Updated on 16 October 2026. We review this guide every October.
A buyer wants to drive off alone to try the car. A dealer wants to collect a car in the Netherlands on a Z plate. We hear both questions often in Wavre. Here are the rules, with the official texts.
✅ The essentials in 30 seconds
- A customer may test a car alone on a dealer plate (Z) or professional plate (V), for 7 calendar days at most, with a document signed by the plate holder on board.
- On a Z plate, the car must belong to the dealer, be type-approved and have a valid technical inspection when one is required.
- A V plate can only be used for 8 days a year on the same car, and only in Belgium.
- A trial plate (Y) is never handed to a customer.
- Outside Belgium, only the Netherlands and Luxembourg accept the Z plate, for a purchase or sale between Benelux countries proven by an invoice or customs document.
Z, V, Y and U plates: what is each plate for?
Commercial plates have green characters on a white background. The first letter gives the type. They are governed by the royal decree of 8 January 1996, reformed on 1 January 2021 and amended by the royal decree of 8 February 2022, in force since 15 February 2022.
| Plate | Who for | Use | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Z, dealer plate | Vehicle dealers registered with the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises | Showing and selling cars in stock | The car belongs to the plate holder. At least 12 sales per plate over 12 months to renew it. |
| V, professional plate | Body shops and repairers | Delivery, test after repair, technical inspection, type approval, demonstration | 8 days a year on the same car. Belgium only. |
| Y, trial plate | Manufacturers, research centres and approved technical services | Tests leading to type approval | Never handed to a customer. Private use forbidden. |
| U, national plate | Any person or company established in Belgium | Delivery, repair, technical inspection or type approval of one specific car | 20 consecutive days, once a year per car. Belgium only. |
Test-driving a car on a dealer plate: can the customer go alone?
Yes. Article 17 of the royal decree of 8 January 1996 allows a dealer to hand a car on a Z plate to a prospective customer for a test drive or a demonstration. Traxio, the sector federation, points this out in the legal column of its magazine. Four conditions apply.
- The car belongs to the plate holder. A car on consignment, which still belongs to its owner, cannot carry a Z plate.
- It is type-approved and has a valid technical inspection when one is required.
- The customer is an identified natural person. The test lasts 7 calendar days at most.
- A document signed by the plate holder stays on board for the whole test. The royal decree sets its minimum content in its annex 3.
A dealer may also lend a car on a Z plate to a customer whose own car is being repaired at the dealer's. The loan lasts 7 days at most. The customer keeps the registration certificate of their own car and the loan document on board.
Outside these cases, lending or renting out a car on a dealer plate is forbidden.
V plate: customer test drives and the 8-day limit
The professional plate is for repairers and body shops. Its rules differ from the Z plate.
- The car does not have to belong to the plate holder.
- Since 15 February 2022, a customer may test it alone for 7 calendar days at most. The annex 3 document stays on board.
- The same car can only be used for 8 days a year on a V plate, consecutive or not. This cap rose from 5 to 8 days in 2022.
- The plate holder generates a provisional registration certificate for that car through the DIV's online form. It stays on board.
- A V plate can only be used in Belgium.
A garage gets two V plates at most per plate category and per establishment unit. The cap rises with staff numbers: three plates from 20 full-time equivalents, then one more per band of 10, up to five.
⚠️ A Y plate is never handed to a customer. It is for manufacturers and bodies that test vehicles before type approval. The test programme must be on board and only designated staff may drive.
You are testing a car on a Z plate: check four points
- The dealer's signed document. Your name is on it. Keep it in the car for the whole test.
- Insurance. Ask what is covered if you damage the car and who pays the excess. Get it in writing before you leave.
- Duration. Count 7 calendar days at most.
- Territory. Stay in Belgium during the test.
💡 Selling your car through an intermediary? Until it is sold, it is still yours. So the intermediary cannot put its Z plate on it. Test drives take place under your registration and your insurance. Your motor third-party liability insurance covers damage to others, whoever is driving. Read your policy's clauses on occasional drivers and on comprehensive (omnium) cover before you let a buyer drive off.
Can you drive abroad on a Z plate?
As a rule, no. Dealer plates are not mutually recognised in the European Union. Traxio points out that using them abroad is forbidden under the 1968 Vienna Convention.
There has been an exception in the Benelux since 1 January 1993. A decision of the Benelux Committee of Ministers of 2 December 1992 recognises the Belgian Z plate in the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Five conditions apply.
- The trip serves a commercial transaction between Benelux countries: delivering a sold car or collecting a purchased one. A copy of the invoice or the customs documents prove it.
- The plate's registration certificate is on board and the plate matches it.
- Third-party liability insurance covers the country you are driving in.
- You comply with Belgian road tax rules and with customs rules on import, export and transit.
- The Belgian rules for using the plate are still respected.
Elsewhere, no agreement recognises the Belgian Z plate. Each country applies its own rules and sets the penalty. A roadside check can end with a fine and the car being impounded. V and U plates can only be used in Belgium. Y plates are not mutually recognised in the European Union either.
Collecting a car in Germany or France: the options
- A car transporter. This is the simplest solution. The car is not driven, so the plate question does not arise.
- The German temporary plate (Kurzzeitkennzeichen). It is valid for 5 days, for one car, and costs about €38 excluding insurance according to the ADAC. The ADAC lists proof of address among the documents to provide. It also reports refusals at the border in the Benelux and France. So it does not guarantee you will get back into Belgium.
- Export plates from the country of purchase. They are used to take a car out of the country. Their conditions vary from one country to another. Check with the local authorities before you set off.
- In the Netherlands and Luxembourg, a Belgian dealer may drive on their Z plate for a purchase or sale proven by an invoice. The car must already belong to them.
When we import a car for a customer, we organise its transport to Wavre.
Dealer plates in Belgium: getting and renewing a Z plate
- Registration. You must be registered with the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises as a vehicle dealer, wholesale or retail.
- Sales volume. To renew a plate or get an extra one, you must have sold at least 12 cars per plate over the last 12 months. Request the VAT certificate through MyMinfin. The FPS Finance sends it to the DIV. For 2027, submit the request before 15 February 2027: processing takes up to 10 working days.
- Validity. The plate is valid for one calendar year. Renewal is requested from 1 October to the end of February.
- Insurance. The insurer submits the application through WebDIV. Without insurance, the plate must be cancelled.
- Tax. In Wallonia, the Z plate pays road tax, based on the most powerful car that may carry it. V and Y plates are exempt when they are used within the rules.
- Penalties. In case of abuse, the plate is seized. The holder then cannot apply for a new one of the same type for one year.
Free valuation and free advice
Selling or buying a car? Visit us in Wavre or call 010 56 13 80.
- Free valuation of your car
- Free advice on organising test drives
- Import of a car from another European country, with transport to Wavre organised by us
👉 Book an appointment for advice
Frequently asked questions about the Z plate
It is the dealer plate. It is reserved for vehicle dealers registered with the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises. It has green characters on a white background and starts with the letter Z. It lets cars in stock be driven without registering them one by one.
No. To move an unregistered car, an individual can apply for the national plate, which starts with a U. It is valid for 20 consecutive days, once a year per car, in Belgium only.
7 calendar days at most. The customer must be an identified natural person and keep the document signed by the dealer on board.
No. A Z plate can only go on a car that belongs to the plate holder. A car on consignment remains the seller's property until it is sold.
In principle, no. No agreement recognises the Belgian Z plate in France or Germany. Only the Netherlands and Luxembourg accept it, for a purchase or sale between Benelux countries proven by an invoice or customs documents.
The Z plate is for dealers, on cars they own. The V plate is for body shops and repairers. It can go on a car they do not own, but for 8 days a year at most on the same car and in Belgium only.
The plate holder, their active partners, directors or managers, and employees carrying the document required by the royal decree. A customer may drive it alone for a test of 7 days at most, with the signed document on board.
Driving on a Z plate without a valid authorisation can lead to a fine and the vehicle being impounded until the situation is regularised. In case of abuse, the plate can be seized. The holder then cannot apply for a new one of the same type for one year.
About the author Nathan Fougnies runs Garage Privé in Wavre with Louis. Since 2018, the agency has sold used cars on behalf of their owners, with a 118-point inspection and an optional warranty of up to 60 months.
Sources
- Code de la route: royal decree of 8 January 1996 on commercial plates (in French)
- Traxio: reform of commercial plates, legal update of February 2022 (PDF, in French)
- Traxio: renewal of commercial plates (in French)
- Benelux: decision M (92) 13 on dealer plates (PDF, in French)
- Forum for the Future: renewal of dealer plates, VAT certificates from 1 October 2026 (in French)
- FSMA: law of 21 November 1989 on compulsory motor liability insurance (PDF)
- Police: fraudulent use of a Z plate (in French)
- SPW Finances: taxation of Z, Y, V and UA plates (PDF, in French)
- Forum for the Future: commercial plates, changes of 15 February 2022 (in French)
- ADAC: the German temporary plate (in German)