How to Get a Category CE Driving Licence in Belgium

Belgium hands out a single CE licence, but three layers of Government are involved in getting it. The federal state decides what the category covers, how old you must be and what medical standard applies. The region you live in (Flanders, Wallonia, or the Brussels-Capital Region) sets the training rules and runs the examinations, including the language you are tested in. Your municipality then prints the card. Two people training for CE in Antwerp and Liège can therefore face different exam languages and fee schedules, yet end up holding the same licence.

A second point surprises many applicants. If you already hold category C, Belgium does not make you sit a separate theory exam for CE. The trailer category is almost entirely practical, and the real hurdles are the Group 2 medical, the test vehicle you have to supply, and the professional qualification known as code 95, which also determines how young you can be when you qualify.

In Dutch, the licence is the rijbewijs CE; in French, the permis de conduire CE; in German, the Führerschein CE; job adverts usually say“C/CE”.

Three governments, one licence

The Federal Public Service (FPS) Mobility and Transport page on lorry categories sets the national framework: the categories, minimum ages, and medical standards. The same page says plainly that regions handle training and the organisation of examinations. In practice, that means the region where you are registered as a resident decides which exam centres you use, which languages are available and what you pay at the counter.

In Flanders, the Flemish Government publishes a step-by-step route for licences C and D, and the tests themselves take place at centres grouped under GOCA Vlaanderen, which lists 18 Dutch-language exam centres spread across the five Flemish provinces. Brussels Mobility manages training and testing in the capital, and its driving licence overview names two exam centres in Anderlecht and Schaerbeek. In Wallonia, the Public Service of Wallonia (SPW) handles the professional qualification through its driver training unit. At the same time, approved exam bodies provide practical details on the exams, such as the Autosécurité heavy-vehicle brochure for the Walloon Region.

The final step is local. Once you pass, you take your paperwork to the population or civil status office of your own gemeente or commune, which issues the card.

What the category actually lets you drive

According to the FPS page, CE covers a lorry with a maximum authorised mass (MAM) above 7,500 kg coupled to a trailer with a MAM above 750 kg. On the road, that means the two combinations that carry most Belgian and international freight: a tractor unit pulling a semi-trailer (curtain-siders, reefers, tankers, container chassis, low-loaders), and a rigid lorry towing a separate drawbar trailer on its own axles.

CE sits at the top of the goods-vehicle ladder. C1 covers vehicles over 3,500 kg and up to 7,500 kg MAM with a light trailer of up to 750 kg. Category C starts above 7,500 kg, again with a trailer of no more than 750 kg; Belgian official sources draw the line between C1 and C there. CE is a category C vehicle with anything heavier behind it.

The category has no upper limit on the combination’s mass, which is sometimes read as permission to drive anything. It is not. The licence tells you which class of vehicle you are qualified to handle. Separate legislation on maximum weights, dimensions, and axle loads determines how heavy and how large a vehicle may lawfully be on Belgian roads, and abnormal loads need their own permits. Buses and coaches are a different family altogether and need category D.

Why the age you need depends on code 95

Belgium ties the minimum age for CE to the professional qualification. The federal page sets 21 for CE on its own, and 18 if you also hold the Certificate of Professional Competence, known in Dutch as vakbekwaamheid and in French as the certificatd’aptitudee professionnelle (CAP). Both appear on the licence as code 95.

In effect, an 18-year-old who wants to drive for a living can only enter through the combined route (licence plus code 95), while a 25-year-old who needs CE for private use can take the standard licence.

Preparation can start a little earlier. Brussels Mobility allows the theory test from 17 years and 9 months, with the practical test from 18, and the Walloon brochure gives the same 17 years and 9 months threshold for the combined licence and professional qualification theory exam. Read alongside those, the Flemish summary’s reference to 17 years and 9 months is the same theory threshold.

Qualifying young comes with a string attached. The Brussels Code 95 page explains that a restriction code, code 121, is added for certain holders under 21 who qualified on the reduced-age route. That page mostly covers bus drivers, so a young CE holder offered international work should ask what, if anything, code 121 limits in their case before signing a contract.

Where you live decides where you can test

Belgium follows the EU rule that you take your driving test in the country of your normal residence. The EU’s Your Europe page on getting a licence defines that as usually living somewhere for at least 185 days in a calendar year. Students are treated separately: studying abroad does not by itself move your normal residence, but you may be able to test in the host country if you can show at least six months of study there.

Normal residence is a licensing concept, not an immigration one. Holding a Belgian CE licence does not give anyone a visa, residence permit, or permission to work, and a licence is never a job offer. Non-EU nationals have to settle their right to live and work in Belgium through the immigration system, separately from anything described here.

The Group 2 medical sets the clock

Every lorry category in Belgium requires a Group 2 medical fitness certificate: the rijgeschiktheidsattest groep 2 in Dutch, the attestation d’aptitude médicale groupe 2 in French. Brussels Mobility describes it as two separate appointments. First, you have an eye test with an ophthalmologist you choose. Then an authorised doctor carries out the medical examination, for example at a state medical centre or an occupational health service.

The GOCA Vlaanderen FAQ for categories C and C1 spells out who counts as authorised: the federal medical service MEDEX, occupational health services, public employment and training services such as VDAB and FOREM, and certain other bodies. Timing matters in Flanders. You do not need the certificate to sit the theory exam. Still, the municipality will ask for it when you apply for a provisional licence, so anyone planning to train privately should book the medical early.

In Wallonia, the exam brochure flags a forthcoming change to when candidates must present the Group 2 certificate, so they should check the latest version before booking appointments.

According to Brussels Mobility, the certificate lasts a maximum of five years, which is why a Belgian lorry licence expires far sooner than a car licence. The Flemish step-by-step guide states that C and CE licences are valid for five years, and you need a new medical exam to renew them.

Driving school or supervisor: two roads to the same test

You can prepare at a recognised driving school (erkende rijschool, école de conduite agréée) or privately with a supervisor. The test is the same; the obligations are not.

Through a recognised school

On the school route, you do not need a provisional licence. Brussels Mobility requires at least eight hours of practical lessons before the test, and both the Flemish guide and the Walloon brochure refer to the same minimum. Theory hours differ slightly: Brussels asks for at least five hours of theory lessons when you choose a school, while the Walloon brochure mentions at least six. A list of recognised schools is linked from the Flemish guide.

Privately, with a model 3 provisional licence

The private route runs on a provisional licence known as model 3. The Autoveiligheid information sheet for CE and C1E in Flanders sets tight limits on it. It is valid for 12 months and cannot be renewed. You may sit the practical test no earlier than one month after it is issued. If it runs out before you pass, you cannot simply apply for another: a new provisional licence becomes possible only three years after the old one ended. The GOCA FAQ adds that in that situation you continue at a recognised driving school, with at least eight hours of practical instruction.

The supervisor has to qualify too. According to the GOCA FAQ, they must be at least 24 years old, live in Belgium, have held the relevant lorry category for at least six years, and not have lost their licence in the previous three years. One supervisor cannot take on a string of learners in the same year, although there are limited exceptions, such as supervising your own children or colleagues at the same employer.

The private route really works only for someone with access to a suitable combination and a qualified supervisor; otherwise, the one-year window closes fast, and the three-year wait after it is a heavy price.

Already hold C? Then there is no CE theory exam.

The Flemish CE sheet states that a holder of category C taking CE without the professional qualification is exempt from the theory exam, and so is a holder of C who already has the professional qualification. The lorry theory is done at the C stage.

That C-stage theory comes in two formats, set out by Brussels Mobility and the Flemish theory exam page. The licence-only test has 50 multiple-choice questions, and you need at least 41 correct; Flanders gives 50 minutes. The combined licence and professional qualification exam is heavier: 100 multiple-choice questions (50 on the licence, 50 on professional competence) with a pass mark of 80, eight case studies of five questions each with a pass mark of 32 out of 40, and an oral exam of 10 questions picked by computer, also marked out of 100 with 80 needed to pass.

A CE applicant meets the three-part professional theory only when adding code 95 at the same time. TheAutocontrôlee CE and C1E information sheet describes the same structure for Brussels. In all three regions, a passed theory part stays valid for three years, which is the window to finish training and pass the practical test.

The language you are tested in

Language is where the regional split bites hardest. Flanders examines in Dutch. You may bring a sworn interpreter for French, German, or English, or a sign language interpreter, and for the multiple-choice and case study parts you can request an audio translation into French, German, or English, which the Flemish theory page prices at €43 extra. Brussels offers the theory test in French or Dutch, with German or English interpreters, or sign language interpreters, at thecandidate’ss expense. The Walloon brochure lists French and German at the Eupen centre, and Dutch and English with an interpreter at Wandre.

The practical test, and the lorry you must bring

What you face on the day depends on whether code 95 is part of the package.

Without it, the Flemish practical exam page for C and D describes two parts. On a private test ground, you carry out manoeuvres such as reversing in a straight line, reversing to a loading dock and reversing into a garage bay, along with pre-drive safety checks. Then you drive for at least 45 minutes on public roads. Brussels uses a similar format: four manoeuvres in an off-road area (a pass stays valid for one year) followed by 45 minutes of road driving.

With code 95, the CE sheets from Autoveiligheid in Flanders and Autocontrole in Brussels describe three parts. The ground test grows to six exercises: pre-drive checks, coupling and uncoupling the trailer, reversing in a straight line, parking against a kerb, reversing round a corner and reversing to a loading dock. A separate initial qualification test checks practical tasks such as securing a load, following safety procedures, completing an accident report form and preparing transport documents. Finally, the road drive lasts at least 90 minutes and assesses defensive and economical driving as well as control of the combination.

The vehicle must meet specifications and be loaded.

Candidates supply the test vehicle, and the Flemish and Brussels CE sheets set minimums. An articulated vehicle needs a MAM of at least 20,000 kg, a length of at least 14 m, a width of at least 2.40 m, and an actual total mass of at least 15,000 kg on the day. A drawbar combination needs a towing vehicle with a MAM  of at least 12,000 kM, a combined MAM of at least 20,000 kg, and the same minimum length and width.

The load must amount to at least half of the vehicle’s payload, and it may not consist of dangerous goods under ADR or live animals. In Flanders, a missing load document can stop the test. Bring:

• your Belgian identity card or foreign residence card
• your valid B licence (Belgian or European, required before any lorry practical test) and your valid C licence
• your Group 2 medical certificate
• your model 3 provisional licence, if you trained privately
• the test vehicle’s insurance certificate, registration certificate, roadworthiness certificate and technical file
• In Flanders, a CMR note, consignment note or weighbridge ticket proving the load, dated no earlier than the day before the test

Failing, and what it costs you next time. You cannot retake a failed test on the same day. In Flanders, parts you have already passed stay valid for three years, so a candidate who clears the manoeuvres but fails the road drive does not repeat the ground test. The private route, however, narrows after two failures. Under the Flemish CE sheet, a second failed practical means at least four hours of instruction at a recognised driving school, and from the third attempt the test must be taken in a driving school vehicle. Brussels likewise requires a four-hour course at an approved school after two failed tests. Wallonia does not cap the number of attempts, according to its brochure, but it charges for every attempt.

From pass slip to licence card at the commune

After you pass, the exam centre gives you an application form, and your municipality issues the licence. The Walloon Region’s page on applying for a licence at your commune lists what to bring: your identity card or foreign residence permit, the exam pass document, a recent photo where required, and any provisional licence being replaced. It says the card is normally ready within five to eight working days and must be collected within three months.

There is a deadline hidden in this step. The FPS Mobility page states that the application form is valid for three years, after which it can no longer be exchanged for a licence.

What you pay, and who sets the price

Belgium has no single national price list for lorry exams, because the regions set their own. Flanders uses one fee schedule for all its centres. The Flemish practical exam page quotes €67 for a full C or CE practical exam without the professional qualification, and €56 for the public road part alone; the audio translation of theory questions adds €43. Brussels Mobility publishes its fee schedules as downloadable documents linked from its C and C1 training and tests page; we couldn’t open those files, so we can’t provide Brussels figures here. For the card itself, the Walloon commune page gives a range of €25 to just over €30, depending on the municipality.

Training is where the money goes, and we found no verified driving-school price for CE, so we don’t quote one. Cost depends on the number of lessons, whether code 95 preparation is included, and the hire of a suitable loaded combination for training and the test. Written quotes that split lessons, vehicle use, exam fees and administration make schools comparable.

For jobseekers, the picture changes. In Flanders, the employment service VDAB lists CE courses on its course search page, including its own programme for drivers of heavy lorries with trailers. That programme covers licence C and CE with the professional qualification, an ADR certificate, simulator training and a work placement, and is shown as free for eligible registered jobseekers. FOREM in Wallonia and Bruxelles Formation or Actiris in Brussels run comparable services for their residents.

Code 95 runs on its own five-year clock

The licence lets you drive the combination. To drive it for work, most drivers also need code 95. The Wallonia page on professional aptitude for categories C and D describes it as a complement to the driving licence required of most professional drivers.

New drivers earn the initial qualification by examination, either together with the C or CE tests or separately once they hold the licence. The Flemish vakbekwaamheid page says training for that exam is optional and self-study is allowed. The EU framework also allows an accelerated, course-based route, but none of the Belgian official pages we reviewed describes one.

Long-serving drivers are treated differently. Anyone who already held a category C licence before the Driver CPC was introduced for goods drivers has acquired rights: no initial exam, but the same periodic training obligation as everyone else.

That obligation is 35 hours every five years at an approved centre. Brussels Mobility and the SPW describe it as five modules of seven hours, with at least one module per theme and at least three hours of practical training. Some specialist courses, including ADR, can count toward the total, according to the Flemish page. The SPW lists approved centres on its professional aptitude page and accepts training in the country where you work or where you live. Extending code 95 also requires a valid Group 2 medical.

Because code 95 and the CE licence each run for five years but rarely start on the same day, one can lapse while the other is still valid. A driver can therefore hold a perfectly valid CE licence and still not be qualified to drive professionally.

The driver qualification card

Some drivers work for a Belgian employer but cannot have code 95 printed on a Belgian licence, typically because their licence was issued in another country. For them, a driver qualification card can serve as proof. In Flanders, it costs €25, is available where the employer’s registered office is in Flanders, and should be requested at least eight weeks before the current proof expires.

Who is exempt

Some uses of lorries fall outside code 95: vehicles limited to 45 km/h, emergency services, certain non-commercial transport and some agricultural work, among others. The SPW publishes the full list on its professional aptitude page. If an employer says an exemption applies, it’s worth checking.

Four easily confused documents

The CE licence entitles you to drive the vehicle and is renewed every five years with a medical. Code 95 is the professional qualification, with its own cycle and 35 hours of training. The tachograph driver card is a separate document again: it records driving and rest times in the vehicle’s digital tachograph and has its own application. An ADR certificate, with its own training and exam, is needed only for dangerous goods. Driving and rest time rules apply separately from all four.

EU licences carry over; others get 185 days.

A CE licence from another EU or EEA country is recognised in Belgium for as long as it is valid, so you don’t need to retest after moving. Because a CE licence has a medical-linked expiry, you will eventually renew it in Belgium once you are normally resident there. Code 95 obtained in another EU country is recognised too, and the SPW also accepts qualification cards issued by certain non-EU European states, including Norway and Switzerland.

Holders of non-EU licences face a much harder path. The City of Brussels page on exchanging a non-European licence allows you to drive on a foreign licence for up to 185 days from registration in Belgium. After that, you can exchange it only if the licence is from a country on the federal list of recognised licences and you obtained it before you registered. The city requires a Belgian identity or residence card, the original licence, a certified translation if it is not in French, Dutch, or English, and a recent photo. It charges €38 for the Belgian licence plus €5 for authentication.

Exchange is not automatic for every category. Whether a non-EU CE entitlement carries over depends on the issuing country and which categories the recognition covers, and lorry categories always require a Group 2 medical. A driver whose licence cannot be exchanged has to pass the Belgian tests.

An International Driving Permit does not change any of this. It translates the underlying licence, not the licence itself, and it does not extend the 185-day period. A professional certificate from outside the EU does not automatically become code 95 either, so you may still need the Belgian initial qualification exams.

The next EU licence rules are still pending in Belgium.

Belgium, like every member state, has several years to transpose the newly adopted Driving Licence Directive into national law. It introduces a digital licence and provisions affecting young professional drivers, along with related amendments to the Driver CPC rules. None of it changes the Belgian process until federal and regional legislation is amended, so the ages, tests and fees described above remain the ones that apply.

A working order for a Belgian CE application

For a Belgian resident who already holds B and C, the steps usually run like this:

1. Book the eye test, then the Group 2 medical with an authorised doctor.
2. Choose a recognised school or a model 3 provisional licence, bearing in mind its 12-month limit.
3. Arrange a compliant test vehicle, loaded to at least half its payload, with the load paperwork.
4. Book the practical test early: the Flemish guide suggests six weeks ahead, and Brussels has still been taking practical bookings in person while its system changes.
5. Take the pass form to your commune well within three years, and diary the renewal dates for the licence and code 95.

With CE and code 95 both on the Belgian licence, drivers can register a profile on FastDriver.eu, a job portal, and look through its lorry-driving vacancies. The portal issues no licences, approves no qualifications and cannot guarantee a job, visa or work permit.

Loose ends between the FPS and the regions

We could not open the federal list of recognised non-EU licences, the Flemish and Brussels fee schedules, or any official page naming the Belgian tachograph card issuer, so those points stay open here. The Walloon change to the timing of the medical is also known only in outline. FPS Mobility and Transport has the final word on categories, ages, and foreign licences; your regional authority (the Flemish Government,  Brussels Mobility, or the SPW) decides on exam fees and languages.

Official sources

• FPS Mobility and Transport: lorry categories C, C1, CE and C1E
• Flemish Government: licences C and D step by step
• Brussels Mobility: training and tests for C and C1
• Wallonia: professional aptitude for categories C and D
• Your Europe: getting a driving licence in the EU