2023-05-12 19:06:00
The authorities were counting on the proactivity of the Belgians, but in the end they will need a reminder letter. Some 425,000 Belgians should soon receive a letter in their mailbox inviting them to go to their municipal administration to renew their driving license in “credit card” format. These “new generation” permits came into force in 2013 and are valid for ten years.
After the expiry date mentioned on the card, you must go to your municipality to change it. The procedure costs between 20 and 25 euros, depending on the municipal taxes applied. Why this delay? This is a security imperative, we explain to the FPS Mobility. It was estimated that from the age of ten, the security devices risked being thwarted by counterfeiters.
”The first permit replacements actually took place as early as 2020, when the permits issued in the pilot municipalities expired”, explains the FPS Mobility. “At first, we thought that the Belgians would spontaneously go to their municipality to change the map”. But most of those affected probably didn’t look at the expiration date. The Minister of Mobility Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) had to release a budget for the municipalities so that they might send a reminder letter to the citizens concerned. A bit like identity cards, where the citizen is warned of the approach of the deadline. However, there is a big difference with the identity document: holding a driving license is not mandatory, provided you no longer drive.
Valid even abroad
It must be said that with the paper permits (issued before 2013 therefore), there was no question of an expiry date even if, in certain cases, replacement may prove necessary. “According to the law, when the person is no longer recognizable in the photo, the document must be changed. This is sometimes the case when the photo was taken when the driver was 18 and he is now 60”, points out the spokesperson for the FPS Mobility. But very often, drivers prefer to keep the first document. Because once the change has been made, it is not possible to keep your old pink paper.
Since 2019, the days of the driver’s license in paper format are numbered. By 2033, it will no longer be valid on European territory. All drivers will then have to opt for the European format. Smaller, more practical, but certainly less nostalgic. In the meantime, the pink paper remains valid, even abroad, to drive your vehicle or even to rent one. “However, we invite Belgians to anticipate and opt for the European license before the last minute.”, further specifies the FPS Mobility.
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