Belgium Toll Roads 2026: only Liefkenshoektunnel, rest free

Current toll-road overview

Belgium has no motorway toll for cars and no vignette. The whole network of A-roads and E-roads, including the A1/E19 Brussels-Antwerp, A3/E40 Brussels-Liege, A4/E411 Brussels-Luxembourg, A10/E40 Brussels-Bruges-Ostend, A12 Antwerp-Bergen op Zoom, A13/E313 Antwerp-Liege, A14/E17 Lille-Antwerp and the urban ring roads (R0 Brussels, R1 Antwerp), is funded from general taxation and free to drive. The same applies to every secondary and local road.

The only road-side toll for cars is the Liefkenshoektunnel on the R2 ring road north of Antwerp, an alternative to the busy Kennedy Tunnel on the E17. It is the only public car toll in the entire country and has been in operation since 1991. Trucks above 3,5 t use the separate Viapass per-kilometre system across all motorways.

The Liefkenshoek tariff rose on 1 January 2026 from the earlier €4,00 / €5,60 / €7,00 to the current €4,40 / €6,20 / €8,00 figures.

Payment methods

At the Liefkenshoektunnel three options apply. The cheapest is the Teletol badge, a windscreen transponder linked to a Belgian or international customer account: drive into the reserved lane, the beep confirms the read, and you are billed afterwards. The card lane takes any contactless bank or credit card (Bancontact, Visa, Mastercard, Maestro) and saves €1,80 over cash. The cash lane takes euros only and is the most expensive option. CAPS fuel cards are accepted in the card lane.

For trucks the same tunnel takes an OBU billing via Viapass; the operator combines the tunnel passage and the kilometre charge on one grouped invoice. For the rest of Belgium there is nothing to pay at the road for cars: no booth, no app, no advance preparation.

Viapass truck toll: how it works for HGV

The Viapass system charges trucks over 3.5 tonnes per kilometre on all Belgian motorways plus many regional roads. It is a satellite-based OBU (on-board unit) system similar to Germany’s Toll Collect. Key facts:

OBU providers: Trucks need an OBU from one of the authorised toll service providers:

• Satellic (national provider): Belgian-based, most Belgian trucks use
• Axxes (French provider): common for FR-BE cross-border traffic
• Eurotoll (French): also common cross-border
• Toll4Europe (Deutsche Telekom): multi-country pan-European

Rate structure 2026: The per-kilometre rate depends on 3 factors:

• Euro emission class (Euro V and older pay more)
• Axle count (2 axles cheapest, 3+ axles more)
• Region (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels each set separate rates)

Since 1 July 2026 Flanders applies a CO2-class component: +1 to +8 cents/km surcharge for Euro 5/6 trucks, partly lower rates for Euro 0-4. Wallonia and Brussels are expected to follow within 12-24 months. Operators must register their CO2 class via their OBU service provider.

Foreign trucks: Non-Belgian HGV entering Belgium need OBU registration before entering. Most operators pre-register via Axxes or Eurotoll for cross-border trips. Cash payment or day passes are not available for foreign trucks.

Fines: Trucks without OBU or with mismatched declarations face €1,000 per violation. Automatic camera enforcement across the motorway network.

Belgium versus neighbouring countries

For foreign drivers planning routes, comparing toll structures matters:

If arriving in Belgium from France on A1/E19, the toll ends at the Belgian border and you enter free network immediately. Coming from Germany on E40 the same applies. Coming from Netherlands or Luxembourg: nothing changes as both are also toll-free.

Trucks pay per-km toll in all four Benelux countries plus Germany (Toll Collect) and France (Vinci/APRR + escrow). Cross-border operators typically have OBUs for multiple countries via Toll4Europe or Eurotoll.

Historical context: Belgium’s toll-free policy

Belgium has been actively toll-free for cars since the network was built out in the 1960s-1970s. Unlike France (concession-based motorways since 1955) or Austria/Czechia (vignette since 1990s), Belgium made the political choice to fund motorways from general taxation. This was intended to:

• Enable free movement across the country’s language borders
• Support port traffic to and from Antwerp and Ghent
• Match neighbouring Netherlands’ policy for cross-border commerce
• Provide equal access regardless of income

The Liefkenshoektunnel is the only exception because it was privately financed to relieve the Kennedy Tunnel bottleneck; the private consortium recovered costs via user fees. When its concession expires in 2038, the tunnel may become free like the rest of the network.

The upcoming Oosterweel tunnel (planned ~2030) will be tolled from opening because its construction cost (roughly €4 billion) is being partially recovered from user fees under a similar concession model.

Coming 1 May 2027: dematerialised motorway vignette

Belgium’s toll-free policy for cars is ending on 1 May 2027. On 10 July 2026 the three regional governments (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels) validated an agreement in principle to introduce a fully dematerialised motorway vignette. Key points announced:

• Annual vignette: €90 for electric vehicles, roughly €100 for Euro 4/5/6 petrol or diesel, €125 for pre-2005 vehicles (Euro 3 or older)
• Short-duration options (Euro 4 vehicle): €9 for 1 day, €12 for 10 days, €19 for 1 month, €30 for 2 months
• Applies to all vehicles up to 3,5 tonnes, both Belgian and foreign-plated
• Dematerialised: no sticker, no toll plaza. Drivers register their number plate online and pay by card or bank transfer
• Enforcement by ANPR cameras on the motorway network, similar to the existing federal speed-camera system
• Motorcycles expected to be exempt (final rules being drafted)
• Trucks above 3,5 tonnes remain in the existing Viapass per-km system, no change

The move is expected to generate around €130 million per year for Flanders alone, with revenue distribution between the three regions still being finalised. The Netherlands government has raised concerns about the impact on Dutch drivers, but the launch will proceed on 1 May 2027. Foreign drivers will need to register before entering Belgium via the future portal (URL to be announced) or via authorised resellers such as auto clubs and cross-border service stations.

Fines: enforcement starts on 1 July 2027, after a two-month tolerance period. Driving without a valid vignette carries a tiered penalty of at least €70 for a first offence, €140 for a second and €210 for a third, invoiced to foreign holders via the EU cross-border enforcement directive (2015/413).

For a full breakdown including price comparisons with Switzerland, Austria, Czechia and other vignette countries, see our Belgium 2027 vignette explainer. This page will be updated with the registration portal URL and reseller list as they become available.

Tips for foreign car drivers

• No vignette to buy: unlike Austria, Czechia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Hungary. Just drive in
• Motorway free from the border: cross A1/E19 from France, A2/E25 from Netherlands, E40 from Germany, E411 from Luxembourg. Zero preparation
• Liefkenshoektunnel is optional: only takes it if going around Antwerp on R2. Kennedy Tunnel (E17) is free and heavier
• LEZ is NOT a toll: it’s an emission rule. Vehicle must meet Euro standard OR buy a day-pass OR pay fine
• Pay by card at Liefkenshoek: €1.80 cheaper than cash for a one-off visit
• Teletol pays back at 15+ trips/year: for tourist visits paying by card is simpler
• Emergency corridor law: form gap left of leftmost lane when traffic slows below 60 km/h (€174 fine)

Foreign drivers: essentials

EU and EFTA driving licences are valid; non-EU drivers should carry an International Driving Permit. No vignette, no decal, no pre-trip registration. Pay at the Liefkenshoektunnel in cash or by card without any prior account. EU-issued credit and debit cards all work. If you plan to enter Brussels, Antwerp or Ghent, check your vehicle against the local LEZ rule (lez.brussels, slimnaarantwerpen.be, lez.stad.gent) before driving in; foreign cars are tracked the same way as Belgian plates.