Driving a UK car in Belgium...

Are you planning on changing your Driving Licence? Obviously I don't know your particular circumstances but it was hassle-free for me and some people, including those on here, believe it can make police encounters a little less problematic.

Mike is correct, the "six month's grace" starts on the day that you are first officially resident in Belgium (which will be a few weeks later than your actual date of arrival), and after that six months, and for so long as you remain a registered resident in Belgium, it is illegal to drive a UK-registered vehicle in Belgium unless either it is owned by a active UK company (for example, your employer or a car rental company), or it is carrying Belgian green "Z" plates, with, in both cases, the necessary insurance cover in place. The latter exemption is intended to allow you to import the car and take it to a garage for conversion works and then to the Controle Technique to initiate the Belgian registration process.

Note that if you drive illegally in Belgium after the six months grace period, your car insurance will automatically be void since it requires the driver to be legally entitled to drive the vehicle, which you won't be.

If you do reregister the car in Belgium, you WILL be entitled to drive it in the UK as long as you remain a registered resident in Belgium. I sometimes get asked at the UKBF control at Calais, when they have noted my car's Belgian registration, to confirm that I am permanently resident in Belgium.

In respect of your driving licence, you have a choice as to whether to retain your UK licence or to exchange it for a Belgian one so long as you retain an address in the UK. If you give up your address in the UK, your UK licence will cease to be valid. One advantage of a Belgian licence is that, although it still has to be renewed every 10 years, it remains valid for the rest of your life and doesn't expire when you are 70. The exchange process is simple, just ask the commune.

" If you give up your address in the UK, your UK licence will cease to be valid.£

Really?

A while back - someone on here was complaining about their car being siezed -- Anyway -- I have brought a few cars across over the years -- I have been stopped twice driving UK plated cars -- both times I had the paperwork to show that I was in the process of registering here so no problems.

Insurance wise -- depends what you drive -- I find basic insurance far cheaper than UK -- but the "Omnium" more expensive -- Is your "fun" car a classic? You can get very cheap classic insurance as long as you have another car.

You will need a certificate of conformity for your car when registering here -- however - the CT station will do that extra test for you (by appointment only and in my case only on certain days) --- It is a bit of a paperchase involving visit to customs - then CT station and insurers etc -- but certainly do-able. Headlamp wise -- you will need to fit LHD headlamps -- cheap source breakers yards if a "standard car" -- If you are lucky with a classic and you have round headlamps -- numerous sources and reasonable prices

" If you give up your address in the UK, your UK licence will cease to be valid.£

Really?"

Yes -- The DVLA will only accept UK address and you have to have your current address registered. Not doing so means your licence is invalid

From the DVLA website "If you’re moving abroad, you can’t register your new address on your British driving licence. Contact the driving licence authority in your new country of residence."

If you live in Belgium, any car you drive must be registered here with tax paid on it.
Exceptions are:
- Hire cars
- Cars belonging to a foreign company that you work for
- Some foreign civil servants
From 2014, you may also drive a car that you have borrowed for up to a month without needing to register it.

If you are non-resident, the car just needs to be legally registered and insured.

http://www.consulfrance-bruxelles.org/Immatriculer-son-vehicule-en
http://www.policelocale.be/centrex/fr/faq/code-de-la-route/immatriculati...

You live here and intend to use the car regularly, therefore you have to register it here.

""Yes -- The DVLA will only accept UK address and you have to have your current address registered. Not doing so means your licence is invalid.@

Where does it say the licence is invalid? Yes, it says you cannot register the new address but where do you get the information that the licence will become invalid?

I have seen that before -- and I've found the BBC story --http://www.bbc.com/news/business-20968886 -- "not knowing" isn't usually accepted as an excuse by the plod.

And you will find out the hard way that your UK licence is invalid if you lose it. The DVLA will refuse to replace it and the Belgians will insist that you take a new driving test (in Belgium, of course), meantime you won't be able to drive since, unlike in the UK, you actually have to carry a valid licence in Belgium.

(Note that the OP didn't have this problem as he still had an address in the UK, although a lost licence would still have been an inconvenience.)

And you will find out the hard way that your UK licence is invalid if you lose it. The DVLA will refuse to replace it and the Belgians will insist that you take a new driving test (in Belgium, of course), meantime you won't be able to drive since, unlike in the UK, you actually have to carry a valid licence in Belgium.

(Note that the OP didn't have this problem as he still had an address in the UK, although a lost licence would still have been an inconvenience.)