FAQ

Foreign Driving License

We distinguish between a European national driving license and a non-European national driving license. Depending on the conditions, you may be able to exchange your driving license. Below, you will find lists of the countries with European or non-European national driving licenses that are exchangeable in Belgium:

• List of countries in the European Union and the European Economic Area that issue driving licenses
• List of countries outside the European Union or the European Economic Area that issue recognized driving licenses

European National Driving License

A European national driving license is a license issued by a member state of the European Union or the European Economic Area (European Union plus Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein). You are allowed to drive on public roads in Belgium if you hold a valid European national driving license. You may only possess one European national driving license.

European National Driving License Without an Administrative Validity Date

Do you have a valid European driving license without an administrative validity date (mainly paper driving licenses) and have you been registered in a Belgian municipality for at least two years? Then you are required to exchange it for a Belgian driving license with a new administrative validity date. You have two years to exchange it; otherwise, you will be in violation of the law.

European National Driving License With an Administrative Validity Date

The validity period of a European national driving license is a maximum of fifteen years. Member states mutually recognize the issued driving licenses, which are mainly made of polycarbonate in a bank card format.

As long as the validity period of your European driving license has not expired, exchanging it for a Belgian national driving license is not necessary.

Exchanging a European National Driving License

You can exchange your European national driving license at your local municipality. To ensure the exchange is completed on time, we recommend initiating the process three months before your driving license expires.

Non-European National Driving License

A non-European national driving license is a license issued in a country outside the European Union or the European Economic Area. If you have a valid and recognized non-European driving license, you are allowed to drive on public roads in Belgium for a maximum period of 185 days from the date of your registration in Belgium.

Exchanging a Non-European National Driving License

You may exchange your non-European national driving license for a Belgian national driving license at your municipality if the following conditions are met:

• You have been registered in Belgium for at least 185 days
• The driving license model is recognized (see the list of recognized non-European driving licenses)
• The driving license is still valid
• The driving license was issued during a period when you were not registered in Belgium
• Your nationality corresponds to that of the issuing country and/or you can prove that you resided in that country for at least 185 days
• The authenticity of the driving license has been confirmed by the authenticity verification unit

If your country is not on the list, you will need to follow the standard procedure with theoretical and practical exam, driver training with provisional license M18 or M36. Regardless of your current driving skills.

Why Do We Use Pickup Points for Driving Lessons?

At Codrive, we focus on flexibility and efficiency for both our students and coaches. That’s why we work with fixed pickup points instead of starting all lessons from our office. We don't offer home-pickup, not even against extra cost.
 

✅ Easily accessible by public transport – Locations like Antwerp Central and Berchem Station make it easy for you to reach your starting point.
✅ Calm starting locations – For beginners, we offer large parking areas outside the city, such as Olympia Hockey.
✅ Practice in the right areas immediately – No time wasted, you’ll drive straight to the zones where your exam will take place.
✅ Fully digital and flexible scheduling – Our driving lessons and exams are linked to specific coaches and pickup points, making it easy to book online.

Our Pickup Points
 

📍 Antwerp Central Station – Mediaplein, 2018 Antwerp
📍 Berchem Station – Uitbreidingstraat 470, 2600 Berchem
📍 Olympia Hockey – Vogelzanglaan 6, 2020 Antwerp (large parking outside the city)
📍 Codrive Headquarters – Jan van Rijswijcklaan 277-1, 2020 Antwerp (P+R Olympiade)

Important Information About Our Coaches

To keep scheduling efficient, each coach operates from specific pickup points:

• Coach Saffir and Etienne → Only Headquarters / P+R Olympiade
• Coach Glenn, Naoufal, and Dirk → Only Olympia Hockey
• Coach Tom → Only Antwerp Central and Berchem Station
• Coach Rafal → All pickup points
   

🔹 Looking for more lessons or exam slots? Check other pickup points on the website for more availability.

Any questions? We’re happy to help! 🚗💨

If your M36 was issued after February 29, 2024, your supervisor must have followed a training moment. This must have been followed at least 5 months before the exam. If you received your M36 after exchanging an M18 after February 29, 2024, the 5-month requirement does not apply.

When registering for the exam, you must upload a copy of this training moment certificate, but you must also bring the original with you on the day of your exam.

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• Set your browser's security settings to allow pop-ups for our site
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If you still have problems, please contact our secretariat.

That depends on your personal situation.

• If you have the luxury of having a supervisor with whom you can practice, then you should choose the M12.
   
• If you do not have that luxury, then there is a solution via an internship certificate.
  With this, you are only allowed to drive and take exam(s) via the recognized driving school, even if you no longer have a real provisional driving license.

• The M12 can be considered a kind of one-time extension of your provisional driving licence, for a period of 12 months.
   
• The rules are the same as for the M36: you may only practice with an instructor. Or of course with a coach from the driving school. But not alone.
   
• The M12 can be obtained after you have taken 6 hours of driving lessons after the expiry of the validity of your M36 or M18.
   
• With the M12 you can therefore take the driving test again, without having to wait 5 months again.

• If you have failed your practical exam twice in a row.
  This means that you must have completed 6 hours of driving lessons before you take your practical exam for the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, etc.
   

• Apart from the above condition, you must also take 6 hours of driving lessons AFTER your provisional M36 or M18 driving license expires, so that you can apply for an M12 from the municipality.
   

• Apart from the above condition, you must also take 6 hours of driving lessons AFTER your provisional M36 or M18 driving license expires and you want to take the exam based on an internship certificate. You can apply for this internship certificate from the municipality immediately after your M18 or M36 expires, but you can only take the exam after you have completed those 6 hours of driving lessons after the expiry of your M36 or M18.
  
  If you applied for the internship certificate after your M12 expired, and you did not take a practical exam during the validity of your M12, you must bring a duplicate of the 6-hour certificate (with which you applied for your M12) to your new practical exam. If you did take an exam during your M12, this is not necessary.

Please contact our secretariat for this.

In this case, please contact our secretariat.
 

Yes.
All driving lessons count towards certificates for 3 years.

No.

No.

You can find our prices on https://www.codrive.be/en/offer.
We don't do discounts.

To see if we are currently offering theory lessons, go to www.codrive.be/nl/booking.
If no theory lessons are visible there, we are not currently offering theory lessons.

An internship certificate is sometimes also called "appendix 4" or "certificate of training".
It is used by candidates whose provisional driving licence is no longer valid, and who cannot find a supervisor to apply for a new provisional driving licence (M12).

The internship certificate can be obtained from the town hall, in exchange for the expired provisional driving licence.
On condition that 6 hours of driving lessons are followed after the expiry of the provisional driving licence, the candidate can take a driving test with this internship certificate (no need to wait another 5 months). Driving lessons are of course also possible.

In this case, you can try to book the first lessons with that coach, and then plan the remaining lessons with the coach during the lesson.
Another option is to alternate with other coaches during your driving training, which can have advantages or disadvantages.

All driving school lessons count towards driving school certificates, provided they are no more than 3 years old.

So if your certificate lists lessons that are older than 3 years, your certificate is no longer valid.

Yes, provided that there is at least 3 years between the end of your expired M18 and the start of your new M18.

One day before each driving lesson you will receive an email with, among other things, the telephone number of your coach.
Add "hello@codrive.be" to your safe list, or check your spam folder.

You can find the pick-up point of your driving lesson in the client-zone of our website (www.codrive.be/en/mycodrive).
 

All available driving lessons are listed in our online calendar.
Experience shows that the vast majority of lessons take place during the week during the day. Although there are certainly coaches who also work in the evenings and on weekends.
We cannot offer any other lessons than those listed on our website.

 

Free cancellation / rescheduling is possible up to:

5 days in advance for driving lessons.
8 working days in advance for exams.

Cancellations must be arranged via our secretariat.
Reschedulings must be arranged by the customer themselves via the customer zone on our website.

Cancellations or reschedulings at shorter notice than mentioned above:

A refund or free reschedule is only possible in the event of proven force majeure. 
This proof must be provided no later than 48 hours after the cancelled driving lesson or exam.

The exam fee will always be charged in case of cancellation or rescheduling of the driving exam less than 8 working days before the driving exam.

Among other things, not being administratively in order to participate in the driving exam (validity of theory expired, no ID card, etc.) is not considered force majeure.

No.

All lessons must be booked and paid for via the website.
You can come to the office for a chat or help with the booking, but payment is always via the website, no cash.

Yes.

All lessons and exams must be booked and paid for via the booking module on our website.

A crash course is an intensive training program, where you take driving lessons almost every day. In this way, you quickly build up skills and experience. A talented student, who starts from scratch, can be ready for the exam after a minimum of 40 hours of driving lessons (30 hours for automatic). The less talented ones will definitely need many more lessons, this depends on the person.


Apart from being able to "drive", you must of course also take a practical exam.
Here we are faced with the administrative restriction of a mandatory 5-month practice period, starting from the start date of the provisional driving license, before you can take the driving exam.


So if you want a crash course and subsequent exam, it is best to start the course after a period of 4 months of provisional driving license. By the time we reach the 5 months, you will have been able to take sufficient lessons, and you can go straight to the exam.

There could be several reasons for this:
 

• The coach has no more free lessons.
  In that case, it is best to regularly check the agenda to see when lessons are possible again.
   
• ​​​​​​​You may have chosen the wrong transmission.
  Not all coaches teach automatic or manual.
  Go back a few steps in the booking flow, and choose the correct transmission.
   
• You may be in the agenda of a different pick-up point.
  Not all coaches work from the same pick-up point.
  Go back to the beginning of the booking, and choose one or more other pick-up points.

You are probably looking at the wrong calendar.
Each pick-up point has its own lesson and exam calendar. Go back to the beginning of the booking and choose multiple pick-up points.

No, if you want our coach to accompany you, you must cancel your exam in free guidance and then book the exam through our driving school.

No, you can only take a driving exam with a coach in our driving school car.

No, an exam guidance is always combined with 2 hours of driving lesson just before the exam.

No, not necessarily.
It is perfectly possible that an exam is available on a certain day at one pick-up point, but not at another pick-up point. So if you are urgently looking for a lesson or exam, indicate all pick-up points in the booking module.

We do not contact you when a coach has opened lessons on the website. Please check our booking module regularly for availability.

There is no fixed line in this. Our coaches decide themselves when to open lessons. This can sometimes be 2 months in advance, but sometimes only 3 weeks. Keeping an eye on the website often gives the best chance of success.

All available lessons and exams are online on our website. We do not have any extra free lessons or exams. If there are no lessons available at the times you want, it means that we are fully booked at that moment.

All driving lessons and exams must be booked via the booking module on our website.

The driving training for category B (car driving) in Flanders is organized in several steps to prepare you for driving a car safely and independently. Below is an overview of the different components and requirements:

 

1. Theory
 

• Theory exam:
   

  • Before starting practical training, you must pass the theory exam. Exception : practical lessons in the driving school may already be taken before passing the theory exam.
  • The exam consists of 50 multiple-choice questions about traffic rules, traffic insight, and driving skills. You need to score at least 41/50 to pass.
  • You can take this exam from the age of 17.
  • If you fail, you can retake it the next day. There is no limit to the number of attempts, but after failing twice, you are required to attend 12 hours of theory lessons at a driving school.
  • Online booking of your theory exam: https://examencentrum.autoveiligheid.be/
     

• Preparation:
   

  • Self-study with books, online platforms, or apps
     
    • English theory book (with login code for mock exam questions on their website).
    • https://www.mijnrijbewijsb.be/
    • https://www.drivinglicence-belgium.be/
       
  • Alternatively, you can attend theory lessons at a recognized driving school.
    
     

2. Practical Training
 

After passing the theory exam, you can start practical training. There are two possible routes:
 

a. Training through a driving school:

• You take at least 20 hours of driving lessons at a recognized driving school.
• You can choose manual or automatic.
• If the driving school deems you fit, you receive a provisional driving license valid for 18 months (M18). With this, you can drive independently (manual and automatic) for 18 months without a supervisor. You are expected to pass your driving test within this period.
   

b. Training with a supervisor:

• You practice with a supervisor (such as a parent, relative, or friend) who has held a driving license for at least 8 years and has not committed serious traffic offenses in the past 3 years.
• You apply for a provisional driving license valid for 36 months (M36). With this, you can practice under supervision. You are expected to pass your driving test within this period.
  
   

3. Practice Period
 

• During the practice period, you gain experience on the road to become proficient. This must last at least 5 months.
• You are not allowed to take the driving test during this period.
• With the M36, you can only drive with your supervisor present.
• With the M18, you can drive independently and are allowed to carry a maximum of 2 passengers who have held a driving license for at least 8 years.
  
   

4. Risk Perception Test
 

• This is a computer-based test where you assess traffic situations for potential risks.
• The test takes approximately 15 minutes, and you must pass it before taking the practical exam.
• You can take this test at an exam center, usually just before the practical exam.
  
   

5. Practical Exam
 

• You can take the practical exam once you have gained enough experience and completed the minimum practice period.
• The exam consists of several parts:
  • A vehicle check.
  • Maneuvers such as parking and turning in a narrow street.
  • A drive on public roads, during which an examiner evaluates your driving skills.
  • GPS driving.
• If you fail, you can already retake the test the next day.
• If you pass the exam with an automatic car, your final license gets "code 78", only allowing you to drive an automatic car.
  
   

6. Number of Attempts
 

• You can attempt both the theory and practical exams an unlimited number of times.
• However, every time you fail the practical exam twice in a row, you are required to take at least 6 hours of driving lessons at a driving school before being allowed to take the exam again (up to two attempts).
  
   

7. Final Driving License

• Once you pass the practical exam, you receive a provisional certificate and can apply for your final driving license at the municipality. Six months after obtaining your license, you are required to attend a mandatory follow-up session (the "return moment"). This session lasts 4 hours and consists of group discussions and exercises on a private track.
  
   

Important Points to Note:
 

• With a provisional license, you are not allowed to drive between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM on weekends and public holidays.
• If you do not pass the practical exam within 36 months, your theory exam will expire, and you will need to retake and pass the theory exam.
• During the validity of your provisional license, you can switch once between the two models (with or without a supervisor).
• If your provisional license expires, you can continue your driving training under two conditions:
  1. Take at least 6 hours of driving lessons at a driving school and obtain an M12, a provisional license with a supervisor valid for one year.
  2. Surrender your M36 or M18 and receive a training certificate instead. With this certificate, you can take driving lessons and the exam through the driving school, provided you first complete 6 hours of mandatory lessons.

Goodluck!
 

The practice period for the first provisional driving license continues as usual.
So if you switch after 5 months, you can immediately go to the practical exam with the new provisional driving license.
Please note, switching is only possible under the following conditions:

• The validity of your first provisional driving license has not yet expired at the time of the switch.
• Your theory is still valid (3y)

If you can prove that you have a provisional driving license and have completed the mandatory minimum practice period of 5 months, you can participate in the practical exam, after 20 hours of driving lessons.

However, you usually do not have a provisional driving license if you have just finished your 20h driving lesson, because you want to obtain an M18.

It is usually a good idea to take the first lessons with the same coach.
Not only for you, but also for the coach, who likes to complete "his" project to the end.
We recommend that you take 70 - 80% of your lessons with your "basic coach".
And we certainly recommend taking at least one lesson with another coach, this gives energy.

However, if you like a lot of variety, both from coach and car, then it is better to switch.
In any case, your progress is recorded in our administration, so that the coaches always see what you learned in the previous lesson.

Yes.

Yes!

We do recommend that you go through the theory before you come to the driving lesson.
Especially right of way, speeds and location on the road are important.

We cooperate with the following platform for theory and practical lessons: www.mijnrijbewijsB.be

That depends on what situation you are in.

• You are obliged to take 20h of driving lessons if you wish to obtain a provisional driving license with which you can only practice (M18)
• You are obliged to take 6 hours of driving lessons in the following cases:

1. Your provisional driving license is no longer valid and you wish:
   • switch to an M12
   • to participate in the practical exam via the driving school
2. You have not passed the practical exam twice in a row and you wish to take the practical exam again.

If you are not one in the above cases (for instance if you have a foreign license), you are free to choose the number of lessons you want, whether or not in consultation with your coach.

We work cashless.
We have invested in online payment options such as Paypal, bancontact, Mastercard, Visa.
This is the only way to order and pay for the driving lessons.
You can arrange all appointments for the driving lessons and exams yourself via the website.

For the candidates who cannot pay for the full package in one go, we recommend ordering in pieces.
Via the "free lessons", you can order lessons per lesson, until you finally arrive at 20h in total.

All our available driving lessons are online.
You can view this via "book now" or "view availability".
You choose a lesson package, transmission, pick-up point, and see all available lessons.
To view the available exams, select an exam package.
New exams appear online every Friday afternoon.
It is worthwhile to check our lesson agenda on a daily basis.

All lessons and exams that you take through our driving school are given in the lesson car.

No, you need to order the exam separately.