The Car-Pass: the mileage history
The Car-Pass is an official document with the mileage readings of the car over the years. The seller has to give it to you, whether it is a private person or a dealer. If you don’t get one, you can have the sale cancelled.
Check that the readings go up steadily. A reading lower than the one before can point to a tampered odometer. For a car imported from abroad, the Car-Pass shows that it was imported; readings from other countries are not in it, so ask for the service invoices.
The inspection at sale
A used car must pass an inspection at an inspection centre before it can be registered in the name of a new owner. The inspection report is valid for 2 months. With a passed inspection comes the registration application, also valid for 2 months: you need it to register the car.
In practice the seller has the car inspected, because the buyer cannot register it otherwise. Agree on it before you buy, and put it in the sales contract.
- Flanders: the compulsory inspection at sale ends on 1 January 2027 for cars registered in Belgium. For imported cars it stays compulsory.
- Wallonia and Brussels: the inspection at sale stays compulsory.
The documents to get from the seller
Make sure you leave with:
- the Car-Pass
- the registration certificate (both parts if the car was registered after 1 September 2013)
- the certificate of conformity
- the inspection report and the registration application (if an inspection is needed)
- a sales contract or invoice with the date, the price, the mileage and the car’s details
Registering the car in your name
Take the registration application to your insurer. They arrange the compulsory third-party insurance and file the registration with the DIV through its online service (WebDIV). Want comprehensive cover as well? Give them the purchase invoice too.
The number plate is delivered by bpost, usually the next working day or the one after. You pay € 30 on delivery, in cash (the exact amount) or with a mobile payment app; at a post office you can also pay by Bancontact. The front plate is a copy you have made yourself.
Coming from abroad? For newcomers bringing their own car, the FPS Mobility asks that you first register in the population register of your Belgian municipality (or, for a company, in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises with an establishment in Belgium). Arrange that before you buy.
Taxes after the purchase
After the registration, your region sends you a letter for the registration tax and the annual road tax. The amounts depend on the region and the car.
Buying from a private seller
Look at the car in daylight and take a test drive. Check that the name on the registration certificate matches the seller’s ID, that the chassis number on the car matches the documents, and that the Car-Pass readings fit the mileage on the dashboard.
Browse the used cars on Carnet, or find a garage near you.