Belgium to launch digital road vignette for all vehicles from May 2027, with prices tied to CO2 emissions

The deal taking shape

After decades of stalled negotiations, Belgium's three regions (Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels) have reached a cooperation agreement on a nationwide road vignette. Several Belgian newspapers, including De Tijd and De Morgen, reported the details on Friday morning. The Flemish government is expected to discuss and validate the protocol during its ministerial council today. If approved, the plan will be submitted to the European Commission for notification by 1 August 2026.

The vignette will be mandatory for all vehicles under 3.5 tonnes, regardless of whether they are registered in Belgium or abroad. Trucks remain under the existing kilometre-charge system. Motorcyclists are not yet covered by the agreed text.

How it works

Drivers will purchase the vignette online via a website or app, linking it directly to their licence plate. It is a digital-only product with no physical sticker required. Enforcement will rely on ANPR cameras and mobile inspection teams.

The vignette can be bought for a single day, ten days, one month, two months or a full year. Prices vary with the vehicle's CO2 emissions. The cleanest category, electric vehicles, will pay 90 euros for an annual vignette, while cars meeting at least Euro-4 standards will pay 100 euros. The most polluting vehicles, those registered before 2005, face the highest annual rate of 125 euros. Daily rates range from 8.10 euros for electric cars to 11.25 euros for older, higher-emission models, according to the leaked proposal.

Wie zonder vignet over de Belgische wegen rijdt kan een boete van 70 euro krijgen.

Fines escalate with repeat offences: 70 euros for a first violation, 140 euros for the second and 210 euros for the third.

Where it applies

The vignette covers all motorways, ring roads and other regional roads where the speed limit is 70 km/h or higher. Drivers who use their cars only for short, local trips on smaller roads are expected to be exempt.

Revenue and compensation

The measure is designed to bring in several hundred million euros annually. The Flemish government has already booked 130 million euros in its budget as expected revenue, while Dutch media cite a broader estimate of 200 million euros. Regional governments insist the new tax will be revenue-neutral for Belgian residents, with reductions in existing road tax offsetting the cost.

Dit betekent in de praktijk geen verhoging van de huidige tarieven voor de Vlaming.

How Wallonia and Brussels plan to compensate their own residents remains unclear. According to VRT traffic expert Hajo Beeckman, many details of the compensation mechanism for Flemish drivers are still vague.

Dutch and EU friction

The plan has drawn sharp attention in the Netherlands, where residents of border provinces frequently cross into Belgium for work, shopping or cheaper fuel. The Dutch government attempted earlier this year to persuade Belgium to drop the vignette, according to former demissionair minister Robert Tieman.

Dat lijkt mij in ieder geval het proberen waard. Maar ik ga ook met respect om met wat er in het Belgische parlement gebeurt.

EU law requires that any vignette apply equally to domestic and foreign users. The arrangement bears a resemblance to Germany's earlier attempt at a motorway toll, which was struck down by the European Court of Justice in 2019 after the Netherlands challenged it. That case centred on a scheme where foreign drivers paid the full toll while German residents received equivalent tax relief. Belgian regional governments maintain that domestic compensation is permissible as long as the vignette itself treats all users identically.

What happens next

Final approval from the Flemish government is on the agenda for today, with an announcement expected around 13:00 from the office of the Walloon mobility minister. If adopted on schedule, the system would launch on 1 May 2027, giving drivers just under ten months to prepare for the new requirement.