Exporting a Car from Belgium 2026: DIV Plate Cancellation, Export Plate and Customs

What changes in 2026: full digital DIV deregistration

From January 2026, the Direction pour l’Immatriculation des Vehicules / Dienst Inschrijving Voertuigen (DIV) within FPS Mobility processes deregistration of Belgian-plated vehicles entirely online via the WebDIV portal (mobilit.belgium.be). The paper procedure (cancelling at the Post Office or via Bpost) remains a fallback but is no longer the default. WebDIV uses eID or itsme for authentication and accepts scanned export documents.

The legal basis is the Royal Decree of 20 July 2001 on the registration of vehicles, with the 2024 reform implementing EU Directive 2014/47/EU on roadworthiness and the 2025 EU regulation on cross-border data exchange of vehicle registers (EUCARIS).

Key concepts: Belgian plates and the inscription certificate

Belgian plates are personal: the same plate (e.g. 1-ABC-123) follows the owner from one car to another. On emigration you decide whether to:

• Export the car with permanent deregistration in Belgium and re-registration abroad. The plate is returned to DIV.
• Sell the car in Belgium before leaving. The plate stays with you (held by DIV) for up to 4 months for a new car, otherwise also returned.
• Keep the car as second vehicle with Belgian plate. Possible only if you keep a Belgian residence registered. Otherwise impossible — the registration is tied to a Belgian address.

The DIV registration certificate (inschrijvingsbewijs / certificat d’immatriculation) is in two parts: the pink ”part 1” stays with the vehicle, the green ”part 2” is your title document — keep it secure for the export procedure.

Step-by-step car export

1. Pre-export technical inspection. Visit a centrum voor technische keuring / centre de controle technique (GOCA-affiliated). The pre-export keuring / controle technique export costs EUR 65-90 and is valid 2 months. Mandatory in most countries before re-registration.
2. Insurance certificate. Cancel Belgian insurance (Ethias, AG Insurance, Allianz, KBC Insurance, AXA, Belfius Insurance) effective the day of export. Get a vehicle history statement (schadeverlopen / antecedents) for insurance discount in the new country.
3. WebDIV deregistration. Log in with itsme or eID. Submit chassis number, plate, intended destination country, expected re-registration date. Upload pre-export inspection report, insurance cancellation, copy of new registration documents abroad if already issued.
4. Return the plate. Send the physical plate (yes, the metal one) to DIV via Bpost prepaid envelope or hand it in at any DIV office. Without plate return, the deregistration is provisional.
5. Export certificate. DIV issues a deregistration certificate (uitschrijvingsbewijs / certificat de radiation) within 5 working days of plate return. This is your proof for the foreign registration office.
6. Foreign re-registration. Within 30 days (most EU countries) of arrival, register the car at the foreign vehicle registration office. Pay local registration tax. Get foreign plates and insurance.

Regional registration tax on entry

In Belgium itself, vehicle taxes are regionalised. On exit there is no Belgian export tax, but you must check what applies in the destination country:

The verhuizer-regeling / regime demenagement / removal goods exemption applies when the car has been registered in your name abroad for at least 6 months before re-registration in the new country. Spain, France, Netherlands, Italy, Germany all offer this exemption from registration tax for personal use vehicles.

Selling instead of exporting: when it makes sense

Selling in Belgium often beats exporting for these reasons:

• Belgian second-hand prices are typically 8-15% higher than EU average for German brands.
• Foreign re-registration tax can be 5-25% of the value.
• Foreign insurance for newly arrived residents is loaded with no-claim discount loss.
• Older diesels (Euro 5 or below) are banned from low-emission zones (LEZ) in many cities — Madrid, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Milan.

Use Autoscout24, 2dehands.be, AutoVista, or specialist dealers (Cardoen, AutoMecanic). Belgian VAT on used cars stays with the seller; for export with VAT refund (intra-EU B2B) work with a professional buyer.

Insurance and the bonus-malus transfer

Belgian insurance issues a vehicle history declaration (verklaring schadeverleden / attestation d’antecedents) with bonus-malus level (-2 to +22). Foreign insurers (Spain, France, Netherlands, Germany, Italy) generally accept this declaration for the first year, granting an equivalent discount of 30-65%. Demand the document in English or with EU multilingual standard form before leaving Belgium. After 1 year abroad, the foreign no-claim history continues.

Documentation checklist for the destination country

• Belgian DIV deregistration certificate (export).
• Pre-export technical inspection report.
• European Certificate of Conformity (CoC) — request from manufacturer, EUR 100-300.
• Original purchase invoice or last registration certificate.
• Belgian insurance cancellation + bonus-malus statement.
• Translation of registration certificate if non-EU.
• Driving licence (Belgian valid in EU; exchange may be needed in non-EU).