Low-emission zones and your coach

Antwerp, Ghent and Brussels keep out the most polluting vehicles, buses and coaches included. What that means for your trip, and for a coach with a foreign number plate.

What a low-emission zone means for your trip

A low-emission zone is a marked-out area that a vehicle may only enter if it is clean enough. Which vehicle may enter depends on the fuel and on the Euro standard on the registration certificate. For a bus or coach the standard is written with a Roman numeral: Euro V, Euro VI.

Belgium currently has three zones. In Flanders only Antwerp and Ghent have one; there a diesel coach with Euro V or Euro VI can simply drive in. In Brussels the zone covers the whole region, and the limit there is stricter: since 1 January 2026 a diesel may only enter with Euro VI. Wallonia has no zone at all.

For you as a customer it is mainly something to mention in your request. If your group is going to one of those three cities, or through one, the coach company will send a coach that is allowed to drive there. Most recent coaches meet the rules; an older coach can sometimes only get in with a day pass.

Flanders: the rules for buses and coaches

Antwerp and Ghent are currently the only Flemish cities with a low-emission zone.
The access rules also apply to buses and coaches (category M2 or M3) that run on diesel, petrol, gas, bioethanol or hybrid.
A low-emission zone is always marked out with road signs and applies 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
On 28 November 2025 the Flemish Government decided to withdraw all the planned tightening of the rules; the current rules remain in force.
Foreign vehicles are admitted after registration.
Electric and hydrogen vehicles are always admitted.

Source: Flemish government, low-emission zones (LEZ), read on 9 October 2026.

Wallonia

On 26 April 2024 the Walloon Parliament voted to scrap a low-emission zone for the whole of Wallonia.
Cities and municipalities may introduce one themselves, but according to the Walloon government no Walloon city or municipality has done so yet (updated on 19 August 2025).

Source: SPW Environnement, Wallonia, read on 9 October 2026.

Antwerp

The Antwerp low-emission zone covers the city centre and the Left Bank (Linkeroever).
It applies 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, to all vehicles, (mini)buses included; this also includes tourist coaches.
A diesel vehicle with Euro standard 5 or 6 has access automatically; with Euro standard 4 or lower an LEZ day pass is needed.
A vehicle with a foreign number plate that meets the conditions has to be registered once, free of charge. A Dutch vehicle does not.

Source: City of Antwerp mobility site, low-emission zone (LEZ), read on 9 October 2026.

Ghent

The zone also applies to category M2 (a minibus with more than 8 seats plus the driver, under 5 tonnes) and M3 (a bus or coach over 5 tonnes).
A diesel with Euro 6/VI or Euro 5/V has free access in 2026; with Euro 4/IV it has access after payment; with Euro 3/III or older only with an LEZ day pass.
The Flemish Government decided not to tighten the zone in 2026 and will assess air quality again in 2027.

Source: City of Ghent, access conditions for the low-emission zone, read on 9 October 2026.

A vehicle with a foreign number plate that is admitted must be registered once, free of charge, at the latest the day after you entered the zone.
A Dutch vehicle that is admitted does not need to be registered: its details come automatically from the vehicle register of the RDW (the Dutch vehicle authority).
Processing a registration can take up to 14 days; the city advises doing it in advance.

Source: City of Ghent, LEZ registration: vehicle with a foreign number plate, read on 9 October 2026.

Brussels

The low-emission zone covers the entire Brussels-Capital Region, the 19 municipalities. The Ring is not part of it.
Since 1 January 2026 diesel vehicles with Euro 5, buses and coaches included, no longer meet the access criteria; a diesel must be at least Euro 6.
The zone applies every day of the week, 24 hours a day.

Source: LEZ.brussels, read on 9 October 2026.

Buses and coaches registered abroad must be registered; for a vehicle from the Netherlands this is only needed if it does not meet the rules.
Registration is free and valid for 5 years, and can be done before the trip or up to 5 days after it.
A company with more than 20 vehicles registered abroad can register them together through Brussels Fiscality.

Source: LEZ.brussels, registration, read on 9 October 2026.

A bus or coach that does not meet the rules can enter Brussels exceptionally with a day pass, at most 24 a year per number plate.
A day pass is valid for the day it was bought for, until 6 in the morning the following day.

Source: LEZ.brussels, day pass, read on 9 October 2026.

A coach with a foreign number plate

A coach with a foreign number plate has to be registered in all three zones, even if it meets the rules. Registration is free, and it is best done before the trip. A Dutch coach is the exception: in Antwerp, Ghent and Brussels a Dutch coach that meets the rules does not need to register. If your coach comes from France, Germany or Luxembourg, the coach company takes care of the registration.

Frequently asked questions

Questions about low-emission zones and your coach

Do I as a customer have to arrange anything myself for a low-emission zone?

No. The coach company knows the Euro standard of its coaches and arranges a registration or a day pass if one is needed. Do say in your request which city you are going to.

Can a coach with Euro V still enter Antwerp and Ghent?

Yes. On 28 November 2025 the Flemish Government decided to withdraw the planned tightening of the rules, so a diesel with Euro 5 may still enter. That is a Flemish decision: in Brussels a diesel has had to be at least Euro 6 since 1 January 2026.

Does the Brussels zone also cover the Ring?

No. LEZ.brussels says the Ring is not part of the zone, and nor are some access roads to the park-and-ride car parks.

Do Liège or Charleroi have a low-emission zone?

No. According to the Walloon government, no Walloon city or municipality has introduced one yet.

By coach to these cities

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