🧲 Can I search with a metal detector?

With conditions

Quick answer

Searching for archaeological objects with a metal detector is strictly regulated per region — you always need the landowner's consent, and usually a recognition or authorization too. In Flanders (Immovable Heritage Decree) you must first apply for a free recognition as a metal-detectorist from the Agency for Immovable Heritage: 18+, a certificate of good conduct, maximum 30 cm deep and daytime only, not on protected archaeological sites, and you must report every find via the online tool. In Wallonia (Heritage Code) detecting is forbidden without an AWaP authorization (€40 per year, 18+, mandatory info session, every outing announced at least 3 working days in advance, every archaeological find declared within 15 days). In Brussels, archaeological detecting is forbidden without authorization. A genuine treasure found by pure chance is split 50/50 with the owner (art. 716 old Civil Code, now Book 3), but deliberately detected finds are not treasure. Without recognition you may do non-archaeological searching (lost phone, pipe).

📋 The rules

Flanders: free recognition from Immovable Heritage (18+, good conduct); max 30 cm, daytime only
Flanders: not on protected archaeological sites; report every find via the online module
Wallonia: AWaP authorization required (€40/year), outing 3 working days ahead, find within 15 days
Brussels: archaeological detecting is forbidden without authorization
Always the landowner's consent; finds belong to the owner unless otherwise agreed
A Flemish recognition is not valid in Wallonia or Brussels; refill your holes, take litter home

🔓 Exceptions

For non-archaeological searching (a lost object, a cable, a pipe) no accreditation is required
A genuine treasure found by pure chance is split fifty-fifty with the landowner (art. 716 old Civil Code / Book 3)
A Flemish accreditation is not valid in Wallonia or Brussels: there you need an AWaP permit or a separate authorisation

⚠️ Penalties & fines

Searching without the required accreditation or permit, deeper than allowed or on a protected site breaches heritage law: in Flanders it is criminally prosecutable, in Wallonia it means withdrawal of the permit plus administrative or criminal fines. What detectorists do not see coming: removing objects without reporting the find can be treated as handling stolen goods or theft, because finds belong to the landowner. If you turn up munitions or a suspicious object, call the police straight away and dig nothing out: those costs and risks are not yours to carry.

📎 Official sources

Last verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked

Do I need a permit for a metal detector?

For archaeological searching, yes: in Flanders a free accreditation from the Flanders Heritage Agency, in Wallonia an AWaP permit costing 40 euros a year. In Brussels archaeological detecting is banned without a permit.

How deep may I dig?

In Flanders a maximum of 30 centimetres (the ploughed layer) and by daylight only. In Wallonia you may not go deeper than the topsoil; digging deeper or searching protected archaeological sites is banned.

Who owns the finds?

The landowner, unless you agree otherwise. A genuine treasure found by pure chance is split fifty-fifty with them (art. 716 old Civil Code, now Book 3), but finds you deliberately searched out do not count as treasure.

May I search on the beach or on someone else's land?

Only with the consent of the owner or the manager, and carrying the required accreditation or permit. On top of that, every archaeological find must be reported within the prescribed deadline.

Must I report every find?

Every archaeological find, yes: in Flanders through the online reporting tool, in Wallonia within 15 days to the AWaP. A lost phone or a coin from last year is obviously not an archaeological find.

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