Brussels, Ghent and Antwerp LEZ Rules for Rental Cars

Which rule applies to your rental car

The deciding facts are the country on the number plate and the car's fuel and Euro standard. Check both on the registration document at pickup.

A new rental car from a Belgian desk almost always complies. The realistic risk for visitors is a one-way rental from Lille, Luxembourg or Germany, which arrives with foreign plates and no registration.

Does the Brussels LEZ cover the whole region?

The Brussels LEZ FAQ says the zone covers all 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, but not the Ring. It applies to Belgian and foreign vehicles alike.

Since 1 January 2026, diesel cars of Euro 5 and below and petrol cars of Euro 2 and below are banned. The fine is €350, imposed at most once every three months, so up to four per year per vehicle. In 2026 the first offence produces a warning letter, and fines start three months after that first offence.

Registering a foreign-plated car

The registration page sets out the rules for cars, vans up to 3.5 tonnes, minibuses and coaches registered abroad:

• Registration is free and valid for five years if the vehicle details do not change.
• Register before you enter or within five days after entering.
• Dutch-registered vehicles that meet the access criteria do not need to register.
• An unregistered foreign vehicle is fined €150 even if it meets the criteria. Wrong information costs a €25 administrative fine.

You need the vehicle registration certificate for the form. For a rental car, that usually means asking the desk for a copy.

Day passes for cars that fail

A car that does not meet the criteria can enter on a day pass: €35 for a car, with a limit of 24 per plate per calendar year. Buy it before entering or within five days of the visit. Foreign-plated cars must complete registration first.

Do you need to register a foreign-plated car for Ghent's LEZ?

Ghent's rules are stricter on paperwork than on emissions. The city's conditions page says foreign number plates always have to be registered, including electric and hydrogen cars. Dutch plates are the exception, because Ghent reads Dutch vehicle data from the RDW register.

On emissions, the Flemish Government decided not to tighten the rules, so Euro 5 diesels and Euro 2 petrol cars keep access for now. Air quality will be reviewed in 2027.

Practical points from the city's foreign-plate page:

• Register at the latest on the day after you enter. Processing can take up to 14 days, and entering before approval is at your own risk, so register when you book.
• A rental driver without the registration certificate needs an official document showing the plate, date of first registration and Euro standard.

Cameras read every plate. The fine for a banned car or an unregistered foreign car is €185, at most once per day. Fines on foreign plates can be handed to a foreign collection partner, which adds collection costs 30 days after the notice. A Ghent day pass costs €45 for any vehicle, up to 12 times a year, and runs until 06:00 the next morning.

Antwerp: city centre and Linkeroever

The Flemish Government lists two LEZs in Flanders, Antwerp and Ghent, and notes that their access conditions differ. According to the City of Antwerp, the inner city and the Linkeroever district have been a LEZ since 2017. It runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for cars, campervans, vans, trucks and buses, and foreign vehicles must meet the same conditions. Some vehicles have automatic access, some must be registered once for free, and some can enter only with a permit or day pass. The city's online check tells you which applies to your plate.

What are the speed limits in Brussels and the rest of Belgium?

Since 1 January 2021, 30 km/h has been the general rule in Brussels, according to the Brussels-Capital Region. Some main roads are signed 50 or 70 km/h, and residential "woonerf" areas are 20 km/h.

Outside built-up areas, the default depends on the region, per the Vias institute's overview:

The same country road can therefore be 70 km/h on one side of the Flanders-Wallonia line and 90 km/h on the other. Signs always take precedence.

What speeding costs from 1 July 2026

Immediate-collection fines rose by 10% on 1 July 2026, the first increase since 2017, according to Local Police S.H.A.P.E.:

• Up to 10 km/h over: €58.
• Each further km/h in built-up areas and 30 zones: €12. Elsewhere: €7.
• Beyond 30 km/h over in built-up areas, or 40 km/h over elsewhere, the case goes to court.
• An administrative processing fee of €10.67 applies to immediate collections.

Other examples: a red light or phone use while driving is €191, and not wearing a seat belt is €64.

Priority to the right

Where no lights or priority signs apply, you must give way to traffic coming from your right, except on roundabouts, according to the Vias institute's basic rules. Trams always have priority. In Brussels and older town centres, many side streets have no signs at all, so a car can pull out from a small street on your right and have the right of way.

How do Belgian fines reach you in a rental car?

Europcar Belgium's terms (October 2025) make the renter liable for fines, parking charges, tolls and low-emission zone charges. When a fine reaches Europcar, it charges a fines administration fee of €42.35 on top, and you have 14 days from notification to contest it.

The same terms set the minimum driver age at 19, require a licence held for at least 12 months, and ask for an International Driving Permit or official translation for licences issued outside the EU and not in the Latin alphabet. Drivers aged 21-22 pay a young driver surcharge of €30 per day on 1-5 day rentals, and those aged 23-24 pay €25.

Worked example: two mistakes on one trip

A visitor rents a petrol Euro 6 car in Lille, with French plates, and drives to Brussels and Ghent without registering.

The two registrations would have cost nothing. The speeding fine would have been avoided by treating every Brussels street as 30 unless a sign says otherwise.