Can my car still enter the LEZ in Belgium?
Depends on the city — 2026 splits Belgium into two speeds. Brussels tightened on 1 January 2026: Euro 5 diesels (±2011–2015) and Euro 2 petrols may no longer enter the region; after a grace period, €350 fines land from 1 July 2026 (max one per 3 months). Antwerp and Ghent went the other way: the Flemish government scrapped the planned tightening, so Euro 5 diesels may keep driving in for now, where a fine starts at €150. Crucial for anyone on foreign plates: register (free) with each zone before entering, or fines rain down even on clean cars. Need in anyway? Day passes (Flanders ±€45, max 12/year; Brussels 8×/year ±€35). And there is nothing to talk your way out of: ANPR cameras read your plate automatically, so the fine simply arrives.
📋 The rules
- Brussels 2026: Euro 5 diesel + Euro 2 petrol banned — €350 fines from 1/7/2026
- Antwerp/Ghent: tightening scrapped — Euro 5 diesels still enter
- Foreign plates: registration mandatory before entering (free)
- Day passes: Flanders ±€45 (max 12/yr), Brussels ±€35 (8/yr)
- ANPR cameras enforce automatically — no sign to miss
🔓 Exceptions
- Oldtimers (30/40+ years by zone) and adapted vehicles: exemptions/registrations
- Electric and hydrogen: welcome everywhere
- Still need to get in with a banned car: day passes — Flanders ±€45 (max 12/year), Brussels ±€35 (8/year)
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Entering without permission costs €350 in Brussels, with at most one fine per three-month period — so a single forgotten trip already means the full amount. In Flanders (Antwerp, Ghent) it starts at €150 and rises with repeats. The most expensive oversight is administrative: on a foreign plate that was not registered in advance you get fined even when your Euro standard is perfectly compliant. Enforcement runs on ANPR cameras, so there is no sign to miss and no officer to talk round: the fine simply lands in your letterbox, often weeks later.
📎 Official sources
- LEZ Brussels · Official rules →
- Link2fleet · Flanders scraps the tightening (NL) →
- Test Aankoop · Can your car enter? (NL) →
❓ Frequently asked
Can my Euro 5 diesel still enter Brussels?
No — since 1 January 2026 Euro 5 diesels are banned from the whole Brussels region, along with Euro 2 petrols. A grace period ran to 1 July; after that it is a €350 fine, at most one per three months.
And Antwerp or Ghent?
There your Euro 5 diesel can still enter: the Flemish government scrapped the planned tightening. Do still run the zone's official access check, because norms and exemptions keep shifting.
I drive on Dutch or French plates. What must I do?
Register in advance, free of charge, with each zone separately (lez.brussels, Antwerp, Ghent). Without that registration you get fined even if your car comfortably meets the permitted Euro standard.
Can an old car enter exceptionally?
Yes, with a day pass: ±€45 in Flanders (max 12 a year) and ±€35 in Brussels (8 a year). There are also exemptions for oldtimers and adapted vehicles, subject to registering them beforehand.
Do I get a fine per trip if I enter several times?
Not in Brussels: you can only get one €350 fine per three-month period, no matter how often you drive in. In Flanders it starts at €150 and the amount rises with repeat offences.
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