Belgium wants a road vignette from 2027, and yes, Belgians will have to pay it too
A new charge to use Belgium's roads, and locals are not exempt
Here is a change that would hit every driver in the country. Belgium is planning to introduce a mandatory road vignette from 1 May 2027, meaning you would need to pay to use its motorways and regional roads, and crucially, that includes Belgian drivers, not just foreign visitors. For a nation of commuters, it is a big deal.
What is being planned
Under the plan, from 1 May 2027 every car and van driving on Belgium's main road network, both the motorways and the regional roads, would need a valid road vignette. It is part of a wider reform of vehicle taxation, and the idea has been pushed politically as a way to make foreign drivers help pay for the wear and congestion they cause on Belgian roads. For now this is a firm intention rather than fully settled law, so the details could still shift.
What it would cost
The headline figure is the annual vignette, which is expected to cost between 90 and 125 euro a year. EU rules require any such scheme to also offer shorter-term options, so there should be day, ten-day or short-period vignettes too, likely priced somewhere between 10 and 20 euro, aimed mainly at occasional visitors and those just passing through.
Why Belgians can't dodge it
Here is the sting. The whole point of the vignette is to make foreign road users contribute, but European rules ban a charge that applies only to foreigners, as that would be discriminatory. So Belgian drivers will have to buy the vignette as well, and, importantly, on top of the annual road tax they already pay. For locals, then, this looks less like a tourist toll and more like an extra motoring cost, which is exactly why it is proving controversial.
AutoNext Take
We understand the logic. Plenty of European countries already run vignette systems, and making transiting foreign traffic chip in for the strain it puts on our roads is fair enough in principle. The problem is the reality for Belgian drivers: unless the annual road tax is genuinely cut to compensate, this risks simply becoming another bill on top of an already expensive way to get around. The promise of tax reform will be judged on whether locals actually end up better or worse off. For now it is a plan rather than a done deal, so the fine print matters enormously. Either way, it is one more cost pressure on Belgian motorists, who are also facing higher traffic fines, and, if you drive abroad, threats like the wave of rear-seat thefts in France. We will keep you posted as the details firm up.
