What is the Low Emission Zone?

To improve air quality, Ghent’s inner city (the area within the ring road) is a low emission zone. Only vehicles that meet the entry requirements will be allowed into this zone.

Check your vehicle before coming to Ghent. If you drive a vehicle without a Belgian or Dutch number plate you will need to register before entering.

Why is there a registration obligation for foreign number plates?

If you drive a vehicle without a Belgian or a Dutch number plate you need to register. This is because the zone is enforced through camera’s. These camera’s read number plates and afterwards check the Belgian vehicle database, the Flemish database (of registered vehicles) and the Dutch database for the vehicle information. That way it can check whether your vehicle is allowed into the zone or not. For privacy reasons the system cannot check foreign databases. Because of this it’s necessary to register before entering the zone.

Which vehicles are allowed in the Low Emission Zone?

Whether your vehicle is allowed in the zone depends on your Euro standard and fuel type. You can use the online tool here or use the table down below. If you drive a vehicle without a Belgian or Dutch number plate you will also need to register. This can be done here.

Admittance requirements from 1/1/2020 – 31/12/2024

Euro standard	Diesel	Petrol/LPG/CNG and LNG***
Euro 6/VI	Admitted	Admitted
Euro 5/V**	Admitted	Admitted
Euro 4/IV	Admitted after payment	Admitted
Euro 3/III	Access with LEZ day pass*	Admitted
Euro 2/II	Access with LEZ day pass*	Admitted
Euro 1/I	Access with LEZ day pass*	Access with LEZ day pass*
Older vehicles	Access with LEZ day pass*	Access with LEZ day pass*

* Possibility to buy a LEZ day pass. Maximum 8 passes a year.
** For trucks over 3,5 tons the term EEV ( enhanced environmentally friendly vehicle) is sometimes used. EEV is equivalent to Euronorm 5/V.
*** Your CNG, LPG or LNG vehicle must be converted from a petrol engine.

What if you did not register in time?

When you did not register in time you will be automatically fined. You can however file a ‘late registration’. This way your fine will be annulled but you will have to pay a 75,00 euro administrative fee. This option is only available for vehicles which are eligible for free registration. In order to qualify for this you need to follow these steps:

1. Register your vehicle within 30 days after having received your LEZ fine. Registration in the LEZ database is only valid if it has been approved. You should take into account the fact that it takes 14 days to process your registration.
2. File your objection within 30 days after having received your LEZ fine, stating that you made a late registration, and add all relevant documents. If your objection is accepted, the fines officer will inform you and ask you to pay a fee of 75,00 euro.
3. Pay the fee in time which will make sure your fine is cancelled. If you do not pay the fee in time, there will no further possibility to pay it and the fine can no longer be cancelled.

You were not the driver at the time of the infringement?

Within 30 days after the date of sending the fine, you provide us with the details of the actual driver as follows:

As a natural person or private individual

• the agreement of the driver who was driving your vehicle at the time of the offence: he or she must sign the form
• a copy of the driver’s identity card

As a legal entity or company

• in case of a hire car: the hire contract (check whether the correct details of the driver such as name, address and national number (if any) are given)
• in case of a replacement car: the official log data
• the name and address of the actual driver at the time of the offence
• the declaration of authenticity of these data by the legal person of the company

You have a green vehicle but you still got a fine?

Did you receive a LEZ fine for your vehicle for the first time, is this fine for an infringement on or after 15 June 2020 and does your vehicle comply with the conditions from the list below?

• Vehicles with a foreign number plate that meet the standards.
• Vehicles of disabled persons that do not meet the standards but are eligible for an exemption.
• Vehicles with a higher Euro standard than the one included in the LEZ database.
• Agricultural vehicles with a maximum power of 130 kW
• Mobile crane
• Exceptional transport

Then your vehicle is eligible for late registration. Please note that this late registration must be completed within 30 calendar days of receiving the fine.

For the late registration, you pay a fee of €75.00, which must also be paid on time. Only if the registration is approved and the fee paid on time can the fining officer dismiss the original LEZ fine.

Please note, if you have received a warning letter or a LEZ fine in relation to this vehicle before, you will not be entitled to a late registration.

How should I register late?

If you qualify for late registration, follow these steps:

1. Register your vehicle within 30 days of being notified of your LEZ fine. The registration in the LEZ database is only valid once it has been approved. Therefore, allow 14 days for the processing of your registration.
2. Submit your defence within 30 days of being notified of your LEZ fine and report that you have made a late registration, including all relevant documents.
3. If your defence is accepted, the fining officer will notify you and ask you to pay a fee of EUR 75.00.

You were driving in the LEZ zone, but you do not know where it is?

The Ghent low emission zone is limited to the zone within the city ring (R40). Via this zoomable map you can see at address level whether your destination lies in the low-emission zone.

The following roads do NOT belong to the low-emission zone:

• R40 city ring
• N430 axis Nieuwewandeling - Blaisantvest
• B401 slip road and E17 exit - N422
• Entrance and exit roads Parking Gent-Zuid (P3) (You can reach Parking Gent-Zuid without entering the LEZ)
• Parking AZ Sint-Lucas access road (You can reach Parking AZ Sint-Lucas without entering the LEZ)

Is your hotel within the LEZ zone?

You need to contact your hotel in advance and ask whether any special arrangements need to be made when you arrive in Ghent.

You are a foreigner and you were not aware of the LEZ zone?

The fact that you were not aware of the LEZ is not an argument. There are more than 220 cities in Europe with a low emission zone, each with its own rules. It is up to the citizens to inform themselves. The signs are also included in the Highway Code, which every driver should know.

No fines can be cancelled or waived based on this.

Registration Brussel

A registration for the LEZ of the Brussels Capital Region is not valid in Flanders. The establishment of a low emission zone is a regional competence. The Flemish regulation stipulates that a city can introduce a low-emission zone with a municipal regulation (LEZ-decree art. 3 § 2, 2015). Each city decides this autonomously. Ghent took the decision on the 20th of December 2016 to introduce a LEZ zone starting from the 1st of January 2020.

Where can I find more information?

You can find all the information on the page Low emission zone Ghent from the city of Ghent.