Dutch cabinet against Belgium’s new 100 euro toll for foreign drivers
By Simone Jacobs
Belgium has revealed plans to implement a toll for foreign drivers amounting to around 100 euros per year. With many people from the Netherlands travelling to the neighbouring country every year, the Dutch cabinet wants to persuade Belgium to scrap the plan.
Belgium to introduce 100 euro toll for Dutch drivers
Drivers from the Netherlands could soon have to pay to travel on Belgian roads, as the neighbouring country is planning on introducing a national road tax for foreigners. The vignette, which would be similar to those of Switzerland and Austria, would see motorists from outside Belgium pay around 100 euros per year.
"Flanders wants to invest heavily in road infrastructure, but that means we need funding to build new roads and maintain existing ones,” said Flemish finance minister Ben Weyts. “So it's logical that we try to ensure that foreigners contribute, because we are a transit country par excellence." According to Road Genius, the Netherlands was the country from which the most visitors entered Belgium, accounting for 25 percent of tourists in 2024.
The plan has received a lot of criticism as Belgian drivers would be exempt from paying the road tax, which conflicts with EU rules.
Dutch transport minister lobbies against Belgian toll
Belgium’s plans for the new toll have caused quite an uproar in the Netherlands. “This is mainly aimed at foreign motorists, so it affects Dutch holidaymakers and residents in the border region,” said CDA MP Henk Jumelet.
Dutch transport minister Robert Tieman is also concerned. "I wasn't informed by our southern neighbours, neither about the plans nor about the amount,” he told AD. Tieman has promised to consult with the Belgian government to scrap the plan.
However, Tieman believes that if Belgium does go along with the plan, it would take a while before it comes into effect. "And there can't be just one sticker for one price; there also have to be options for a one-day or one-week validity. It also can't be the case that only foreign drivers have to pay; that would be against the rules."
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Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training. Read more