What does code 78 mean on a category B licence?

Licence limited to vehicles with automatic transmission

Glasses or contact lenses required

Which vehicle counts as 'automatic' for code 78?

Any vehicle with cruise control

To remove code 78, you must:

Simply ask your municipality, without a test

You pass the practical test in a fully electric car. What will your licence show?

A special code for electric cars

Automatic driving licence in Belgium: code 78 and switching to manual

Home › Automatic driving licence in Belgium: code 78 and switching to manual

In Belgium, if you pass the practical test in a car with an automatic gearbox, your licence carries code 78: you may only drive vehicles without a clutch pedal. The theory test is exactly the same. To remove code 78 in Belgium, you must pass a new practical test in a manual car, without retaking the theory test.

Updated 25 October 2026

Test yourself: 5 questions on this topic

What does code 78 mean on a category B licence? Glasses or contact lenses required / Licence limited to vehicles with automatic transmission / Provisional licence. Correct answer: Licence limited to vehicles with automatic transmission. Code 78 limits the licence to vehicles with an automatic gearbox.
Which vehicle counts as 'automatic' for code 78? Any vehicle with cruise control / Only hybrid vehicles / Any vehicle without a clutch pedal. Correct answer: Any vehicle without a clutch pedal. Any vehicle that has no clutch pedal is considered to have automatic transmission.
To remove code 78, you must: Pass a new practical test in a manual car / Retake the theory test / Simply ask your municipality, without a test. Correct answer: Pass a new practical test in a manual car. The automatic entry is only removed after passing a new practical test in a vehicle with a manual gearbox.
How long is a model 3 (M3) provisional licence valid? 36 months / 12 months / 18 months. Correct answer: 12 months. The model 3 provisional licence is valid for 12 months and is issued by the municipality on presentation of your category B licence.
You pass the practical test in a fully electric car. What will your licence show? No entry at all / A special code for electric cars / Code 78. Correct answer: Code 78. An electric car has no clutch pedal, so it counts as an automatic: your licence will carry code 78.

Key points

Code 78

The 'automatic' entry limits your licence to vehicles without a clutch pedal.

Same theory test

Same theory exam: 50 questions, 41/50 to pass, whatever the gearbox.

Can be removed

A new practical test in a manual car, after 2 hours of lessons or a 12-month M3 provisional licence.

Automatic driving licence in Belgium: what code 78 means

An automatic driving licence is not a separate category: it is an ordinary category B licence obtained by taking the on-road test in a car with automatic transmission. The licence then shows the harmonised European code 78, and it is only valid for vehicles with automatic transmission.

Belgian exam centres define an automatic vehicle as any vehicle without a clutch pedal. That covers conventional automatics, automated manual gearboxes and almost every electric car.

Do not confuse code 78 with medical codes (such as 10.02) that require an adapted vehicle for health reasons: removing those follows a different procedure.

The theory test does not change

Choosing an automatic only affects the practical part. The theory exam is identical for everyone: 50 questions, at least 41/50 to pass, 5 points lost for a serious fault (see the Belgian driving theory test). Our free theory test and exam simulations prepare you either way.

The provisional licence (36 months with a guide, 18 months without a guide after 20 hours of driving lessons) also works the same way: you simply practise in the type of car you will take the test in. Details on our page about the provisional licence.

Pros and cons of an automatic licence

With automatics and electric cars becoming the norm, code 78 matters less in everyday life than it used to. It can still be a constraint if you need a cheap rental car, a van or a car abroad, where manual gearboxes are often more common.

Automatic or manual for the practical test
Criterion	Automatic (code 78)	Manual
Learning	Easier: no clutch, no gear changes	Longer: clutch control, hill starts
What you can drive	Only vehicles without a clutch pedal	Manual and automatic vehicles
Rental and company cars	Sometimes less choice or higher prices	No restriction
Electric cars	No problem (no clutch)	No problem
Removing the restriction	New practical test in a manual car	Not applicable

How to remove code 78 in Belgium

To remove the 'automatic' entry, you must pass a new practical test in a vehicle with a manual gearbox. You do not retake the theory test. Before the test, you need some training, in one of two ways:

At an approved driving school: at least 2 hours of practical lessons in a manual car.
With a model 3 provisional licence (M3): valid for 12 months, issued by your municipality when you present your category B licence; while practising, you are accompanied by one of your guides.

Regional differences

In Brussels, the approved exam centres' brochure states that the test can be taken without any minimum practice period. In Wallonia, the exam centre operator Autosécurité mentions at least one month of practice with the M3 (autosecurite.be). In Flanders, check the current conditions with GOCA Vlaanderen. In every Region, the test itself takes place on public roads, like your first one.

What has changed: BE, C, D and EU rules

Code 78 comes from EU law (Directive 2006/126/EC, applied since 19 January 2013). Directive 2020/612 relaxed the rule for higher categories, and Belgium transposed it through the Royal Decree of 9 November 2022, in force since 16 November 2023: code 78 is no longer added to a B+E, C1, C, D1 or D licence (and their trailer categories) passed in an automatic, if you already hold a category obtained without code 78.

This exception does not apply to category B itself. For B, the rule in October 2026 is unchanged: test in an automatic means code 78. A new EU driving licence directive (2025/2205) must be transposed by November 2028; until Belgium does so, nothing changes for code 78 on a category B licence. More on categories: Belgian driving licence categories.

Automatic or manual: questions to ask before you choose

There is no right or wrong answer: it depends on how you will use your licence. Ask yourself these questions before you start learning, because changing your mind later means another practical test.

Which car will you drive? If the family car is automatic or electric, code 78 will barely limit you.
Will your job involve vans or pool cars, which are still often manual?
Do you travel a lot? In many countries, cheap rental cars are still mostly manual.
Short on time? An automatic lets you focus on traffic, priority rules and anticipation.
Does your guide have a suitable car? On the free route, you learn in your guide's or household's vehicle.

Code 78 is a harmonised EU code: the restriction follows you everywhere in the European Union. With an automatic licence, you cannot rent and drive a manual car on holiday abroad either. The examiner judges your observation, speed, road position and priority decisions exactly as in a manual car.

Taking the practical test in an automatic

You can take the practical driving test in your own automatic car (free route, with your guide) or in a driving-school car. The tests are the same: hazard perception, manoeuvres depending on the Region, then driving on public roads. The test vehicle must be administratively and technically in order, otherwise the fee is still due.

Before choosing, think about the cars you will drive in the coming years. If your household drives electric or automatic, code 78 will hardly matter. To compare learning routes, see getting your licence without a driving school, and if you moved here with a foreign licence that carries code 78, read exchanging a driving licence in Belgium.

Practise this topic with real exam questions

Reading a rule is not enough: in the Belgian theory exam every question is asked on a photo of a real traffic situation, with answers that look deliberately alike. On PermisBelges, every topic of the highway code is practised with questions in the GOCA exam format, each one corrected and explained.

A free account gives access to the lessons, the free mock exams and progress tracking. Premium unlocks every exam simulation, detailed statistics per topic and targeted revision of your mistakes until exam day.

Ready to test yourself? Create your free account in thirty seconds, or discover Premium to practise without limits.

Frequently asked questions

What does code 78 mean on a Belgian driving licence?

It means the licence is limited to vehicles with automatic transmission, i.e. without a clutch pedal. It is added when the practical test is passed in such a vehicle.

Can I drive a manual car with an automatic licence in Belgium?

No. With code 78, driving a manual car amounts to driving without the licence required for that vehicle.

How do I remove code 78 in Belgium?

Pass a new practical test in a manual car, after at least 2 hours of driving-school lessons or practice with a 12-month M3 provisional licence. You do not retake the theory test.

Does an electric car give you code 78?

Yes, in practice: an electric car has no clutch pedal, so it counts as an automatic vehicle.

Is the theory test different for an automatic licence?

No. The theory exam is the same: 50 questions and 41/50 to pass. Only the practical test differs.