Belgium on a Dutch Licence 2026: Priority Right, Ghent LEZ

What are the requirements for driving in Belgium with a Dutch licence? Very few. EU licences are mutually recognised, so your Dutch licence is valid as it is: no International Driving Permit, no registration, no stamp at the border. Carry it with your ID and the car’s registration and insurance papers. Traffic keeps right and the alcohol limit is 0.05%, as at home. What changes are three rules that Dutch drivers meet within the first half hour: priority from the right, speed limits that differ by region, and low-emission zones that may want your number plate registered in advance.

The paperwork, in one list

• Dutch driving licence, valid for the category you drive
• Passport or ID card
• Vehicle registration (kentekenbewijs) and proof of insurance
• In a hire car, the rental agreement covers the vehicle documents

That is all. Questions about an international permit for Belgium come up often, but they apply to some licences from outside the EU. Even there, Belgium’s federal list recognises several, such as US licences, without one. A Dutch licence never needs it.

Give way to the right, and mean it

Article 12.3.1 of the Belgian road code: you give way to traffic coming from your right, unless you are on a roundabout or a give-way or stop sign faces you. The Netherlands has the same rule on paper. The difference is how often it applies. Dutch junctions are usually signed, painted or shaped so that priority is obvious. In Belgian towns, many junctions have no signs at all, and then the rule is absolute: a car nosing out of a narrow side street on your right goes first, even if you are on the wider road.

In practice:

• At any crossing without signs or shark teeth, slow down and look right first.
• Do not assume a main-looking road gives you priority. Only a sign does.
• Expect Belgian drivers to use their priority without hesitating.

Speeds by region

Belgium sets some limits regionally, so the number changes when you cross from Flanders into Brussels or Wallonia:

Two surprises for Dutch drivers. Brussels is a 30 km/h region by default, main avenues aside where signed. And Belgian motorways allow 120 km/h around the clock, while most Dutch motorways are 100 between 06:00 and 19:00. In Brussels, if you have not seen a sign since the last junction, assume 30. Heading home before 19:00, the opposite applies: drop back to 100 once you cross into the Netherlands. Signs override all defaults. The Speeding Fine Calculator helps if a camera flashes.

Low-emission zones: one city at a time

Each city runs its own LEZ, and the steps differ:

• Ghent: foreign number plates must always register, free of charge, before entering. Dutch plates included.
• Antwerp: works with free registration as well; register before your trip.
• Brussels: Dutch-registered vehicles do not need to pre-register, but the car must meet the zone’s emission standards.

Registering takes a few minutes online. Forgetting it is the most common way a Dutch driver gets a Belgian fine without ever speeding.

Alcohol and emergencies

The limit is 0.05%, the same as in the Netherlands. Checks are frequent, so treat it as zero.

Belgium splits its emergency numbers in a way the Netherlands does not. 112 works for everything. The direct lines are 101 for police and 100 for ambulance and fire. At home, you would dial 112 for all three.

For a longer tour, the Belgium driving guide and the Driving Permit Checker cover the rest.

Sources

• Directive 2006/126/EC on driving licences (mutual recognition of EU licences): eur-lex.europa.eu
• Belgian road code (royal decree of 1 December 1975), art. 12.3.1 (priority to the right): codedelaroute.be
• Belgian federal road-safety site, speed limits by region (Brussels 30 in built-up areas; 70/90 outside; 120 motorways): codedelaroute.be
• City of Ghent, LEZ access conditions (foreign plates must always register): stad.gent
• City of Antwerp, low-emission zone: slimnaarantwerpen.be
• Brussels-Capital Region, LEZ registration: lez.brussels
• WHO Global status report on road safety 2023, Belgium profile (0.05 g/dl): who.int