Brussels, 30 June 2023 – With the summer season approaching, Viapass is launching an information campaign to clarify in which cases motorhomes/camper vans, oldtimer trucks and vehicles for horse transport must pay a kilometer charge.
When driving on public roads in Belgium, vehicles subject to the kilometer charge must always have an On Board Unit (OBU) switched on, including on non-toll roads. An OBU is a device that records the kilometers driven on toll roads.
Vehicles that are subject to the kilometer charge and are driven without an On Board Unit risk a fine of 800 euros per region and per day, whereas they would pay on average a kilometer charge of only 17 euros for every 100 kilometers driven on Belgian toll roads.
Motorhomes/camper vans
Motorhomes/camper vans are specifically intended for passenger transport (= vehicle category M in the vehicle documents). Motorhomes/camper vans of category M have a living area with a seating area, fitted with a pivoting table, a cooking unit, storage facilities and a sleeping area. If the vehicle documents specifically state the vehicle category M (= passenger transport so not Heavy Goods Vehicle or HGV), they are out of scope of the kilometer charge.
Other vehicles are registered as trucks (vehicle category N, HGV, in the vehicle documents).
hese HGV vehicles are compulsorily subject to the kilometer charge if they weigh more than 3.5 tons gross vehicle weight (GVW) or if they are a semi-trailer towing vehicle (body code N1/BC). If the owners convert their vehicle from category N (= HGV/truck) into a motorhome, then the vehicle does not automatically classify as category M (= passenger transport).
The vehicle documents must first be modified before the vehicle can be categorized as no longer falling under the kilometer charge regulations.
The Viapass website defines the term motorhome with an infographic.
Oldtimer trucks
Oldtimer trucks are not allowed to transport goods in order to fall out of scope of the kilometer charge. Goods refer to anything that can be loaded/unloaded, including other oldtimers. Furthermore, the HGV is not to be used for commercial or professional purposes, including paid passenger transport. Nor may it be used as a machinery vehicle or for daily travel. Using the vehicle for publicity purposes (advertising on or towed by the truck) also counts as commercial use.
In Belgium, the truck must have an O number plate to be considered an oldtimer. Foreign trucks are considered oldtimers if they are at least 30 years old and if they meet the other conditions set out in the Royal Decree of 15 March 1968.
The Viapass website also has an infographic on oldtimer trucks.
Vehicles that transport horses
Vehicles registered as passenger transport (not HGV but vehicle category M or passenger transport in the vehicle documents) are not subject to the kilometer charge. In practice, this means the presence of a living unit, such as with motorhomes. Please note, a vehicle with a living unit, registered as category N (= HGV/truck), does have to pay the kilometer charge.
Category N vehicles (= HGV/truck) that transport horses for professional or hobby purposes do pay the kilometer charge in the following cases: the vehicle is of category N1 with body code BC (= semi-trailer towing vehicle), or of categories N2 or N3 for trucks that weigh more than 3.5 tons gross vehicle weight. Indeed, the letter of the law also considers horses as goods.
The Viapass website has an infographic on horse transport.
How much and where to pay the kilometer charge?
The On Board Units that record the kilometers driven on toll roads are available from one of the seven accredited service providers for the kilometer charge in Belgium: Axxès, Eurotoll, Satellic, Telepass, Toll4Europe, TotalEnergies Marketing Services and W.A.G. Payment Solutions.
The amount per kilometer driven on paying toll roads depends on three factors: the region where the road is located, the weight (more than 3.5 tons to 12 tons, more than 12 tons to 32 tons, and more than 32 tons) and the Euro emission standard of the vehicle (from the most polluting Euro 0 standard to the most environmentally friendly Euro 6 standard). The higher the vehicle’s Euro standard and the lower its weight, the more advantageous the tariff per kilometer driven. A table of the tariffs and maps of the paying toll roads are available on the download page (https://www.viapass.be/downloads/) of the Viapass website. All roads located in the Brussels-Capital Region are, by definition, toll roads.