From September 1, Flanders will take a radically different approach to technical vehicle inspections from that of Brussels in Wallonia. Ordinary passenger cars will only have to be checked every two years, regardless of age or mileage.

The move brings Flanders closer to the European minimum and countries such as Germany and France. Still, it makes Belgium’s already regionalized system considerably less uniform, turning it into a three-speed system.

The new rules had been known for some time, but mobility organization Touring decided to sound the alarm again by warning of “technical inspection tourism.”

The Flemish overhaul is also ruffling feathers south of the language border, where politicians and inspection operators fear both safety risks and a new wave of “technical inspection tourism.”

Eliminating ‘over-inspection’

The change is the latest step in the overhaul pushed through by Flemish Mobility Minister Annick De Ridder (N-VA), which Newmobility.news has been following for several months.

She aims to eliminate what she calls “over-inspection”, shorten queues, and reduce costs. The government’s plans should eventually result in 1.7 million fewer inspections by 2028, with around 500 jobs disappearing at inspection centers.

Until now, older or high-mileage cars could fall back to annual inspection. From September, that distinction disappears. Even a 15-year-old passenger car with 200,000 kilometers can obtain a two-year certificate, provided it is presented on time and passes the inspection.

Other rules are relaxed too. A separate inspection after fitting a tow bar will be removed; drivers will have up to 2 months instead of 15 days to return after a major defect; and administrative shortcomings will no longer automatically lead to a temporary 3-month certificate.

Vans will gradually move to two-year intervals between 2026 and 2028, while taxis and ambulances go from six-monthly to annual checks.

Belgium pulls apart

Wallonia is taking a more cautious approach. Its two-year ‘bonus’ remains limited to well-maintained cars no older than eight years and with no more than 110,000 km. Older cars generally remain subject to an annual inspection. Brussels also retains a stricter regime for aging cars.

The growing difference has revived fears of “technical-control tourism”. Belgian motorists are free to take their vehicle to an inspection center in another Region, where it is tested in accordance with that Region’s technical rules.

However, there is an important legal catch: certificates from another Region are accepted only if the vehicle’s inspection period has not been exceeded.

Crossing the regional border is therefore legal, but simply using Flanders to escape an annual Walloon or Brussels obligation is less clear-cut than it sounds.

Oldtimers remain a separate category. In Flanders, cars aged 30 to 49 registered under the oldtimer regime are inspected every two years, while cars aged 50 or more go every five years. A 30-plus-year-old car kept on normal registration, however, falls under the ordinary passenger-car rules.

Europe changes direction

The reform appeared to collide with Europe when GOCA warned in May that the EU was preparing a broader and more sophisticated Roadworthiness Package, including checks of EVs, software, driver-assistance systems, emissions, and vehicle data. That part remains true. But on inspection frequency, the European political wind has meanwhile shifted.

The European Commission originally proposed annual inspections for cars and vans older than ten years. EU transport ministers rejected that requirement in December 2025. The European Parliament confirmed in May 2026 that it also wants to retain the two-year minimum. Negotiations on the package are continuing.

That makes Flanders less of a European outlier than the Belgian debate suggests. France generally uses a two-year interval, and Germany does likewise after the first inspection.

The Netherlands is stricter about aging cars: gasoline and electric cars are subject to annual APK checks from age eight, while diesel and LPG cars generally face annual APK checks from age three. Luxembourg switches to annual inspections after the checks at ages 4 and 6.

Used-car gamble

The most controversial Flemish change may therefore arrive only on January 1, 2027, when the compulsory pre-sale inspection for vehicles already registered in Belgium disappears.

As Newmobility.news reported in June, GOCA’s 2025 figures show why the sector objects. Of 482,809 used cars presented for sale in Flanders, 93,000, or 19.3%, failed because of a major or dangerous defect, including 9,624 with a dangerous defect. Flemish centers performed just over 3.6 million inspections in total last year.