Search Q&A
Car Number Plates Belgium
Hi,
I have recently moved to Brussels, and am struggling to understand the process for purchasing a car.
My understanding is I need personal number plates issued by the DIV to drive a car, but I also understand that I can only get these once I have purchased the car and sent off the pink form.
What I don’t therefore understand is how I can bring the car to my home location straight away?
There is a second hand car I like (personal sale not a dealership), and I am going to visit it this Saturday. If I like the car I would ideally like to purchase on the spot and drive it away, so I don’t need to return the following weekend once I’ve managed to get my plates.
Does anyone know how / if it’s possible to purchase a car then drive it home immediately?
Thanks
The very first question has to be have you completed the registration process, not for your car, but for yourself, because until you have a Belgian ID card (or failing that a certificate of residence issue by your commune) you cannot register (and therefore cannot use) a car in Belgium. The DIV will simply refuse to register the car to you and issue you with an immatriculation number.
Once you have completed that hurdle, you can buy a car, either through a trader or through a private sale. If the latter (as you have indicated), once you agree to buy the car, the seller has to put it through a special contrôle technique, and, assuming the car has passes that, the seller will receive the certificate that enables you to insure and register the car once you have actually paid for it. If you take the form to an office of your insurer he can usually initiate the registration process (although if there is a problem with your ID you will have to go to the DIV in person). Once the registration process is initiated you will receive the rear number plate through the post - you have to pay the postman/woman for it (±€25) - and then you get the front number plate made up. Once that is done and they are both affixed to the car, but not before, you can drive it. Some time later you will receive an invoice from the DIV for the road tax (which includes an additional amount in year one).
Becasse has answered pretty much everything. Most banks have an insurance arm, certainly KBC and ING with good rates. If you insure with them, they will look after ordering and pre payments for the rear plate which usually comes the next day.
If buying privately from a stranger, be VERY careful. I would not hand over any money without seeing the technical control certificate and Car Pass. Take a photo of their ID card and know where they live. There are a huge number of scammers buying and selling cars here. There is a lot to be said for paying more and buying from a dealer with a warranty.
And I totally second what Wezembeek Wanderer has to say in his second paragraph. There are some good bargains to be had from dealers and, by law, they come with a year's warranty.
Totally agree with the last two posts. I would never buy a car from a private individual. It might even be stolen. There are small second-hand garages who will sell on cars with a year’s guarantee, and can help you with plates. From personal experience, I have dealt with Garage des Cultivateurs in Etterbeek, near la Chasse. Maybe worth checking what they have to offer.
