Belgium Driving Theory Study Guide 2026

Who runs driving licences in Belgium

Belgium has three regions: Flanders, Wallonia and the Brussels-Capital Region. The road rules (highway code, code de la route / wegcode) and the licence are Belgian, but each region organises driving training and exams. Learning routes, rules for supervisors and some speed limits are different, so check the rules of the region where you live and take your exams.

The regions are starting to keep their exam routes separate. Since 1 January 2026, Wallonia requires the whole route, theory exam and risk perception included, to be done in Wallonia. From 1 January 2027, a Flemish centre will only accept you for the practical exam if you passed the theory exam at a Flemish centre.

The theory exam

The theory exam (examen théorique / theorie-examen) is taken on a screen at an exam centre. You must be at least 17. Bring your identity document. The format is the same in Flanders and Wallonia.

• 50 questions. In Flanders you choose from two or three answers.
• Each question is read aloud and shown on screen. You then have 15 seconds to answer.
• The whole exam takes about 30 minutes.
• You start with 50 points and need at least 41.
• A pass is valid for 3 years. Take the practical exam within that time.
• There is no limit on retakes, but after two failures you need at least 12 hours of theory lessons at a recognised driving school.

Light and serious errors

Not all mistakes cost the same. A light error costs 1 point. A serious error (faute grave / zware fout) costs 5 points. An answer is a serious error when it would lead to dangerous driving: going faster than the limit, or a third- or fourth-degree offence, such as running a red light or ignoring a police officer directing traffic.

After you pass, new drivers take a short reading test to check their eyesight. If you fail it, you must see an eye doctor. In Wallonia the exam centre gives you a certificate of success that you take to your municipality (commune) to ask for a provisional licence.

Learning to drive and the practical exam

Flanders

• Provisional licence with a supervisor (met begeleider): from 17, valid for 36 months.
• Provisional licence without a supervisor (zonder begeleider): from 18, valid for 18 months, after at least 20 hours of lessons at a recognised driving school.
• You must practise for at least 5 months (the stage) before the practical exam.
• A supervisor (begeleider) must have held a B licence for at least 8 years and, since 1 March 2024, must attend a 3-hour training session (vormingsmoment).
• With a supervisor, you can take the practical exam from 18.

The Flemish practical exam has two parts: a risk perception test on screen and a road test of about 40 minutes. The road test includes checks before driving, two manoeuvres and 10 to 15 minutes of independent driving, where you follow a GPS and road signs. If you fail, you take both parts again. After two failures in a row you need at least 6 hours of practical lessons.

Wallonia

When you ask for a provisional licence you choose a route: a driving school (auto-école), the independent route (filière libre) with guides, or direct access (accès direct). On the independent route, you and your guides attend a 3-hour teaching meeting (rendez-vous pédagogique). With a 36-month provisional licence you must drive at least 1,500 km and record your trips in the Road Book.

After you pass

You apply for your licence at your municipality (commune / gemeente). If you pass the road test in a car with automatic gears, your licence carries code 78 and is limited to automatic cars.

Speed limits

General limits depend on the region. Signs always override them.

Alcohol, phones and penalties

• General alcohol limit: 0.5 g/l in blood, which is 0.22 mg/l in exhaled air.
• Professional drivers: 0.2 g/l.
• From 0.8 g/l, the police can take your licence on the spot for 15 days.
• Since 1 July 2026, refusing a breath test leads to a temporary 12-hour driving ban.
• You may not hold or use a phone or other screen while driving, unless it is fixed in a holder made for it.

Belgian traffic offences are sorted into four degrees. The fourth degree is the most serious. Running a red light is third degree, and ignoring a police officer directing traffic is fourth degree.

Since 1 July 2026, a new driver who commits a serious offence in the first 2 years after getting a B licence, or while on a provisional licence, loses the right to drive and must pass the theory or practical exam again.

Priority, emergency lanes and special streets

Where no sign or traffic light controls a junction, give way to traffic coming from your right. A priority road sign tells you that you have priority at the next junctions.

Rescue lane

On roads with two or more lanes in your direction, form a rescue lane (couloir de secours / reddingsstrook) as soon as traffic slows down or a jam forms, even if you see no emergency vehicle. On a road with two lanes in your direction, drivers in the left lane move left and drivers in the right lane move right.

Bus lanes, school streets and charging

• You may not stop or park in a bus lane.
• A school street (rue scolaire / schoolstraat) is closed to motor vehicles at set times, shown by signs at its entrance.
• Charging an electric car at a public charging point counts as parking, and the car must be plugged in.

Children in the car

• Children shorter than 135 cm must use a suitable child restraint.
• A rear-facing child seat may go in the front only if the front airbag is switched off or not fitted.
• Children under 3 may only travel in a child seat on a seat that has a seat belt.