Traffic lawyer Brussels: the Brussels police court

Brussels has two police courts (politierechtbank / tribunal de police): one Dutch-speaking and one French-speaking. Which of the two hears your case depends on the language of the proceedings — and in the capital, that is rarely a detail. As a traffic lawyer Brussels residents and expats rely on, Novex Advocaten pleads before both courts, in Dutch and in French, and assesses with you whether a change of language would work in your favour.

Practical information: the Brussels police court

• Dutch-speaking police court of Brussels, Regentschapsstraat / Rue de la Régence 63 (5th floor), 1000 Brussels.
• Competent for traffic cases from the Brussels-Capital Region: besides the City of Brussels, this includes Schaerbeek, Anderlecht, Molenbeek, Ixelles, Uccle, Saint-Gilles, Forest and Etterbeek. A French-speaking police court has jurisdiction over the same area.
• The Novex Advocaten office is at Avenue Louise (Louizalaan) 379, within walking distance of the Brussels court buildings.
• In most traffic cases, it is enough to be represented by your lawyer, unless the court orders you to appear in person.

The language question: Dutch or French?

The language of the proceedings is governed by 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). In Brussels, it is as a rule the language of the language area in which the defendant lives (Dutch or French); if they live in a Brussels municipality, what counts is the language in which they made their statements during the judicial investigation or, failing that, the preliminary investigation (Article 16 § 1 of that Act). Under the statutory conditions, a defendant may ask for the case to be referred to the police court of the other language (Article 16 § 2 of that Act). That request can already be made during the preliminary investigation (to the public prosecutor) or the judicial investigation (to the investigating judge); if the case is already before the court, it is made at the hearing.

That choice has consequences. It determines the language in which you defend yourself, which court rules on your case and how much time is lost — a referral almost always means a postponement. We discuss this with you beforehand rather than improvising at the hearing (see also our page on changing the language before the police court). For French-speaking clients, we plead just as well in French: read this page in French.

What brings people before the police court in Brussels

Alcohol and drugs

The Brussels police carry out intensive checks, especially on weekend nights and around nightlife areas. From 0.35 mg/l you risk a summons (dagvaarding / citation). For offences committed from 1 September 2026 onwards, this carries a level 1 penalty: a fine of €2,000 to €20,000 and a possible driving ban (verval van het recht tot sturen / déchéance du droit de conduire), without imprisonment. From 0.78 mg/l, the court will in principle impose an alcohol interlock.

For drugs, what counts is not the roadside saliva test but the laboratory analysis of the saliva sample — or a blood test if no saliva sample could be taken — with statutory thresholds per substance. For offences committed from 1 September 2026 onwards, drug driving is also a level 1 offence, with a fine of €2,000 to €20,000. Alcohol · Drugs.

Speeding in a city full of 30 zones

Most of the Brussels Region is zone 30. As a result, the stricter rules that the law lays down for built-up areas and 30 zones apply almost everywhere: for speeding by more than 30 km/h, an on-the-spot fine (onmiddellijke inning / perception immédiate) is no longer offered and a summons follows (Article 7 of the Royal Decree of 19 April 2014), and the driving ban is in principle mandatory (Article 29 § 3 of the Road Traffic Act). For offences committed from 1 September 2026 onwards, speeding carries a level 1 penalty, with a fine of €100 to €5,000. Speeding offences.

Hit-and-run and accidents

In densely built-up areas, these cases often involve collisions with parked vehicles or with cyclists and e-scooter riders. Damage to property alone is enough for a hit-and-run offence (vluchtmisdrijf / délit de fuite): for offences committed from 1 September 2026 onwards, this is a level 1 penalty, with a fine of €2,000 to €20,000, a possible driving ban and no longer any prison sentence. Where people are injured, it is a level 2 penalty and the driving ban becomes mandatory; where someone dies, it is a level 3 penalty. The police court also rules on compensation, whatever the amount. Hit-and-run.

Driving licence and insurance

Driving without a valid licence, driving during an immediate withdrawal (onmiddellijke intrekking / retrait immédiat) or despite a driving ban, and driving without insurance: all four are offences that come before the police court. For the first three, the law provides for a level 2 penalty for offences committed from 1 September 2026 onwards, including a possible prison sentence of six months to three years and a fine of up to €20,000. Anyone who drives during an immediate withdrawal also faces a mandatory driving ban; driving without insurance carries a level 1 penalty, without imprisonment. Driving licence · Insurance · Immediate withdrawal.

Foreign driving licences and drivers living outside Belgium

Brussels is an international city, and we see that in our cases: driving on a foreign licence that should have been exchanged, drivers who live abroad and are summoned here, vehicles with foreign number plates. Each of these situations has its own rules on the validity of the licence, service of the summons and enforcement of the sentence. See also: living abroad and summoned in Belgium.

New Criminal Code: which penalty applies to your offence?

Since 1 September 2026, the new Criminal Code has been in force, and the penalties in the Road Traffic Act (Wegverkeerswet / loi relative à la police de la circulation routière) have been converted into penalty levels. The penalties mentioned above apply to offences committed from that date onwards. For offences committed before 1 September 2026, the old rules continue to apply, unless the new rules are more favourable (Article 2 of the Criminal Code); we assess in each case which set of rules is the most lenient for you. Read more in our overview of the new Criminal Code and traffic offences.

Traffic lawyer Brussels: what we do for you

1. Request the criminal file from the right court registry — Dutch-speaking or French-speaking — and review it in good time.
2. Assess whether a change of language is in your interest.
3. Gather the documents that support your situation and argue for a more lenient sentence: suspension of the pronouncement of sentence, a suspended sentence or community service, or a driving ban that, where the law allows, is served only at weekends or limited to certain vehicle categories (Articles 38 § 2bis and 45 of the Road Traffic Act).
4. Follow up the civil side of the case where there is an injured party.

Frequently asked questions

Which Brussels police court do I have to appear before?

For offences committed in the Brussels-Capital Region, this is as a rule the Dutch-speaking or the French-speaking police court of Brussels, depending on the language of the proceedings. Your summons states the court, the date and the time of the hearing. Send us the summons as soon as possible.

Can I ask for my case to be heard in the other language?

Yes. Under the statutory conditions, you can ask for your case to be referred to the police court of the other language. This can already be done during the preliminary or judicial investigation, and otherwise at the hearing (Article 16 § 2 of the Act of 15 June 1935). Bear in mind that a referral usually means a postponement.

I live abroad. Can I still be summoned in Brussels?

Yes. Anyone who commits a traffic offence in Belgium can be prosecuted here, even if they live abroad. In most cases your lawyer can represent you, so you do not necessarily have to travel. Do respond in time, though: anyone who neither appears nor is represented can be convicted by default.

Novex Advocaten

Mr Mohamed Asfour, lawyer at the Brussels Bar, assists you in Dutch, French, English and Arabic — before the police courts of Brussels, Halle, Vilvoorde, Leuven and Aalst.

Call 0484 99 22 72 or email asfour@novexadvocaten.be. Office: Avenue Louise (Louizalaan) 379, 1050 Brussels.