Towing a caravan on a B licence: the Belgian rule

Yes, in two cases only. Either the caravan stays at or below 750 kg of maximum authorised mass, or car plus caravan together stay under 3,500 kg. Beyond that you need code 96, and in Belgium that code comes from a practical exam, not from a few hours of training.

On a category B licence, how much weight can I tow?

Two ceilings, and the second one is the one everybody forgets.

The first is simple: a category B licence always allows a trailer whose maximum authorised mass (MMA) does not exceed 750 kg. No condition on the car, no paperwork.

The second kicks in as soon as the caravan weighs more. Your B licence still works, but only if the combined MMA of car and caravan does not exceed 3,500 kg. That is the rule set out by Autosécurité for categories B, B code 96 and BE, and it never refers to the actual loaded weight: only to the maximum authorised masses printed on the two registration certificates.

The distinction is expensive. You can set off with a half-empty caravan and still be outside the law, because the sum is done on approved ceilings.

How do I work out the combined MMA in three minutes?

Take both registration certificates, read box F.2 on each, add them up. The result puts you in one of the six situations below.

The number that matters: 2,250 kg. That is a common MMA for a Belgian family SUV, and it leaves you only 1,250 kg of caravan before you cross the 3,500 kg line. Yet a four-berth family caravan often exceeds 1,300 kg MMA. Plenty of buyers find out after signing, reading the caravan's registration certificate for the first time.

Second trap: your SUV also has a braked towing capacity, printed in box O.1. It is often generous, 1,800 or 2,000 kg on a family SUV, and it is the figure salespeople lead with. It authorises nothing if your licence caps you at 3,500 kg combined. Both limits apply at once and the lower one wins. On the Belgian market, the constraint that bites first is almost always the licence, not the car.

Belgium's code 96 comes from an exam, not a seven-hour course

Be careful with French pages, they dominate this topic and they describe a different procedure. In France, B96 comes from seven hours of driving-school training with no final exam. In Belgium the logic is reversed: no theory test at all, but a practical exam to pass at an approved centre, manoeuvres on private ground first, then driving on public roads. A page that promises you seven hours of training and nothing else is describing a country you do not live in.

What does code 96 cost, and where do you sit it?

36 €. That is the fee for the full practical exam for category BE as well as B code 96, according to the schedule applied at Belgian exam centres since 1 January 2026. If you have already passed the manoeuvres, the public-road section alone costs 31 €, and a 25 € surcharge exists for certain services.

Two routes lead to the exam. Either an approved driving school, with a minimum of eight hours of practical tuition and a car and trailer provided. Or the private route, under a provisional licence issued by your local council, with a supervisor who holds a category B licence, over a period of one to twelve months. Either way the minimum age is 18 and there is no theory test to retake.

On exam day the document list is long, and it covers both vehicles:

• Valid identity card and B licence, for the candidate and for the supervisor.
• Driving-school training certificate, or provisional licence for the private route.
• Registration certificate, insurance card and green inspection certificate for the towing vehicle.
• The same three documents for the caravan, plus its identification report.
• Two external right-hand mirrors on the private route.

One missing document and the exam does not take place, with a 29 € administrative fee charged automatically. The exam fee itself is due at every attempt. And after two consecutive failures, four hours of practical lessons at an approved driving school become compulsory before you can sit it again. Worth assembling the file the night before.

Does your pre-1989 licence already count as a BE?

Yes, and nobody ever told you. Anyone holding a Belgian category B licence issued before 1 January 1989 actually holds BE rights, up to 7,000 kg combined. Le Moniteur Automobile points to article 78 of the royal decree of 23 March 1998 for this automatic equivalence. Your paper licence stays valid as it is. Ask for the bank-card format and category BE is simply printed on it.

Does the caravan need registering and inspecting?

The 750 kg line comes back, and this time it governs the paperwork.

Under 750 kg MMA, the caravan has neither its own registration nor a technical inspection. It carries a copy of the towing vehicle's plate at the rear. In Wallonia one formality survives, and it catches people out: the SPW Finances requires an online declaration before any use on public roads, after which a tax disc (signe distinctif fiscal) must stay visible on board. The Walloon rates in force from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 are 50.16 € up to 500 kg and 104.15 € from 501 to 3,500 kg, indexed every 1 July.

Above 750 kg, the caravan is registered in its own right with the DIV, Belgium's vehicle registration authority, and receives a plate starting with the letter Q. No registration tax, but an annual circulation tax, sent out automatically. Technical inspection becomes compulsory: every year for an ordinary trailer of 750 to 3,500 kg, but every two years for a camping trailer, alongside boat and glider trailers. The tax itself is regional from end to end: SPW Finances in Wallonia, Bruxelles Fiscalité in the Brussels Region, Vlaamse Belastingdienst in Flanders, with rates set separately and reindexed on different dates.

What changes on the road above 3.5 tonnes?

Your top speed, and that is the point licence-focused pages systematically leave out.

As soon as the combined MMA passes 3.5 tonnes, you fall under the heavy-vehicle regime: 90 km/h on the motorway instead of 120. You feel the difference on a Brussels to Perpignan run. Outside built-up areas the limit also depends on the region you are crossing, 70 km/h in Flanders and Brussels against 90 km/h in Wallonia, on ordinary roads and expressways alike.

Driving beyond what your licence allows is no minor offence. You are driving without a valid licence, with the fine that goes with it, and your insurer may refuse to step in after a crash. For a 15,000 € caravan and a new SUV, the trade-off settles itself.

So before you pick the caravan, check two figures in this order: your car's MMA, then its towing capacity. Our selection of SUVs that can tow a caravan gives the approved capacities model by model, and our guide to tow bar bike racks covers nose weight, the other limit stamped on the ball. If fuel use under tow worries you, our survey of the most fuel-efficient SUVs gives the best starting points. And to compare two models on their approved masses, use our comparison tool.

Frequently asked questions

Can I tow a 1,300 kg caravan on a category B licence? It depends entirely on your car's MMA. Add the SUV's MMA (box F.2 on the registration certificate) to the caravan's 1,300 kg. If the total stays under 3,500 kg, your B licence is enough. With a family SUV rated at 2,250 kg MMA you land at 3,550 kg, so you are outside the law without code 96.

Does code 96 mean retaking the theory test? No. A category B holder is exempt from the theory test for both code 96 and BE. Only the practical exam applies, with a manoeuvres section on private ground that must be passed before the public-road section.

How much does the BE or code 96 practical exam cost in Belgium? 36 € for the full exam, according to the fee schedule in force at Belgian exam centres since 1 January 2026. If you have already passed the manoeuvres section, the public-road section alone costs 31 €. Add the hire of a driving-school car and trailer if you have no caravan to present on the day.

Does my caravan need a technical inspection? Under 750 kg MMA, no, and it is not registered either. Above that it gets its own plate starting with Q and goes through the technical inspection every two years as a camping trailer, against every year for an ordinary trailer of 750 to 3,500 kg.

Can I drive at 120 km/h on the motorway with my caravan? Only if the combined MMA stays under 3.5 tonnes. Above that, the Belgian motorway limit is 90 km/h. Outside built-up areas, expect 70 km/h in Flanders and Brussels against 90 km/h in Wallonia, on ordinary roads and expressways alike.

Is my Belgian licence valid for towing abroad? Yes, categories B, B with code 96 and BE are recognised throughout the European Union. Traffic rules do change, though: Germany caps towing at 80 km/h unless you carry a Tempo 100 badge, and Switzerland requires one motorway vignette for the car and a second one for the caravan.