Registering a car bought abroad in Belgium: the steps

To register in Belgium a car bought abroad, you must first clear it through customs, then present it for a roadworthiness test if it is not already registered in your name, and finally go through your insurer to request registration from the Directorate for Vehicle Registration (DIV). The registration tax and the road tax are regional. This article follows the official Belgian pages, consulted on 28 October 2026.

Who must register

According to Belgium.be, if you live in Belgium you are required to register your vehicle, and anyone who does not comply with the registration rules will be prosecuted. The DIV is the body in charge of registering motor vehicles.

The steps for a vehicle coming from the European Union

The Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport describes the procedure for a vehicle imported from the EU in four stages.

1. Customs clearance. You must import the vehicle into Belgium in order to register it in your name, either through the E705 electronic application or at a customs branch of your choice.
2. Pre-registration (optional). It makes the vehicle known in the DIV database, using the data from the foreign registration certificate. You need an electronic identity card. It is not mandatory for private individuals: without pre-registration, your registration request will be processed by the DIV.
3. Roadworthiness test. Only if you import a vehicle not registered in your name: it must be presented at a technical inspection station for a "used vehicle inspection" or an administrative inspection depending on the vehicle category, together with the foreign registration certificate. You receive a registration request form there.
4. Registration. Contact your insurance intermediary so that they insure the vehicle and register it. Give them the request form and the foreign registration certificate so that they can register the vehicle online.

If the insurer cannot register it, they must give you proof that the request was rejected (a screenshot), your form bearing an insurance sticker and the original foreign certificate. You then submit the complete file to the DIV, by post or by appointment at a branch or at the Brussels counters. The plate and/or the registration certificate are delivered by post; if you receive a new plate, you must have a reproduction made to attach to the front of the vehicle.

Customs clearance and the E705

According to the FPS Finance, an E705 is a free electronic signal that allows the DIV, when a plate is requested, to check that the vehicle is in Belgian territory lawfully. VAT-registered persons must, and private individuals may, request it through the E705 application (MyMinfin, "Ma déclaration"), in French, Dutch or German. The administration has a statutory period of 120 days to process the request.

As soon as you bring the vehicle into Belgium, you must make a customs declaration, through the E705 application or at the branch of your choice. The page specifies that this is not the case of a vehicle imported because of a move.