The rules depend on where your licence was issued
Once you live in Belgium, you deal with the driving licence desk of your municipality. A licence from another EU or EEA country is registered first and exchanged in certain cases. A licence from outside Europe is checked for authenticity, which can take weeks, and you may drive on it only for a limited time after you register. If it cannot be exchanged, you take the Belgian tests. A sworn translation may be required.
How it works
Swap your foreign driving licence for a local one and check what you need.
After you move, your foreign licence is usually valid only for a limited time. Licences from EU and EEA countries can normally be exchanged without a test; licences from other countries only under specific agreements, and otherwise you may need to take a driving test. You usually need your original licence, ID, proof of address, a photo and sometimes a certified translation or a medical certificate. Apply in good time, as processing can take several weeks and you may have to hand in your old licence.
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At a glance
Each municipal desk has its own first step
Your first step depends on the town: an appointment to assess your licence, a phone call or email to the licence team with its details, or an online application. A licence from outside Europe is also checked for authenticity, which takes some time.
Guides
Related services
For people who cannot cover rent, food or other essentials: what the local social welfare centre can arrange and how to ask for an appointment.
A paper or digital certificate showing where you are registered, with versions for address history or household. Find the municipal office that issues it.
Reset an eID PIN, replace activation codes or set up a digital key for online services. Useful for residents, residence card holders and some non-residents.
The eID for teenagers and adults and the Kids-ID for children. See how applying works and find the municipal office that handles your card.
For anyone who has moved house in Belgium. See who reports, what happens after the address check and which office handles it in your new town.
Learn whether you need an extract or a full copy, who can request it and how to reach the civil registry office in your municipality.
Other countries
Moving on, or comparing before you decide? See how this works elsewhere.
Most offices in Tilburg, The Hague, and 's-Hertogenbosch
Most offices in Warsaw, Wrocław, and Gdańsk
Most offices in Augsburg, Berlin, and Bielefeld
Most offices in A Coruña, Alicante, and Almería
Most offices in Akranes, Akureyri, and Borgarnes
Where to next
How municipal desks begin an exchange, and what each one wants you to bring.
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