The Belgian government has sent out reminders to the thousands of people in the country whose driving licences will soon expire.
In 2023, over 420,000 drivers in Belgium have to apply for a new copy of their driving licence card, under the risk of severe fines and a prison sentence.
Belgium was a European pioneer of bank card-like driving licences 10 years ago. The validity of the licence cards rolled out in 2013 expires sometime in 2023. When the cards were first rolled out, it was said that drivers had to keep an eye on the expiry date themselves.
However, this received backlash which led to Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet agreeing that reminders will be sent to motorists whose driving licences would expire in a few months. These reminders have now been sent out.
Online application
Those with driving licences that had already expired in previous months, before the system of sending out reminder letters was ready, will receive a letter in the coming weeks and months.
The reminder letters contain instructions on how drivers can apply to their local authorities for a new driving licence in time. This can be done online, which Gilkinet said is an "important step forward".
A renewed driving licence will again be valid for 10 years. The cost of the new card will depend from municipality to municipality, but is roughly around €20 to €25.
Heavy penalties for negligence
However, those who do not make the effort to renew their licence card risk a harsh punishment of up to two years in prison and fines of up to €2,000.
"A very heavy penalty for negligence," according to CD&V, who are now arguing for more lenient punishments for outdated licences, De Standaard reports.
"In the event of an inspection, you will be punished as if you were driving around without a driving licence, or as if you were driving around with the car after the justice department revoked your driving licence for a serious traffic offence," CD&V MP Jef Van den Bergh explained.
The proposed bill from the CD&V also aims to get around insurers who may be "difficult to deal with in case of an accident" involving a driver with an invalid driving licence.
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Concretely, the bill states that possessing a driving licence card that has reached its expiry date could be punishable by "a fine of between €10 and €500."
The CD&V party hopes the law will come into force by the end of this year.
