A LEZ fine: what you need to do, or can do
If you drove into the LEZ with an unauthorised vehicle, you will receive a fine. How much is the fine and what if you wish to contest?
For a vehicle with a foreign number plate, your fine may be transferred to a foreign collection partner. 30 days after notification of your fine, our partner will charge collection fees.
Below is an overview of the debt collection partners the City of Ghent works with.
Submitting an objection
Under certain conditions, you can submit an objection.
Late registration of a foreign number plate
Late registration, for which there is a fee, is only possible for vehicles that are authorised to enter the LEZ after registration. This is not possible for temporary authorisation, for which there is a fee. The letter you received from the City of Ghent or its collection partner will tell you what your options are.
If you drive into the low-emission zone, smart cameras will check your number plate.If your car is not authorised or you are driving an unregistered foreign vehicle, you will receive a fine. Dutch vehicles do not have to register. The fine is 150 euros per day. You will receive the fine together with the penalty notice in your letterbox.
If you do not pay your fine for a vehicle with a Belgian number plate within 30 days, your file will go definitively to the court bailiff. From then on, you will also pay the court bailiff fees.
For more info
- you can visit the website of the court bailiff.
- Or send an email to lez@gdw-gent.be.
- Or call 0800 11 712. If you are calling from abroad, call +32 (0)9 220 00 37.
- Do you contest the fine?
- Was someone else driving your vehicle at the time of the offence?
- Or have you since registered your vehicle with a late registration?
Then you can notify this within 30 days of receiving the penalty notice. The penalty notice explains the procedure.
Your vehicle is eligible for late registration if you have not previously registered your vehicle and you have one of the following vehicles:
- Vehicles of persons with disabilities and automatic transmission
- Vehicles with a foreign number plate
- Vehicles with an improved Euro emissions standard
What is the procedure for late registration?
1. Register your vehicle within 30 days after you are notified of your LEZ fine via Check your car. You will immediately pay a €75 fee. Late registration in the LEZ database is only valid after approval.
2. Submit an objection within 30 days after you are notified of your LEZ fine. Do this using the form in the penalty notice. Indicate that you have performed a late registration, quoting the case number.
3. The fines officer will notify you if your objection has been accepted.
Please note, have you previously received a warning letter, was your vehicle previously registered or have you already received an LEZ fine for this vehicle? Then you were aware that there was an LEZ in Ghent and are not entitled to a late registration. You will then have to pay an additional 75 euros to settle your fine.
Sometimes, following an accident or blocked road, you are obliged to follow a diversion that goes (partially) through the low-emission zone. If you correctly follow the instructions given by the police, you will not receive a fine. In some cases, the police do not inform the LEZ department in time. If you do receive a fine in this case, it is advisable to submit an objection. But if you continue to drive in the LEZ, you will not get an exemption.