Mobile networks in Belgium

This post is my opinion about the mobile networks available in Belgium.
Mainly three companies own the infrastructure of Belgium's GSM network.
1. Proximus
2. Mobistar
3. Base
All the other names you might see on your phone screen, make use of (one of) the above networks through contract. A full list of available mobile network providers and the network underneath can be found here.

On a personal note, I would suggest you to check the coverage map of any of the above mentioned networks, before you get one. Because some of them are really annoying. I have a 'carrefour mobile' sim card which uses the Base network. Call rates are pretty good in comparison but this base network is annoying at times and I am almost never reachable. Finally I had to get a secondary number (lyca) which uses a proximus network.
If you are living in a bigger city, then the above mentioned issues may not be there.
Share your experiences in the comments section.

Driving Licence in Belgium - Theory exam

This post continues the information on getting a driving licence in Belgium.

Theory examination for driving license is available only in a few centers across Belgium. That means, not all the centers listed in my previous post, conducts a theory exam with an English translator. For example, one can take the exam in English at Bree and Schaerbeek centers. The waiting period for an English exam may be up to a month, as they will wait for a minimum number of candidates to book for the exam. The questions on the computer screen will be in Dutch/French, but you are paying (50€) for an English translator who will translate the questions before your answering timer starts.
The theory examination contains 50 questions and for each questions (after translation), there is 15 sec to answer it. Personally I found the translator helpful because the time the translator does her/his duty, is a bonus for the candidate to look at the picture associated with the question.
One need to answer a minimum of 41 questions correct, in order to pass the exam. Annoying part is that, if you fail for any reason, you will have to wait again for the English test date.

Avoid paying euros to any driving school if you have some idea about traffic rules. You should pass the exam if you can go through the theory and practical question books, atleast one time.

Did I miss anything you wanted to know? 

Driving Licence in Belgium - Requirements

This post will discuss the basic requirements for non-Belgians to obtain driving license in Belgium. Especially, if you are an English speaking candidate. Many foreigners' ('expats/aliens' as they call) driving licenses from their own country is not valid in Belgium and in that case, one has to go through the complete procedure of driving license exam before they can drive in Belgium.

Citizen's of European Economic Area (EEA; EU plus Iceland, Norway and Lichtenstein) with a valid license are not required to exchange their driver’s license.
Several non-EEA countries have bilateral agreement in this context and hence can simply exchange their license to obtain a Belgian license to drive around. But the person must be above 18 year old and registered to the Belgian national registry. A list of these countries can be found here (in Dutch).
Citizens from other non-EEA countries without a bilateral agreement with Belgium  (India, Columbia, Chili, Mexico, ... and all non-EEA countries not listed here) on driving licenses, should pass the theory and practical exams. However, and international license from their home country will allow them a grace period of one year to get the Belgian driving license (data not verified).
Check out your nearby exam centers here:
Flemish region
Walloon, Brussels region
 
Next post will explain more about the theory exam...

Related:
G O C A (Group of companies approved for vehicle test and licence) website (only in Dutch/French) is the official site for all the information regarding driving license as well as the yearly vehicle control.

Diesel or benzine cars in Belgium?

This is a simple analyses to help you decide on whether to buy diesel or petrol (benzine) cars in Belgium.
The road-tax for cars in Belgium is rated mainly according to the engine capacity, the lowest being 1L engined cars. Up to 2L engine, the tax varies between 120 - 300 €/year. So I wouldn't mind buying a 2L car if everything else goes well according to your criteria (However, this reasoning will be invalid once Belgium move to the CO2 emission based tax system).

But... it is the number of km's that you would drive/year that matters. Recent statistics from Belgian motor drivers organization reports that the diesel cars are not saving you much unless one drive more than 30000 km/year. This if you have to pay 1-3000 more for a used diesel compared to its benzine sibling.

Essentially the technology for diesel particulate filters are not fool proof and hence the probable extra maintenance cost must be taken into account in the above calculation. Moreover the new generation turbo charged benzine/essence/petrol motors are more and more fuel efficient.

Anyhow in Belgium, promotion of diesel cars were high till recently which was found to be less sustainable for the society. This fact brings a lot of diesel cars in the second hand market.
In general, there is a high demand for less driven diesel cars which makes the benzine versions cheaper to buy. So get an idea of how many km's you would drive and if (in a practical limit) you would not cross 20000 km/year; then go for a good benzine engine instead.

What car you need / what car you wish ??

Well.. this is purely personal!

If you have a crush with some particular model/brand; then  its easy.

Or if car is only a mean of mobility, then go for the practical one. We will list these in the next post.