Parking policy in Brussels

In Brussels the municipalities are in charge of the parking policy on their territory. With 19 different municipalities, there are also 19 different parking regulations. Whenever you park a car in Brussels, there are three options: a) pay and display (buy a ticket form a terminal and display it behind the windscreen) b) residents’ perking permit and you don’t have to pay c) place a blue parking disc behind the windscreen.

If you are a resident of a Brussels municipality, you can request a resident’s card (or 'municipal parking permit’). This card allows you to park free of charge in your own street and also for the most part in your entire neighbourhood (or several neighbourhoods within the municipality).  Each family can request one resident’s card free of charge. You will have to pay for a second card (for a second vehicle). Submit an application for a resident’s card to your municipal administration. Bring your ID card, vehicle registration and proof of insurance. In a few municipalities, the card can be renewed on the Internet.

Nearly everywhere in the Brussels-Capital Region you will have to pay to park your car on public roads. This discourages people to travel by car within the city. You can find parking terminals in many locations. Hours and amounts for these parking terminals vary from one municipality to another and sometimes even from street to street.

Most municipalities also have blue zones (mostly in and around shopping streets) for short-term parking (from 1 to 4 hours) where you are to place a blue parking disc behind the windscreen. These discs are sold in supermarkets for less than 5 euros.

Would you like to know more about the parking policy in your municipality? Go take a look at your municipality’s website or download the following study. It is nonetheless not easy to know in which municipality you are located. Various long roads in the Brussels-Capital Region run through various municipalities and drivers often have to be both municipal geography and parking regulations experts.

There are, in addition, various public paid car parks in the capital. Motorists are electronically guided from the circular road (road around the historic centre of Brussels) to these car parks. With an electronic arrow system you can see how many spaces are still available. These car parks are managed by private companies. Further information about these car parks, with addresses, rates and number of spaces can be found on Brussels Mobility.