Reinstatement exams after a driving ban in Belgium: procedure, costs and preparation

A driving ban (verval van het recht tot sturen / déchéance du droit de conduire) does not always end when its term expires. If the court has made the restoration of your right to drive conditional on reinstatement exams (herstelexamens / examens de réintégration), you only get your licence back once you have passed them. In practice this procedure takes months, which is precisely why the point must already be argued at the hearing. Below you will find when reinstatement exams for your driving licence are compulsory, which tests exist, what they cost and how to prepare.

When are reinstatement exams for a driving licence imposed?

The court may make the restoration of the right to drive conditional on a theory test, a practical test, a medical examination, a psychological examination or a specific training course (Article 38, § 3 of the Road Traffic Act, Wegverkeerswet / loi relative à la police de la circulation routière). Since 1 January 2026, that training course can supplement or replace the theory test and the practical test.

In a number of cases the court is obliged to impose them:

• Reoffending. If, within three years of a previous conviction, you again commit one of the serious traffic offences listed in the Act — including serious speeding, fourth-degree offences, alcohol from 0.35 mg/l, drunkenness, drugs, driving without a licence or while banned, and hit-and-run —, the result is a ban of at least three months together with all four tests (Article 38, § 6 of the Road Traffic Act). On a further repeat offence, the minimum rises to six months and then to nine months.
• Young drivers. Anyone who has held a category B licence for less than two years and is convicted of an offence committed with a motor vehicle that can lead to a driving ban (other than, among others, a second-degree offence) must be given a driving ban and will have to pass at least the theory test or the practical test (Article 38, § 5 of the Road Traffic Act).
• Concurrence with causing death or harm to physical integrity in traffic. If you are convicted at the same time of causing death in traffic (Article 107 or 107/1 of the new Criminal Code, Strafwetboek / Code pénal) and of certain traffic offences — including an offence of the second to fourth degree, speeding, alcohol from 0.35 mg/l, drunkenness or drugs —, the result is a ban of at least three months and all four tests (Article 38, § 2 of the Road Traffic Act). Where reoffending within three years for alcohol, drunkenness or drug offences is added (Article 36 of the Road Traffic Act), the ban is at least one year for causing death in traffic and at least six months for causing harm to physical integrity in traffic (Article 218 of the new Criminal Code). For offences committed before 1 September 2026, the rules in force at that time still apply, unless the new rules are more favourable (Article 2 of the Criminal Code).
• Hit-and-run causing injury or death. Here the restoration depends on the theory test, the practical test and the psychological examination (Article 33, § 2 of the Road Traffic Act). You can read more about this offence in our article on hit-and-run.

In a limited number of cases the tests do not apply, for example if you do not meet the conditions for obtaining a Belgian driving licence or if the ban is for life (Article 38, § 8 of the Road Traffic Act).

The four tests of the reinstatement exams

1. The medical examination

An approved doctor assesses your physical fitness to drive: eyesight, reaction time and neurological condition. Where alcohol or drugs were involved, biological markers in the blood are usually checked as well. Be prepared to be asked for a recent blood test.

2. The psychological examination

An approved psychologist assesses your awareness of risk, your impulse control and your insight into the facts. The examination consists of tests and an interview. Anyone who downplays the facts will score badly here — something many people underestimate.

3. The theory test

The same exam as for a first licence, taken at an approved test centre in your region. The pass mark is 41 out of 50. If you fail, you can resit it; the practical arrangements for a new attempt differ by region and by centre.

4. The practical test

The full practical driving test, all over again. In practice, a few lessons at a driving school are almost always advisable, especially after a long period without driving.

Which tests do you actually have to take?

Outside the cases where the law fixes the tests, the court decides which ones you must take — not necessarily all four. Where the facts point to an alcohol or drug problem, the medical and psychological examinations are usually imposed; where the issue is driving behaviour, the theory and practical tests are more likely. Your lawyer can ask, with reasons, for the package to be limited to what the facts genuinely justify. That can save you months and several hundred euros.

The driving ban itself is often open to discussion too. Read more in our article on avoiding or limiting a driving ban.

Cost and duration of reinstatement exams

You bear the costs of the examinations, the tests and the training course yourself. There is, however, an important form of relief: the court may reduce the fine by the costs and fees of the reinstatement examinations, tests and training course, although the fine may not fall below one euro (Article 29, § 4 of the Road Traffic Act). Only the costs of the first attempt count. This, too, must be requested at the hearing.

Allow several months in total: waiting times for appointments at approved centres, laboratory results and any further attempts. If you only start once the driving ban has ended, you will remain without a licence for months more. Book your appointments as soon as the judgment is final.

What if you fail?

A new attempt is possible; ask the centre which waiting period and conditions apply. If a centre issues an unfavourable opinion, always ask for the reasons. You need them to challenge the opinion or to work in a targeted way on what is lacking. Until you have passed, your right to drive is not restored.

Can the obligation be challenged?

Yes, but only by challenging the judgment itself, and within the time limit. If you were convicted by default (in your absence), you can lodge an objection (opposition) within 15 days of service of the judgment; an appeal must be lodged within 30 days of the judgment being delivered (for a default judgment: of service). Read more in our article on objection and appeal against a judgment of the police court (tribunal de police).

Once the judgment is final, the obligation is fixed and the discussion shifts to enforcement. That is one more reason to prepare the hearing seriously rather than trying to repair things afterwards.

How Novex Advocaten can help

At the hearing we argue for a reasonable set of tests, ask for the fine to be reduced by the costs, and then guide you through the procedure. Mr Mohamed Asfour, lawyer, pleads in Dutch and French before the police courts of Brussels, Halle, Vilvoorde, Leuven and Aalst, among others, and can also assist you in English or Arabic. Find out more about our approach on our page for a reinstatement exams lawyer.

Call 0484 99 22 72 or email asfour@novexadvocaten.be.