Car registration in Belgium
You bought a car abroad and moved it to Belgium. There are a number of steps to follow before obtaining license plates:
- declare the car at customs
- check the technical condition of the car
- take out motor third party liability insurance
- register the car in DIV
- Car declaration at customs
- When you arrive in Belgium with a car bought abroad, you must go to the customs office of your choice to declare that you are bringing the car into Belgium.
You need to provide the following documents:
- invoice with chassis number and price (excluding VAT for new vehicles)
- original registration certificate, if the vehicle was previously registered
- any document you deem necessary to provide if there is something wrong with the invoice (for example, a receipt or order form)
- VAT OR NO VAT? In Belgium, you pay VAT only for a new car that you declare to Belgian customs. Customs immediately affixes the 705 sticker to the pink questionnaire stating that it concerns the imported vehicle.
Car technical inspection
If you buy a used car abroad or a new vehicle that has been previously registered, the vehicle must undergo a technical inspection, just like the car you buy in Belgium.
When your vehicle undergoes a technical inspection, you must always provide the following documents:
- custom sticker 705
- foreign registration certificate (“gray card”)
- VEHICLE INSPECTION PLATES
To check your car during a technical inspection, it must have valid numbers:
- valid foreign transit plates and accompanying documents;
- commercial numbers (the owner authorized the dealer to present the car for technical inspection);
- old license plates, under which the vehicle is still registered (by agreement with the seller and provided that the license plates belong to the vehicle and not to the previous owner)
EXCEPTION: SIMPLIFIED VEHICLE INSPECTION