How to renew your driving licence in Belgium
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A Belgian credit-card-format driving licence is valid for 10 years. When it expires, you renew it online through BelDrive or at your municipality, with no new test. Expect to pay around €25 to €30 depending on the municipality. Here is when to act, how the process works, what it costs, and what to do if your Belgian driving licence has expired, been lost or is still the old paper model.
Test yourself: 5 questions on this topic
- How long is a Belgian credit-card-format driving licence valid? 5 years / For life / 10 years. Correct answer: 10 years. The European card-format licence has an administrative validity of 10 years and must then be renewed.
- Where is the expiry date printed on the card licence? In field 4b, on the front / On the back, next to category B / It is not printed on the card. Correct answer: In field 4b, on the front. The administrative expiry date appears in field 4b on the front of the licence.
- Your licence has been stolen. What is the first step? Order a duplicate from the exam centre / Report the theft to the police / Keep driving with a photocopy. Correct answer: Report the theft to the police. After a theft, you first report it to the police, then apply for a new licence at your municipality with the documents received.
- You lost your licence and are waiting for the new one. May you drive? No, not until you have received the new licence / Yes, with proof of your application / Yes, for 15 days. Correct answer: No, not until you have received the new licence. You may only drive again once you have received the duplicate or new licence.
- By when must old paper licences be replaced? 1 January 2027 / 31 December 2030 / 19 January 2033. Correct answer: 19 January 2033. EU Directive 2006/126/EC requires all licences issued before 19 January 2013 to be replaced by 19 January 2033.
Key points
Valid for 10 years
The expiry date is printed in field 4b on the front of the card.
Online or in person
BelDrive (eID or itsme) for categories A and B, or your municipal office.
No test to retake
Renewal is purely administrative: you keep all your categories.
Why a Belgian driving licence has to be renewed
Since 2010, Belgium has issued the European credit-card-format licence. Unlike the old pink paper licence, this card has an administrative validity of 10 years. What expires is the document, not your right to drive: renewal keeps the photo up to date and makes forgery harder.
The expiry date is printed in field 4b on the front. Keeping track of it is your responsibility: the Federal Public Service Mobility usually sends a reminder letter, but the authorities stress that the holder must request renewal in time.
Professional categories (C, D) have a shorter validity linked to medical checks: ask your municipality.
How to renew your driving licence in Belgium
Online with BelDrive
Since 1 October 2024, category A and B card licences can be renewed online through BelDrive, the platform of the Federal Public Service Mobility. You log in with your Belgian eID card or itsme. Unless you hold a medical certificate restriction or are disqualified from driving, the request is processed automatically and the new card is ordered straight away; you get an e-mail when it is ready for collection at your municipality. Official information: mobilit.belgium.be.
At your municipal office
You can also go to the population or civil affairs desk of the municipality where you are registered, often by appointment, with your identity card and your old licence. Most municipalities reuse the photo from your eID; a new passport photo is only needed if it no longer looks like you or if your municipality asks for one. Collect the new card in time: Ghent, for example, destroys uncollected licences after 3 months.
How much does it cost to renew a Belgian driving licence?
The fee is set by each municipality (a federal fee plus a local tax). As a guide, in 2026: €30 in Ghent and Braine-l'Alleud, €25 in Rixensart; a replacement after loss or theft costs about the same. Always check the current amount on your municipality's website.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Validity | 10 years (field 4b) |
| Where? | BelDrive (A and B) or your municipality |
| What to bring | Identity card, old licence; photo depending on the municipality |
| Typical cost | About €25 to €30, depending on the municipality |
| Processing time | A few working days; faster via BelDrive |
| Test to retake? | No |
When to start the renewal
Renewal is quick, but plan ahead: an expired licence no longer allows you to drive, not even for a day. Municipalities advise starting a few weeks before the date in field 4b, so you have time to book an appointment and collect the new card.
- Check field 4b today and put a reminder in your calendar two months before the expiry date.
- Read the reminder letter from the Federal Public Service Mobility if it arrives, but do not rely on it alone.
- Use BelDrive if you have an eID or itsme: you only visit the municipality once, to collect the card.
- Collect your card in time: some municipalities destroy licences that are not picked up within a few months.
- Check the new card: categories and codes (for example 01 for glasses or 78 for automatic transmission) are carried over unchanged.
Renewal does not change your entitlements: you keep the same categories and entries. Removing code 78 requires a practical test: see automatic driving licence in Belgium.
Belgian driving licence expired: what now?
Driving with an expired licence is an offence: you no longer carry a valid document, and it can also cause problems with your insurer after an accident. There is no grace period, so do not wait until the last day.
The good news is that an expired card is renewed through the same administrative request, without any test. Abroad, an expired Belgian licence is no longer recognised; for trips outside the EU, also look at the international driving permit, which is only valid together with a valid Belgian licence.
Lost, stolen or damaged licence
- Theft or loss: report it to the local police first, then apply for a new licence at your municipality with the documents you receive.
- Damaged card or photo no longer a likeness: your municipality issues a new card.
- You may only drive again once you have received the duplicate or new licence.
- A photocopy or a picture of your licence on your phone does not replace the document.
Old paper licence: replace it before 19 January 2033
The pink paper licence is still valid for now, but it is being phased out. EU Directive 2006/126/EC requires every licence issued before 19 January 2013 to be replaced by the European card model by 19 January 2033 at the latest. Municipalities will gradually invite holders to switch; you can do it earlier, for instance when you renew your identity card. Paper licence holders using BelDrive can upload a photo of it, which the municipality then checks.
Moving to Belgium with a foreign licence? Different rules apply: see our guide to exchanging a driving licence in Belgium. To check what each category on your card allows you to drive, read Belgian driving licence categories.
Provisional licence expired? That is a different process
A provisional licence is not renewed like a full licence. In Flanders, for example, you can request a new 12-month provisional licence (M12) once, with a valid theory pass and a certificate of 6 hours of lessons at an approved driving school. The models and conditions are explained on our page about the provisional licence in Belgium.
If your theory pass is more than 3 years old, you must take the theory test again. Get back up to speed with our free Belgian theory test, in the same 50-question format as the real exam, or read the full route in getting 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
How long is a Belgian driving licence valid?
The credit-card-format licence is valid for 10 years. The expiry date is in field 4b on the front.
Where do I renew my driving licence in Belgium?
Online through BelDrive for categories A and B, or at the population desk of the municipality where you are registered.
How much does it cost to renew a driving licence in Belgium?
It depends on the municipality: usually €25 to €30 in 2026. Check the exact fee on your municipality's website.
My Belgian driving licence has expired: do I need to retake the test?
No. You simply request a renewal. However, driving with an expired licence is an offence, so renew it before driving.
Is my old paper licence still valid?
For now, yes, but it must be replaced by the card model by 19 January 2033 at the latest.
Further reading
- International driving permit
- Exchange a driving licence in Belgium
- Getting a driving licence in Belgium
- Overtaking rules in Belgium: bans, cyclists and distances
- The 12 hardest questions in the Belgian theory test
- Zone 30, residential areas and cycle streets in Belgium
- The truck driving licence (C and C1) in Belgium
- Free Belgian theory test
- Theory exam simulation
- The Belgian highway code
- Plans and pricing