Category M, N, O Individual Approval

In Brussels, requests for Individual Approval for category M, N and O vehicles must be made by appointment with the Conformity Department of the following technical inspection centres:

category M and O first registered between 15/06/1968 and 28/04/2009, SA Forest or ACT Evere
category M and O first registered from 29/04/2009, ACT Evere
category N1 first registered between 10/06/1947 and 28/10/2011, SA Forest or ACT Evere
category N1 first registered from 29/10/2011, ACT Evere
category N2 and N3 first registered before 29/10/2012, SA Forest or ACT Evere
category N2 and N3 first registered from 29/10/2012, ACT Evere

The documents required on the day of the vehicle inspection are:

The registration certificate of the country from which the vehicle originates, and, if applicable, a retention certificate for the document by its export country
A sworn translation of the registration certificate of the country from which the vehicle originates when the document is written in a non-Latin alphabet, and, if applicable, a sworn translation of the retention certificate for the document by its export country
An official technical data sheet issued exclusively by the manufacturer, through its mandatory or importer
The CARFAX for all vehicles from the North American market
A certificate of conformity to a Euro Norm, issued exclusively by the manufacturer, through its mandatory or importer, for all vehicles imported and registered in a country outside the European Economic Area

For modified/converted vehicles, the following additional documents are required:

Authorisation for conversions/modifications issued exclusively by the manufacturer through its mandatory or importer
Approvals and assembly instructions for added components or technical elements
A layout plan for motorhome conversions
An up-to-date CARA Certificate issued by VIAS for vehicles adapted for drivers with reduced mobility

Presentation of any other official document proving that the vehicle, its components, systems and technical elements comply with Belgian or European regulations is recommended but not compulsory.

Documents from foreign Technical Services (test laboratories) are of no value in absolute terms, unless these Technical Services are approved in Belgium. Consequently, the information contained in these documents is never used for certification purposes, but can be used as a guide when the Brussels Mobility Vehicle Expertise Department reviews your file.

NB: For vehicles originating from the North American market (Canada, USA and Mexico) only vehicles complying with California emissions standards are accepted (California Level) as an alternative to compliance with an applicable Euro Norm. A certificate of compliance with one of these emission standards issued exclusively by the manufacturer, the California Air Resources Board or the Environmental Protection Agency is required to process your request. This provision only applies to M1 vehicles first registered from 01/01/2006 and N1 vehicles first registered from 01/01/2007.

During the inspection at the technical inspection centre, your vehicle will be inspected on the following points:

Inspection of the general condition
Weight: for this purpose, all liquid (except grey water) and fuel tanks must be filled beforehand, and the vehicle must be presented empty of all personal belongings
Checking the data present on the vehicle compared with the related documents

At the end of the inspection, if the Conformity Department of the technical inspection centre considers your request to be admissible, it forwards a complete file to the Brussels Mobility Vehicle Expertise Department for review. You will then be required to pay the fee for the vehicle inspection carried out by the technical inspection centre, as well as the processing fee.

Your file is analysed based on the findings about the vehicle and its documents regarding the Belgian (Royal Decree of 15 March 1968) and/or European (Regulation 2018/858/EC and earlier) regulations applicable to the vehicle on the date of its first registration.

If it considers it necessary, the Brussels Mobility Vehicle Expertise Department may request additional documents in order to continue processing your request. Payment of the fee to the inspection centre and the processing fee does not guarantee that a certificate will be issued. Consequently, a request for Individual Approval can always be refused for non-compliance of the vehicle, its components, systems or technical entities with Belgian or European regulations.

Certification, refusal, notification and processing times

If the Individual Approval is refused, you will be notified of the reason(s) for refusal by post as soon as possible. You will then have time to put the non-compliant elements back in order, and have the vehicle re-inspected at the technical inspection centre where the request was originally submitted. If necessary, you can be redirected to an Authorised Technical Service to carry out the tests required to continue the review of your request. In the event of a definitive refusal and closure of your file, the fees incurred remain payable.

If your file is complete and the vehicle complies with Belgian or European regulations, the Brussels Mobility Vehicle Expertise Department sends a Single-Vehicle Individual Approval Form, which services as a Certificate Of Conformity, to the technical inspection centre where the request was originally submitted. The Conformity Department of the inspection centre will then call you back to affix a new identification sticker to the vehicle and send you the certificate of conformity and the documents required for registration.

With the foreign registration certificate, the Single-Vehicle Individual Approval Form and the registration request form, you can either go to your insurer or directly to a Vehicle Registration Service (DIV) counter to apply for registration.

An Individual Approval file is definitively closed when the Single-Vehicle Individual Approval Form has been issued, when the deadline to re-present the vehicle has passed or when certification has been definitively refused. There is no extra charge for administration fees in the event of the vehicle's re-presentation following a finding of non-compliance.

Important to know:

Vehicles originating from a foreign market fitted with a non-EC-approved towing device, will have the maximum technical weight of the braked trailer limited to 1,500 kg. The replacement of a non-EC towing device with an EC-approved towing device (marked R55 or 94/20/EC) with an increase in towable mass is subject to a new Individual Approval.
No changes will be made to the Single-Vehicle Individual Approval Form after an approved request has been closed, unless it is accepted that the competent regional authority has made an error. Requests for modifications of technical information must be subject to a new Individual Approval.