Makes you immediately feel at home
- In Belgium, as in most European countries, you drive on the right. The rule of priority of the right always applies (except on priority roundabouts).
- Trams and buses always have priority when their indicators are flashing!
- All passengers must wear seat belts, in the front and in the rear alike.
- The speed limit is 50 km/hour in town, and 120 km/hour on motorways. In some places, speed is limited to 30 km/h (around schools,…)
Alcohol test: after just one beer, one glass of wine or one aperitif, your blood alcohol level will rise to 0.2 % for a man weighing 75 kg and 0.5 % for a woman weighing 60 kg. The legal limit is 0,5 %!
- In Belgium, we commonly called BOB, the one who decides to stay sober during the evening to be able to drive you home.
First of all, know that often your Belgian insurer looks after administrative formalities. He will register your car via Internet and you will receive your certificate of registration and your licence the following working day. To choose your insurance broker, please consult HERE. All motor vehicles must be registered in the Belgian register of registration kept by the DIV. If you have imported your car, please consult details below.
The first thing to do is to obtain a « request for registration form » (red form) The request for registration must be addressed to the DIV by the owner of the vehicle.
This « request for registration » form is delivered free-of-charge:
To fill out this certificate, you need various technical details of the vehicle recapitulated below:
NEW :
1. Ask for a registration form in the bpost office.
2. Give this form to your insurer who will make the request via a WebDIV application. He will give you a copy.
3. You will receive a license plate by post.
Place the certificate of registration in the car when it is being driven. Don’t ever lose it, this certificate of registration is always indispensable during your visit to the contrôle technique (every year from the 4th year of your car’s existence) and equally during the reselling of the car. Attach your license plate, in accordance with the rules, to the back of your car.
Attach a duplicate of this license plate, in accordance with the rules:
The license plate must stay permanently on your car. You must take it off during the sale. There are numerous « Mister Minit » boutiques in Brussels which will make your plates immediately. In the case of selling your car, the certificate of registration must follow the car until the moment when it is presented to the contrôle technique.
ATTENTION:
If you have imported your car yourself, you must produce a certificate from the distributor/foreign manufacturer mentioning that the car was delivered as new. Attach it, as well as the sales invoice, to the request for registration.
You have registered in your municipality in Belgium. The car must meet European standards (certificate of conformity issued by the manufacturer or the importer in Belgium). It must be insured with a Belgian insurance company (compulsory civil liability – motor).
If you wish to cancel the registration of your car (to cancel your license plate), you must return your registration plate number. Drop it off at the nearest post office, you will immediately receive a radiation certificate. If you have decided to no longer use your car or you are leaving for good, don’t wait to return your license plate as the circulation tax remains as long as the license plate is not cancelled.
To enquire about the weather before to leave :
T 0900 27 003 (FR)
Website (FR/NL/EN/DE)
Traffic information
Website (FR/NL)
Belgian Institute for road safety
Website (FR/NL)
Car Maintenance without appointment
Website (see below)
Responsible Young Drivers organise des actions de prévention à la sécurité routière dont le rapatriement gratuit la nuit du nouvel an est l’action plus populaire.
Consultez leur programme de formations théoriques ou pratiques et souvent ludiques !
Vous ou vos enfants deviendrez des automobilistes avertis, prudents et éco-responsables !
Website
Rue d'Arlon, 53 - 1040 Etterbeek
www.racb.com
Place de Belgique Avenue de Miramar
- 1020 Brussels
www.autosalon.be
Did you know that below 7° Celsius a normal tyre gets hard and looses its effectiveness ! It is therefore necessary to change them in winter for obvious reasons of security!
4 years after the date of entry into circulation, each year you will reveive a notification to pass the "contrôle technique". It is obligatory!
Avenue L. Mommaerts, 10-12 – 1140 Bruxelles
02 736 00 04
www.monsieurpneus.be
Avenue Albert 1er, 180 - 1332 Genval
+32 2 652 50 08
info@monsieurpneus.be
www.monsieurpneus.be
Chaussée de Waterloo, 1298 - 1180 Bruxelles
02 373 08 20
delphine@pneuvanhamme.be
www.pneuvanhamme.be
While waiting to get your own car, there are lots of companies who will rent you a car.
02 730 62 52
www.avis.be
02 789 86 64
www.budget.be
02 801 04 19
expatsservices@europcar.com
www.europcar.be
02 717 32 01
www.hertz.be
02 538 86 26
www.luxauto.be
0800 99 999
www.rentacar.be
Carrefour de l'Europe, 3 - 1000 Bruxelles
21 0577 0006
res-fr@sixt.com
www.sixt.be
02 646 05 35
www.tc-location.com
Rue du Mail, 50 - 1050 Bruxelles
02 880 03 90
info@carasap.be
www.carasap.be/en
02 331 31 31
Fax 02 331 27 22
www.abl-limousine.be
02 772 00 00
www.directway.be
Bruxelles
+32 (0)475 456 095
info@driver4you.be
www.driver4you.be
Avenue Firmin Lecharlier, 85 - 1090 Bruxelles
02 420 10 00
Fax 02 420 12 00
info@moderncar.com
www.moderncar.com
02 461 02 99
info@tmslimousine.com
www.tmslimousine.com
Ask for your Car-Pass from the seller ! It’s a legal and compulsory document. Car-Pass shows the successive kilometers. Car-Pass is issued by Contrôle Technique.
Some major dealers have developed a ‘second-hand’ department. They usually sell fairly recent vehicles with a guarantee.
Gemeenschappenlaan, 7 - 1200 Woluwe
mbcc.be/nlbe/home
Some garages in Brussels are “licensed for diplomatic sales”, which means that they can sell cars under special conditions and at pre-tax prices. These garages act as go-betweens for the factory and the diplomat, which may allow payment in foreign currency.
To buy a car with diplomatic conditions: the price does not depend on the make, but on the legislation.
Once your vehicle is registered with the DIV, you are free to drive it on the public highway. The ‘Contributions Autos’ service will send you, by the 15th of the month following the registration, a special payment or transfer form specifying the amount of:
In Belgium, your professional travel is fiscally deductible.
Used car pricing reports allow you to easily estimate the price you should pay for or obtain from a car.
www.moniteurautomobile.be/taxe-mise-en-circulation.html (FR/NL)
Anyone over 18 years old who holds a category B driving licence is authorised to drive a vehicle in Belgium.
Belgium has signed exchange agreements for driving licences with most EU Member States. Nationals of these countries must go to the ‘driving licence’ department in their municipality to exchange their national licence for a Belgian licence, as soon as they register with their municipality.
If you come from a non-EU Member State, you should use an international driving licence when you drive in Belgium. This is valid only for one year, and so you need to exchange it for a European one via your municipality (police or administration), depending on the municipality.
If you come from a non-EU Member State, you should use an international driving licence when you drive in Belgium. This is valid only for one year, and so you need to exchange it for a European one via your municipality (police or administration), depending on the municipality.
Rue Colonel Bourg, 118 - 1140 Bruxelles
02 726 91 52
Rue du Labeur, 3-9 - 1070 Bruxelles
02 529 07 74
See our chapter 3 "Insurance"
There are insurance companies which provide a breakdown service throughout the Benelux area, and contracts can be extended to cover all of Europe. Many banks give the same service.
Assistance and accident cover If you have an accident, the most usual approach is the ‘constat à l’amiable’ or jointly agreed statement for insurance purposes: you simply fill in the accident report form provided by your insurers on the spot . You should always have a blank copy of this document in your car. If you and the other driver cannot reach an agreement, call the police switchboard on 101. From a mobile : 112.
Rue de la Loi, 44 - 1040 Bruxelles
02 233 22 02
www.touring.be
Boulevard du Triomphe, 172 - 1160 Auderghem
02 533 75 75
Fax 02 533 77 73
help@europeassistance.be
www.europeassistance.be
Brussels has 1300 taxis covering 633 parking areas. Prices: 2.40 € pick-up charge between 06.00 and 10.00 pm and 4,40 euros between 10.00 pm and 06.00 am, plus 1.80 €/km in central Brussels and the 19 muni-cipalities but outside Brussels it becomes 2,70 €/km. Waiting time : 30 € / hour. If you are going to the airport, remember to ask for the special airport rate. In theory, only the official airport taxis are allowed at Zaventem. These bear an orange windscreen sticker with a white aeroplane. In town, there are not many taxi ranks, so it is better to book a taxi by telephone. The taxi fares are indexed each year. Attention taxis are always black!
The driver is obliged to give you a receipt at the exit.
COLLECTO is a shared taxi service operating 7 days a week between 23:00 and 6:00 in the entire Brussels-Capital region. Hop on at one of the 200 Collecto collecting points (usually STIB metro/tram/bus stops) and hop off at the destination of your choice in Brussels. Collecto is relatively cheap, with a unique fare of 6 € per person per ride (and 5 € for STIB users). Departures every half hour, call for booking at least 20 minutes before: 02 800 36 36. More information : www.bruxellesmobilite.irisnet.be/articles/taxi/reserver-un-collecto
+ 32 (0)2 411 41 42
www.taxisautolux.be
+ 32 (0)2 349 49 49
www.taxisverts.be
To find a secure parking
www.bruxellesmobilite.irisnet.be/voiture/
www.interparking.com (FR/NL/EN/DE)
www.q-park.be (FR/NL)
Cheap late-night opening parking
in the centre of Brussels
Parking Sablon-Poelaert (Place Poelaert)
Evening package : from when you arrive after 6.00pm until you leave before 5.00am at the incredible price of 5 Euros, enough time for a good party !
Parking fee and Residents’ Parking Permit
Urban centres are equipped with systems of parking meters, a system of payment by gsm which is being put gradually in place, is far from being widespread.
Most of the time you have a parking metre. So always try to have coins with you !
Although currently, many are equipped with a system of payment by card. In the new machines, you must introduce the licence plate number of your car. Keep it in mind.
Sometimes you have a blue zone, where you have to use a “disque bleu” which gives you two hours free of charge. You can buy it in Auto 5, Brico … In your own municipality you don’t have to pay. Therefore you need a “resident card” which you can obtain at your Town Hall.
Documents to produce:
Parking.be is a free tool that allows you:
to search and to post parking spots for rent and for sale in Brussels.
You can create an alert and receive e-mail alerts when a parking spot becomes available for rent or for sale near a specific address.
Parking.be is 100% free!
www.parking.be
