Buying and Selling a Car in Belgium

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Buying and Selling a Car in Belgium

Below is information on buying a new car in Belgium, importing a car and details on how to go about the private sale or purchase of a second-hand used car in Belgium. It also explains the Car-Pass system used when re-registering a vehicle - car or motor bike - onto new number plates.

According to statistics, the value of new cars depreciates faster in Belgium than elsewhere in Europe. Road taxes and motoring costs generally tend to be higher than many other European nations and coupled with a population which can be quite transient the result is that the new and used car market is good for buyers.

Buying a New Car

New cars are generally sold by a dealership. They may also be bought abroad and imported. Full details of the processes and the financial implications can be found on the Federal government website.

• For further information: Click here (in French) or Click here (in Dutch)

Buying a new vehicle from a VAT (TVA) registered business means paying VAT to the vendor. The current rate is 21 percent of the purchase price of the vehicle.

The seller

The seller must provide the following:

•  Bill of sale including details on
  • the make, model, engine size of the vehicle
  • VAT (price without VAT, VAT rate, VAT amount, total VAT inclusive price paid)
• Certificate of Conformity  
• Request for registration (Demande d'immatriculation – formulaire rose/Inschrijving van voertuigen). This will have two stamps/stickers (vignettes/vignet) known as the 705 and the 904. 
  • 705 vignette is proof that a vehicle has gone through the necessary customs formalities
  • 904 vignette is proof that the vehicle is registered with all the necessary VAT formalities completed and the VAT paid
• Car-Pass for the vehicle, which records details of the car and its history
  • For further information: Click here

The buyer

The buyer (now the new owner) must take this paperwork to the local Vehicle Registration Office (Direction Immatriculation, DIV).

• Central DIV (Direction Circulation Routière /Dienst voor Inschrijving van de Voertuigen)
  At: City Atrium, Rue du Progrès 56, 1210 Brussels (Saint-Josse-ten-Noode)
  Tel: 02 277 30 50
• To find a regional office and opening hours: Click here

In order to register the car in Belgium on standard Belgian plates, the new owner needs to be able to give a permanent address as shown on their identity card or residence permit. Proof of date of birth will also be required.

A person staying temporarily in Belgium may buy a car but they may only apply for temporary registration. This request must be accompanied by evidence of a permanent address elsewhere and a valid identity document such as a passport (with potentially an official translation). The buyer must make the request in person; all details supplied will have to be validated.

Buying a new car from abroad

A new vehicle is one which enters Belgium within six months of its first registration, or which has travelled less than 6,000 Km on its arrival.

Imported vehicles must be declared to the Belgium customs office. If the vehicle has been bought outside the EU then the buyer/importer must decide where they wish to complete the customs formalities – in Belgium or in another EU country if the vehicle has passed through it on its way to Belgium. For comprehensive advice on the VAT implications consult the tax authorities Administration de la fiscalité des entreprises et des Revenus in Brussels.

• Federal Finance Ministry
  e-mail
• See AngloINFO INFOrmation page Registering a Foreign Vehicle in Belgium 

Buying and Selling a Used Car

Second hand cars are plentiful in Belgium and can be bought from garages, other VAT registered businesses or from private individuals. They may also be advertised in car magazines or online publications such as:

• Auto Scout 24 (in French & Dutch)
• Vroom (in French & Dutch)
• Auto Occasion (in French)
• 4 Roo (in French)

The authorities urge those buying second hand cars to be vigilant in checking a vehicle's registration documents (certificat d'immatriculation/inschrijvingsbewijs). It is important to note if a vehicle has been admitted temporarily or must leave the country by a certain date unless further import/excise duties are paid. While this in itself need not prevent a sale or purchase both parties need to be sure that all documentation is in order and that any additional re-registration costs are known.

• An example of what to look for is provided on the Federal Government Portal: Click here (in French) or Click here (in Dutch) 

No taxes are payable on the sale of a used vehicle from a private individual. This is not the case if buying from a VAT registered garage or business. In this case VAT can be calculated in at least two different ways depending on circumstances.

• For further information: Click here (in French & Dutch)

Vehicle documents

Any used car for sale in Belgium must have a valid roadworthiness certificate (Contrôle technique/Technische Controle) no more than two months old. This is required by both private sellers and garages. 

When the car is entered for its roadworthiness test the owner should state the intension to sell it so that correct documentation is provided. Equivalent standards among firms undertaking the technical inspections is maintained by an officially recognised federation, GOCA (Groupement des Entreprises Agréées de Contrôle Automobile et du Permis de Conduire/Groepering Van Erkende Ondernemingen Voor Autokeuring en Rijbewijs).

Car-Pass

All second hand cars must be sold with a Car-Pass. This can be arranged at the roadworthiness test centre. A small fee is charged.

Car-Pass (recently introduced) makes it compulsory for the seller of any car or small commercial vehicle (private individual and businesses) to provide a Car-Pass for the vehicle. The only exemption is a private individual who is selling his vehicle to a professional, for example a garage.

The Car-Pass provides mileage readings for the vehicle at various dates in its history and may not be more than two months old. The Car-Pass document also details the make and model of the vehicle, its date of first registration in Belgium, the chassis number, the date the document was prepared and a unique document number for traceability. Every time that a vehicle goes to a garage, tyre centre or technical inspection its mileage is noted and passed to the central Car-Pass computer so that these details can then be provided to the owner at the time of sale to help authenticate the vehicle's mileage. A buyer who is unable to see a Car-Pass is entitled to withdraw from the sale.

• Extensive details on the scheme are provided on the Car-Pass website (in French and Dutch)

Buyers can check the validity of a Car-Pass via the website.

• To check the validity of a Car Pass certificate: Click here (in French) or Click here (in Dutch)

The Car-Pass includes:

• Make and model of the vehicle
• Chassis number
• Year of first registration
• Mileage reading indicated at the date of sale
• Sale price
• Sale date
• Identity of the two parties and their signatures

It is the seller's responsibility to have this document prepared except where an individual is selling a second-hand vehicle to a professional (perhaps as a trade-in) and in this case it is the garage or dealership which must prepare the document.

If a seller is not replacing the vehicle then their number plate (which is personal to them and not the vehicle) must be returned to the DIV which will remove it from the records. It will also calculate the road tax refund if relevant. 

The process is strictly controlled by the authorities and in particular the DIV, whose central office maintains the records of owners, vehicles and number plates. Anyone not following the correct procedures is liable to penalties.

The seller

The seller must provide the following documents:

• Registration document (Demande d'immatriculation/Inschrijving van voertuigen)
• Valid roadworthiness certificate 
• Car-Pass (it records details of the car and its history)
  • For further information: Click here
• A VAT registered seller is obliged to provide:
  • bill of sale detailing the make, model, and other characteristics of the vehicle 
  • the details relating to the VAT charged and on what basis this has been calculated

The buyer

All vehicles need to be insured and it is the vehicle which is covered not the driver. The minimum required by law is third party but fully comprehensive cover is available. It is the buyer's responsibility to arrange insurance before taking delivery of the car.

• See AngloINFO INFOrmation page Insuring a Vehicle in Belgium  

The vehicle must be registered by the new owner either under a number plate from a previous vehicle or on a new plate. This is done at a DIV office. The buyer submits the seller's registration document for the vehicle (Demande d'immatriculation/Inschrijving van voertuigen) and the DIV cancels all taxes due on a previous vehicle (if applicable) and credit any monies for taxes not due against the taxes to be paid for the new vehicle.

• To find a regional DIV office and opening hours: Click here

Further Information

• AngloINFO INFOrmation Page on Registering a Foreign Vehicle in Belgium 
• AngloINFO INFOrmation Page on Vehicle Insurance in Belgium 
• AngloINFO INFOrmation Page on Accidents in Belgium 
• AngloINFO INFOrmation Page on Vehicle Roadworthiness in Belgium