The world is wide open for holders of a Belgian driving licence
Belgian holiday-makers and future expats will be happy to hear that a Belgian driver's licence is the best way to travel around the world. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by the British company Zutobi, which organises online driving courses.
You are in a good mood and get into your car with the whole family, hoping to enjoy your holiday in a foreign country. The next day, you are suddenly stopped by a police checkpoint. Slight panic on board, wondering whether your Belgian driving licence is valid in the country you are currently in.
In the 27 countries of the European Union, you can travel freely with the new format (bank card type) or the old format (the large pink card) or freely exchange your driving licence. You can drive with this licence for one year in Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and Switzerland before you have to exchange it for a local licence without a driving test. Together with the French and Germans, we have the widest range of uses for our national driving licence and face minimal formalities in exchanging our Belgian licence for a local one. Thanks, perhaps, to our rigorous driving training. In China, however, we cannot use our precious licence. The bar is set a little higher for Finns, Spaniards and Italians.
Mexicans are the worst off. The only country in Zutobi's study where they have no restrictions is South Africa.
And before you go abroad, don't forget to check our travel reviews and register with Travellers Online
Have a good trip!