Exceptional transport permits in Belgium: categories 1 to 4 explained

Belgium sorts exceptional transport into four permit categories, based on the dimensions and mass of the vehicle or combination. Category 1 (up to 3.50 m wide, 4.00 m high and the normal 44 t) gets a permanent permit for all roads, valid for up to 5 years. Category 2 (up to 4.25 m wide, 4.50 m high, 90 t) gets a permanent permit for a road network, valid for up to 1 year. Category 3 (up to 5.00 m wide, 4.80 m high, 120 t) gets a temporary network permit of up to 4 months. Category 4 is everything above that: a temporary permit of up to 2 months for one detailed route, printed in the annex. A load falls in the highest category that any single value reaches. Every application goes through WebTEUV, the portal Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels share.

The four categories at a glance

	Category 1	Category 2	Category 3	Category 4
Length, single vehicle	≤ 19 m	≤ 22 m	≤ 28 m	above 28 m
Length, combination	≤ 27 m	≤ 30 m	≤ 35 m	above 35 m
Width	≤ 3.50 m	≤ 4.25 m	≤ 5.00 m	above 5.00 m
Height	≤ 4.00 m	≤ 4.50 m	≤ 4.80 m	above 4.80 m
Mass	normal (44 t)	≤ 90 t	≤ 120 t	above 120 t
Permit	permanent	permanent	temporary	temporary
Maximum validity	5 years	1 year	4 months	2 months
Roads	all roads, no imposed route	network (class 90, crane or motorway network)	network class 120	detailed route in the annex

Two things catch people out:

• One value decides. A 16.50 m tractor and low-loader at 2.55 m wide but 5.00 m high is a category 4 transport on its height alone.
• The category is not printed on the permit. You derive it from the envelope on the permit. The same goes for the start date: the permit only says “valid until”, so the earliest start is that date minus the maximum validity.

The rules behind the permit

Four texts set the framework:

• KB/AR 02/06/2010 on the road traffic of exceptional vehicles: categories, validity, time bans and on-board rules. It still applies in Flanders and Brussels; in Wallonia only articles 6 and 8 remain.
• MB/AM 16/12/2010: the procedure and the form and content of the permit.
• BVR 20/12/2013: the Flemish implementation, covering escorts, route rules and validity.
• AGW 21/03/2024: Wallonia’s own regime, in force since 1 March 2024, with some parts only from 1 March 2027.

Who issues the permit

Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels

Three road authorities issue permits: AWV Team Zwaar Vervoer in Flanders, SPW Mobilité et Infrastructures in Wallonia and Brussels Mobility in Brussels. A Belgian applicant’s case goes to the region of the applicant’s address.

Routes that cross regions

A detailed route needs the approval of every region it crosses. That is why a single category 4 permit can carry the logos of more than one region.

WebTEUV: the only way to apply

All three regions share one portal, WebTEUV 2.0. Belgian companies log in with CSAM. There is no public API, no export and no open data: the PDF permit is the only output.

• Decision time: 5 working days, or 15 when road or bridge managers must be consulted. An application filed after 12:00 counts from the next working day (MB art. 7).
• Vehicle library: since 23 April 2025, WebTEUV stores your vehicles with chassis number, axle spacings and axle masses. From 12 January 2027, only validated vehicles can be used in an application.

What is printed on a permit

The technical sheet, the route and the annexes are legally part of the permit (MB art. 10 §2). A condition on the last page binds as much as the header.

Vehicles: chassis numbers, not plates

Vehicles are bound by chassis number (VIN). A permit names one reference vehicle and up to two substitutes; for a combination, that is up to two substitute tractors and two substitute trailers (MB art. 4). When the mass is within the normal limits, only the tractor is named and any trailer may be used (MB art. 4 §2). Wallonia also accepts a plate instead of a chassis number.

Validity, load and envelope

Each permit carries its number, the holder, the legal basis, the “valid until” date, a description of the load and the envelope: length, width and height in centimetres, and the mass either “conform” (the normal limits) or a stated figure in kilograms.

Route type and the route annex

The permit states one of three route types: all roads, a network, or a detailed route in the annex (reisweg in bijlage / itinéraire en annexe). A detailed route lists the start and end address, then rows of road number, locality and remark. It can also restrict direction, for example “route valid one way only”.

Conditions, time windows and notices

Conditions sit in the route remarks and in the annexes of each road authority. Typical ones are closures with dates, windows in which the transport may or may not drive, and advance notices. One real annex requires 15 working days’ notice to the public-transport operator for loads higher than 5.00 m. A time window on the permit can override the general time bans.

Rules that apply on the road

• Original on board. The original permit with its annexes stays in the vehicle or with the escort coordinator (KB art. 36).
• Reconnaissance. The route must be reconnoitred no more than 5 calendar days before the trip.
• Time bans (KB art. 30, Flanders and Brussels). No driving 06:00–21:00 if wider than 4.00 m or longer than 30 m. No driving 07:00–09:00 and 16:00–18:00 unless the load is at most 60 t, 3.50 m wide and 27 m long. No driving from Saturday 12:00 to Sunday 24:00 (mobile cranes excepted), on public holidays from 16:00 the day before, or in snow, ice or visibility under 200 m.
• Wallonia (AGW art. 35). The weekend ban starts Saturday 22:00, mobile cranes are exempt only up to 108 t, and orange or red weather warnings also stop transports.
• Escort (BVR art. 6/1, Flanders). One escort vehicle above 30 m long, 3.50 m wide or 90 t; two above 35 m, 4.50 m wide, 4.80 m high or 180 t; three above 40 m or 5 m wide. When the permit asks for a police escort, it must be requested at least 4 working days ahead (BVR art. 7).
• Leaving the route (BVR art. 13). Only within 5 km in a straight line at the start or end, or on a forced detour, at no more than 30 km/h, 12 t per axle and without crossing bridges spanning more than 4.5 m.

Common failure modes

• A network permit lapses unnoticed. Permanent permits run for a year or more, and nobody watches the date.
• The renewal starts too late. With 15 working days’ decision time, a reminder 7 calendar days out is no reminder.
• The wrong tractor leaves. The substitute in the yard is not one of the chassis numbers on the permit.
• A notice is missed. The 15-working-day notice sits on page 6, and the transport is planned for next week.
• The trip lands in a closure window printed in the route remarks.
• The driver leaves the route for a road that is not on the annex.
• The original is not on board. A copy does not replace the original with its annexes.

Pre-trip checklist

1. The permit is valid on the day of the trip and covers the direction you drive.
2. The tractor’s chassis number, and the trailer’s if named, is on the permit.
3. The loaded dimensions and mass are within the envelope on the permit.
4. Every advance notice in the conditions and annexes has been sent in time.
5. Escort vehicles are booked; a police escort, if required, was requested 4 working days ahead.
6. The route was reconnoitred within the last 5 calendar days.
7. Departure falls outside the time bans and the permit’s own closures, and the weather allows it.
8. The original permit with all annexes is in the cab.

How Konvoi helps

Konvoi does not apply for permits: WebTEUV has no API, so that stays in WebTEUV. Konvoi reads the permit PDFs that come out of it.

• Reviewed before it counts. Every permit is checked by a person, with each value tied to where it was read in the PDF.
• Category and vehicles. Konvoi works out the category from the dimensions and mass, and links the permit to vehicles by chassis number, including substitute tractors and trailers.
• Register and alerts. A register with a coverage timeline per vehicle; expiry and gap alerts in the daily fleet-health e-mail. Default lead times are 90 days for category 1, 45 for category 2, 21 for category 3, 7 for category 4 and 30 for foreign permits.
• Conditions as a checklist. Structured conditions, time bans and public holidays, an escort calculator, drafts of the required advance notices and a pre-trip checklist.
• The route. For category 4, an advisory truck route line that you can export as GPX. The text of the permit stays binding.
• In the cab. The driver sees the permit PDF full screen, offline too, in the driver portal, with its conditions and departure windows.
• Abroad. UK STGO notifications and permits from the Netherlands, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Denmark and Spain sit in the same register, with foreign conditions translated to English and Dutch.

Permits is a paid module, switched on per workspace. See pricing.