Belgium on a Canadian Licence — a Tighter 0.05 Limit & the Camera Net

Belgium drives on the same side as Canada and uses cars that feel familiar, so the road itself holds no shocks. What changes is the threshold for two things you might not think about until it is too late: alcohol and speed.

The alcohol limit drops to 0.05. Most of Canada works to 0.08 BAC; Belgium sets it at 0.05. That gap is exactly the width of a second drink. A couple of beers over dinner that would leave you legal at home can put you over the line in Belgium, where roadside breath tests are routine and penalties are firm. The safe move is the simple one — don’t drink if you are driving.

Then the cameras. Belgium has one of the most heavily monitored road networks in Europe, with fixed cameras in towns and average-speed (trajectcontrole) sections stretching across motorways that clock you over a whole distance, not just one point. There is no slowing for the camera and speeding up after. Even a 10 km/h overspeed costs around EUR 53, and the speeding fine calculator will estimate anything larger. Limits are 50 km/h in town, 70 on rural roads (lower than you may expect) and 120 on motorways.

On paperwork, an International Driving Permit is recommended with your Canadian licence — sort it before you fly, as Belgium also requires a warning triangle, reflective vest, first-aid kit and fire extinguisher in the car. A hire vehicle should carry these, but check. The driving permit checker confirms what your trip needs.

Beyond that it is a gentle drive: same side of the road, well-signed motorways, emergencies on 112. The Brussels and Antwerp low-emission zones can catch a non-compliant car, so check those if you are heading into the cities. The full picture — tolls, parking, city rules — is on the Belgium driving guide. Mind the limit and the cameras, and the rest takes care of itself.