges (opdeciemen).

Level 2 includes, among other things, imprisonment of 6 months to 3 years, electronic monitoring of 1 month to 1 year, community service (werkstraf) of more than 120 up to 300 hours or a probation sentence of more than 12 up to 24 months. Where there are mitigating circumstances, the court may impose a level 1 penalty for driving without a licence, with the same fine of 2,000 to 20,000 euros.

The police court judge may also impose a disqualification from driving (verval van het recht tot sturen) (Art. 38, § 1, 5°, of the Act). For a repeat offence within 3 years, the fine is doubled (Art. 30, § 4) and a disqualification of at least 3 months is mandatory (Art. 38, § 6). Offences committed before 1 September 2026 remain subject to the old regime, unless the new law is more lenient (Art. 2 Criminal Code). Read more in our article on the new Criminal Code and road traffic.

If you have no domicile or fixed residence in Belgium and do not immediately pay an on-the-spot fine (onmiddellijke inning) proposed by the police, you must lodge a deposit. Failing that, your vehicle may be held for 96 hours, after which the public prosecutor may order its seizure (Art. 65, § 3, of the Act).

A Belgian driving ban or disqualification and your foreign licence

A disqualification from driving imposed by a Belgian police court (politierechtbank / tribunal de police) also applies to holders of a foreign licence. The disqualification starts on the fifth day after notification by the public prosecutor, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays (Art. 40 of the Act). Your licence, even a European or foreign one, is kept at the court registry during the disqualification (Arts 67 and 69, Royal Decree of 23 March 1998).

For those who cannot obtain a Belgian licence, two special rules apply. The reinstatement tests (herstelexamens) and examinations do not apply to them (Art. 38, § 8, 1°, of the Act). And the foreign licence may be returned so that the holder can leave the country, with a certificate from the public prosecutor allowing them to drive to the border on a set day and along a set route (Art. 69, § 7, 3°, Royal Decree of 23 March 1998; Constitutional Court 4 June 2020, No 82/2020).

Driving in Belgium while disqualified is a separate offence (Art. 48 of the Act, see table). An immediate withdrawal (onmiddellijke intrekking) by the public prosecutor, as a rule for 15 days (Art. 55 of the Act), may also affect a foreign licence.

The extent to which a Belgian disqualification currently has effect in the country that issued your licence depends on that country’s rules. The European Directive (EU) 2025/2206, which gives Union-wide effect to driving bans for serious offences, entered into force on 25 November 2025 but will only apply once transposed into national law.

What should you do?

1. Establish your situation. Is it an EEA licence or not, and since when have you been registered in Belgium?
2. EEA licence. Check the expiry date and preferably have your licence registered with your municipality.
3. Non-EU licence. Book an appointment with the driving licence department as soon as you register, so that the exchange is completed within 185 days. Ask whether your licence is recognised and whether a sworn translation is needed.
4. No recognition. Plan the theory and practical tests in good time and stop driving on your foreign licence once the period has expired.
5. Police report or withdrawal. Keep all documents and contact us before making any further statement.
6. Summons. Read what to do after a summons to the police court.

How Novex Advocaten can help

Our firm defends drivers prosecuted for driving with a licence that is not, or no longer, valid in Belgium. We check whether the charge stands, in particular as regards the date of registration, normal residence and recognition of your licence. Where appropriate, we argue for a suspended sentence or suspension of judgment or community service.

We appear before the police court in Brussels and the surrounding police courts, and assist with all your questions on road traffic law. Proceedings before the police court are conducted in Dutch or French. You can consult us in Dutch, French, English or Arabic.

We agree on our fees clearly in advance (see cost of a road traffic lawyer); legal expenses insurance often applies.