Legislation and rules

Regulations and rules for vanlife in Belgium: overnight stays, registration, inspection and what applies in each region.

• Safe and discreet overnight stays: quick checklist to avoid causing nuisance: Vanlife in Belgium can work perfectly, as long as you have a good sense of where the line is between a quiet overnight stay and causing a…
• Generators, music, and nighttime disturbances: how to avoid municipal fines and complaints?: For many, vanlife is about freedom. You park somewhere quietly, put on some music, charge your battery, cook something simple, and enjoy…
• Filling up with water on the road: public taps, cemeteries, petrol stations and permission: Water is one of those things you only really think about when your tank is almost empty. You want to make coffee, wash dishes, wash hands,…
• Dunes, beaches, forests, and nature reserves: the places where you're most likely to encounter problems: Some places seem made for vanlife. An empty parking lot near the dunes. A quiet forest path. A strip of sand by the beach. A nature…
• Festivals and temporary campervan parking: what rules apply?: A festival with campervan parking sounds ideal. You drive there, park your van, sleep right near the site, and don't have to search for a…
• Park4Night and other apps: why an online location isn't automatically legal: Park4Night, Campercontact, Google Maps, Facebook groups, and other apps can be super handy. You open the app, see a few pins nearby, and…
• Shopping center car parks, sports halls and industrial areas: publicly accessible is not the same as free camping: Some places seem ideal for a quick night in your van. A large shopping center car park. The car park of a sports hall. A quiet industrial…
• Motorway parking in Belgium: can you sleep there?: You're driving home late, your eyes are getting heavy, and you finally see a sign for a motorway parking. Then the question arises: can…
• Staying with friends or family with your van: what should you pay attention to?: Staying with friends or family with your van sounds like one of the most logical solutions for vanlifers. You're safe, you know the…
• Living in a vehicle on your own land: is that allowed just like that?: It sounds logical: you own a piece of land, you have a van, camper, caravan, or mobile home, so why shouldn't you be allowed to live…
• Fulltime vanlife als koppel: wat als één persoon wel een vast adres heeft?: Fulltime vanlife als koppel klinkt simpel zolang je alleen aan het dagelijkse leven denkt. Je rijdt samen, slaapt samen, deelt de kosten,…
• Vanlife with children: domicile, compulsory education and practical administration: Vanlife with children sounds like a dream to many people: more time outdoors together, fewer possessions, more freedom, seeing different…
• Working from your van as a freelancer: business address, VAT and administration: Working from your van sounds like the perfect combination of freedom and independence. Laptop open, coffee at hand, a view of a forest…
• Vanlife and health insurance, benefits or unemployment: why your address remains important: Full-time vanlife sounds like you're finally breaking free from fixed locations. No rented house, no traditional mailbox, no fixed street…
• Receiving mail as a vanlifer: bank, government, insurance, and official letters: Living full-time or almost full-time in your van sounds free. You drive where you want, sleep where you can, and your home is on wheels.…
• No fixed abode: what options do you have besides a reference address?: Anyone living full-time in a van will sooner or later encounter a simple but tricky question: where do you officially live? Not where you…
• Importing a foreign campervan or van into Belgium: Buying a campervan or van abroad can seem very appealing. In Germany, you sometimes find more options. In the Netherlands, you often see…
• Vintage van or vintage camper: interesting or risky for vanlife?: An old bus has something special. More character, less plastic, more story. You immediately picture it: an old Volkswagen, Mercedes, Ford,…
• Road Tax for Motorhomes in Flanders: A motorhome sometimes sounds fiscally as if it automatically becomes expensive. A large bus, heavy weight, lots of space, perhaps a diesel…
• Insuring a self-built campervan: what does your insurer need to know?: A self-built campervan is not just any vehicle. It's a van, a construction project, a small home on wheels, and often a serious…
• Solar panels, house battery and electricity: what do you need to report to insurance or inspection?: A modern van without electricity quickly feels limited. You want to charge your phone, use your laptop, run your fridge, have lighting,…
• Gas, LPG, and diesel heaters in your van: inspection and safety: Heat, cooking, and hot water truly make a van a livable space. Especially in Belgium, where "summer evening" sometimes just means you're…
• Seatbelts and seats in a converted van: what's allowed with passengers?: Converting a van is one thing. Safely and legally transporting passengers is another. Many DIY builders primarily focus on the bed,…
• GVW and Payload: Why Your Van Is Heavier Than You Think: In vanlife, a lot of attention goes to the fun stuff: which bed, which cabinets, which fridge, which battery, which floor, which route.…
• Driving license B, B96, BE and C1: which van can you drive?: For many vanlifers, a B driving license seems obvious. You have a van, you convert it, you stay under 3,500 kg, and you're done. Right?…
• Light commercial vehicle or campervan: what's the difference for vanlifers?: Anyone converting a van into a travel bus will sooner or later face the same question: do you keep the vehicle registered as a light…
• Inspection after conversion: steps, documents, and pitfalls: When converting a van into a campervan, it's not just about the technical inspection you're familiar with for a regular car. Usually,…
• Converting a van into a campervan: when do you need type approval?: Converting a van into a campervan is a dream project for many vanlifers. You buy an empty bus, build in a bed, cupboard, kitchenette, and…
• Which documents should you have with you in your van?: When you're on the road with your van, you probably think first of water, sleeping gear, food, tools, charging cables, and maybe a good…
• Using drones during vanlife in Belgium: what can you film?: Taking a drone in your van seems logical. You find a beautiful spot, the sun is just right, your van is perfectly framed, and with one…
• Making fire, cooking and barbecuing in forests or nature reserves: A small fire next to your van, a gas stove in a forest car park, a barbecue on the edge of a nature reserve or a cosy fire pit at a…
• Waste, grey water and chemical toilet: what do you do with it on the road?: For many, vanlife is about freedom. You drive where you want, sleep where you can, and live simpler than at home. But that freedom only…
• LEZ in Belgium: Is your diesel van still allowed in Brussels, Antwerp, or Ghent?: Anyone driving an older diesel van, delivery van, or camper van in Belgium needs to pay extra attention to low-emission zones. Especially…
• Municipal police regulations: why the rules can differ per municipality: “Can you sleep in your van in Belgium?” That seems like a simple question, but in practice, the answer is rarely simple. Belgium has…
• Sleeping on the Belgian coast: why you need to be extra careful: The Belgian coast seems ideal for vanlife on paper. You drive to the sea, park somewhere quiet, take a walk on the beach, and then crawl…
• Overnight stays on private land: is it allowed with the owner's permission?: For vanlifers, private land often sounds like the perfect solution. No busy parking, no doubt about traffic signs, no angry neighbors, and…
• Wild camping and bivouac zones in Flanders: what is and isn't allowed?: Sleeping freely in nature sounds romantic. A quiet forest edge, an open field, a van at the edge of a nature reserve, or a small tent…
• Parking or camping: where is the line?: For vanlifers, this is one of the most important questions: when are you just parked, and when are you actually camping?
• Can you sleep in your van in Belgium?: Anyone traveling through Belgium in a van will sooner or later ask the same question: can I actually sleep here? The short answer is:…
• Full-time living in your van and a reference address with friends or family: how does that work in Belgium?: Anyone living full-time in a van will sooner or later encounter the question of where you are officially registered. What is a reference…