The Walloon government laid out its budget plans on Monday, 12 October, revealing that a key part of its financing strategy will be the introduction of a compulsory motorway vignette.
Set to come into force on 1 May 2027, the vignette will be one of the two main sources of funding for the region’s infrastructure plan, alongside an extension of the kilometre-based levy currently applied to heavy goods vehicles.
The aim is to provide sustainable funding "to maintain roads, renovate bridges, and modernise transport networks". According to government estimates, the annual revenue from the vignette is expected to reach €327 million.
The new vignette will be mandatory for all cars and vans under 3.5 tonnes, regardless of whether they are registered in Belgium or abroad.
Pricing will vary according to vehicle type and emissions: €90 per year for electric vehicles, €100 for vehicles meeting Euro 4 standards or later, and €125 annually for vehicles with €0 to €3 certification.
For short-term visitors, the government plans to introduce temporary vignettes valid for one day, 10 days, one month, or two months, although the exact prices for these options have yet to be decided.
Only emergency vehicles, police, public service vehicles, and vehicles driven by people with significant disabilities will be exempt from the new charge.
Enforcement will rely on automatic number plate recognition, and the penalties for non-compliance will be strict: a first offence will result in a €70 fine, which is almost equivalent to an annual vignette for electric vehicles, with repeat offenders facing increased fines of up to €210.
