Belgian drivers born before 1 October 1982 will not need to obtain a G driver’s license to operate agricultural vehicles in the Netherlands. A new bilateral agreement was announced by Belgian Mobility Minister Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engagés) and his Flemish colleague Annick De Ridder (N-VA).
From 1 January 2026, these farmers may use an EU driver’s license listing category G without taking an exam, addressing concerns raised by agricultural organizations. Only those born after 1 October 1982 will still be required to obtain a full G license.
Starting next year, all Belgian drivers of agricultural vehicles crossing the border into the Netherlands would be required to have a G driver’s license. This is a specific tractor license. The current exemption for older drivers born before October 1982 with a B car driver’s license will expire in January.
Many Belgian farmers in the border regions have fields and pastures in the Netherlands. The new measure would affect many Belgian farmers. The Netherlands introduced the special tractor license, known as the T license, in 2015, but many Belgian farmers who cross the border with their tractors do not yet hold one, with all the consequences that follow.
Consultations are ongoing
The Flemish and Federal Mobility Ministers, Annick De Ridder (N-VA) and Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engagés), announced in October that they intended to develop a solution and present it to the Netherlands. And this dialogue has yielded results.
There is no European tractor license because the EU harmonizes this area only to a minimal extent. The member states also use different tractor systems, as shown by Belgium and the Netherlands.
In Germany, for example, there are additional classes based on weight and speed, and in France, the agricultural driver’s license is tied to professional status. The EU also treats agricultural vehicles primarily as machines rather than as road vehicles. That is why driver’s licenses are less standardized.
However, you do have a C+E driver’s license, a European category that allows you to drive a tractor in all member states. Many farmers still hold expired C+E driver’s licenses, often because they no longer undergo medical examinations. Anyone who undergoes a one-time re-examination can reactivate this driver’s license. In addition, in that case, the G license will also be permanently added.
