Exporting a motorhome from the Netherlands: Belgian rules per vehicle

Almost everything depends on the maximum authorised mass (MTM), with 750 kg as the dividing line. A caravan or trailer up to and including 750 kg has no number plate of its own: it carries a duplicate of the towing vehicle's plate and is not registered with the DIV. Because registration is federal and Flanders and Wallonia use the same limit, the 750 kg line applies across the country.

Even a light trailer has paperwork in Wallonia: it must be declared for the Walloon road tax through the online 'small trailer declaration'. In Flanders a light trailer is covered by the third-party liability (BA) insurance of the towing vehicle, but you should tell your insurer that you will be towing.

Above 750 kg, the caravan or trailer is registered with the DIV and gets its own number plate starting with Q or U. In Flanders a heavy trailer must be presented for technical inspection, and under the rules from 1 September 2026, trailers of more than 0.75 and up to 3.5 tonnes (category O2) are inspected every two years. Fitting a towbar no longer needs a separate inspection there. A heavy trailer also needs its own Belgian insurance, based on the chassis number or the number plate.

Whether a used caravan from the Netherlands above 750 kg must be inspected before its Belgian registration, which documents the DIV wants for it, and how often Wallonia and Brussels inspect, is not settled in the sources we checked. Ask the inspection centre before you buy.

In Flanders, trailers and semi-trailers pay no BIV. A caravan is the exception to the light-trailer rules: it is subject to the Flemish flat-rate tax, also at 750 kg or less. A light caravan is not registered with the DIV, so you declare it yourself to the Flemish Tax Administration. Above 750 kg, the DIV registration takes care of that and no separate declaration is needed. Light trailers behind a passenger car, by contrast, are exempt from the annual road tax in Flanders in most cases.

Wallonia asks you to declare a trailer and pay in advance; Brussels publishes its rates on MyTax. We don't give amounts, because they depend on the region and the weight.

A motorhome, called a kampeerwagen or mobilhome in Flanders, follows the same route as a car: the E705 vignette, a technical inspection before registration, Belgian insurance and registration with the DIV. The Flemish government's step-by-step page for vehicles from an EU country names the motorhome in its title. Bring the certificate of conformity (CoC) if you have one. After registration, bpost delivers the number plate within 24 hours, at 30 euros per plate. Our page about registering a car in Belgium explains each step.

• Flanders: a motorhome pays no BIV. The annual road tax is based on the maximum authorised mass.
• Wallonia: the TMC reform of 1 July 2025 also covers motorhomes. A private owner pays TMC; a company does not. Wallonia's tax service also describes an exemption from the annual road tax for a motorhome used on the road no more than 30 days a year, with a logbook ('feuille de route').
• Brussels: we found no clear rule for motorhomes. Check with Brussels Fiscaliteit or on MyTax.

Motorhomes over 3.5 tonnes do not pay the kilometre charge that applies to heavy goods vehicles.

The Flemish government sets out what each licence covers:

• B: a trailer up to 750 kg MTM, or a heavier trailer if car and trailer together stay within 3,500 kg MTM. Licence B also covers some motorhomes within that 3,500 kg limit.
• B with code 96: car and trailer together above 3,500 kg and up to 4,250 kg.
• BE: a trailer above 750 kg and up to 3,500 kg, with car and trailer together above 3,500 kg and up to 7,000 kg.

A local police information sheet adds that vehicles and combinations with an MTM over 3,500 kg are limited to 90 km/h, which includes motorhomes and car plus caravan combinations.

Before departure we arrange the Dutch export. A motorhome needs insurance and a valid APK (the Dutch roadworthiness test) for the export trip, just like a car. A caravan or trailer also needs export insurance: up to 750 kg we arrange the insurance on its chassis number, and the white plate carries the registration number of the towing vehicle. A heavier caravan or trailer keeps its own Dutch registration and gets one white plate at the rear. It only needs an APK above 3,500 kg.

The table shows insurance, APK and plates per vehicle type. Read more about the white Dutch export plates and the export insurance for Belgium.

For a motorhome over 2,500 kg, the export price is on request, because insurance and handling costs can be higher. Prices for caravans and trailers are on our price page.

The Dutch Tax Administration (Belastingdienst) names passenger cars, vans and motorcycles for the refund of BPM (Dutch registration tax) on export. Whether a motorhome qualifies is unclear, so we make no promises: ask us to look at your case before you count on a refund.