Belgium on a Canadian Licence 2026: Recognised, EUR 58 Fines

A Canadian collecting a hire car in Brussels or Antwerp finds familiar right-hand traffic and, on paper, almost nothing to arrange. The adjustments are local rules: who has priority at a junction, a lower alcohol limit and speed limits that change when you cross a regional border.

Your licence is on Belgium’s list

Belgium’s federal mobility service publishes the non-EU licences it recognises. Canada is on it for Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island, the last only with an authentication certificate. A visitor with one of those licences needs no IDP. Drivers licensed elsewhere in Canada, such as Manitoba, are not on the list and should carry an international permit from CAA. Some rental firms ask for one anyway, so check the booking. The Driving Permit Checker covers onward countries.

Priority to the right

At junctions without signs or signals, traffic coming from the right has priority, even from a minor-looking side street. It applies in towns and in the countryside, and it catches North American drivers more often than any speed limit.

Alcohol and speed

The limit is 0.05%. Canada’s Criminal Code sets 80 mg, though most provinces already penalise from 50 mg at the roadside; in Belgium 0.05% is the offence. Towns are 50 km/h (30 is the default in Brussels), open roads 70 km/h in Flanders and 90 in Wallonia, and motorways 120. The first 10 km/h over costs EUR 58, with more for each additional km/h; the Speeding Fine Calculator gives a rough figure.

In the car and in the cities

The road code requires a warning triangle, fire extinguisher and first-aid kit in the car. Brussels, Ghent and Antwerp run low-emission zones, and foreign-registered cars must be registered before entering. Dial 112 in an emergency. The Belgium driving guide covers tolls and parking.

Sources

• SPF Mobilité et Transports, recognised licences from non-EU countries (Canada: nine provinces listed; authentication certificate for Prince Edward Island): mobilit.belgium.be
• SPF Mobilité et Transports, driving with a foreign licence: mobilit.belgium.be
• SPF Mobilité et Transports, fines and immediate payments (EUR 58 for the first 10 km/h): mobilit.belgium.be
• Belgian federal road safety site, speed limits by region: codedelaroute.be
• Belgian road code (royal decree of 1 December 1975), art. 12.3.1 (priority to the right) and art. 81.2 (triangle, extinguisher, first-aid kit): codedelaroute.be
• GOV.UK foreign travel advice, Belgium (LEZ registration in Brussels, Ghent and Antwerp): gov.uk
• Criminal Code of Canada, s. 320.14 (80 mg per 100 ml): laws-lois.justice.gc.ca
• WHO Global status report on road safety 2023, Belgium profile (0.05 g/dl): who.int