AM licence / moped in Belgium
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The AM licence lets you ride a moped or light scooter. Often the first licence for young people, it involves a theory exam based on the highway code.
The AM licence in brief
The first licence
The AM licence (moped, scooter) is accessible to young people per legal age conditions.
A theory exam
You obtain it via a theory exam on the highway code: signage, priorities, behaviour on the road.
Safety basics
Signs, priority to the right, speed: the code basics are central.
What the AM licence covers
Category AM covers mopeds and, since the regulations were adapted, speed pedelecs - electric bicycles that assist well beyond the speed of an ordinary e-bike and are therefore no longer treated as bicycles.
The precise sub-classes and the conditions attached to each are set by regulation and have changed over the years. Check the official conditions for the specific machine you intend to ride rather than assuming the category covers it.
A first licence, and a head start on the next one
For many people AM is the first licence, taken around sixteen. Its theory exam covers the same Highway Code as the car exam: the signs you learn now, the priority rules you practise now, come back unchanged for category B.
That is the strongest argument for studying it properly rather than doing just enough to pass. Every evening invested now is one you will not have to repeat a year later - and the pass threshold is the same in both exams anyway.
Where moped riders lose points
The questions are of the same kind as for a car, but a few themes carry more weight because they bear directly on riding a two-wheeler.
- Position on the road: when on the carriageway, when on the cycle lane, and how it differs by class of machine.
- Priority to the right, which applies in full both for and against a moped.
- Speed restrictions specific to the machine, independent of the limit posted on the road.
- Helmet and equipment, and what the regulations actually require.
- Insurance and documents: what you must be able to produce at a roadside check.
Being seen is part of the syllabus
A moped rider is narrow, quiet and easily missed at a junction, and the Belgian exam tests awareness of that explicitly rather than treating it as advice. Expect questions on positioning for visibility, on anticipating drivers who have not seen you, and on the behaviour of vulnerable road users generally.
It is also the part of the syllabus that transfers directly to real riding, which is a reasonable answer to anyone who treats the theory exam as a formality.
The AM licence at a glance
- ~16 — minimum age
- 50 — exam questions
- 41/50 — to pass
- 1 — shared Highway Code
Frequently asked questions
How to revise for the AM theory exam?
Revise the highway code: signs, priorities and speed. On PermisBelges.be these basics are free with courses and tests.
At what age can I get the AM licence in Belgium?
Around sixteen, depending on the class of vehicle. Check the official conditions for the machine you intend to ride.
Is moped theory the same as car theory?
The Highway Code is shared. What you learn for AM about signs, priority, speed and parking carries over in full to category B.
Do I need a licence for a speed pedelec?
A speed pedelec is not treated as an ordinary bicycle and comes with specific obligations. Check the conditions in force for the type of machine you want to use.
How many questions are in the exam?
Fifty, with 41 points needed to pass. A minor mistake costs one point and a serious mistake five.