Summary
Pursuant to Article 25 of the Royal Decree of 11 May 2004 on the conditions for the approval of driving schools (motor vehicles), certificates of professional competence of directors of driving schools and driving instructors are issued:
- either 1° after passing the examinations referred to in Chapter II of the Order of 11 May 2004 and the completion of a traineeship;
- or, in accordance with the Law of 12 February 2008 establishing a new general framework for the recognition of EU professional qualifications.
Have you acquired professional competence as a director of a driving school in another EU country? You can apply to become a director of a driving school in Wallonia.
If you move to Belgium on a long-term and permanent basis, you must submit an application for the recognition of your professional qualifications and obtain authorisation to direct a school referred to in Article 12(2) of the Royal Decree of 11 May 2004 on the conditions for the approval of driving schools (motor vehicles), and the corresponding certificates referred to in Article 24 of the aforementioned Royal Decree.
Key points
The procedure set out below for recognising professional competence obtained in another EU country is necessary only when the beneficiary intends to establish, in the long-term, its economic activity in Wallonia.
If you only wish to provide occasional and temporary services on Walloon territory, you must inform the administration in advance by means of a written declaration with information on insurance cover or other means of personal or collective protection for professional liability. This written declaration must be accompanied by the following documents:
- proof of your nationality;
- a certificate stating that you are lawfully established in a Member State and that you are not prohibited, even temporarily, from practising your profession;
- a copy of your driving licence;
- proof of your professional qualifications;
- if neither the profession nor the training is regulated in the country in which you are established, proof, by any means, that you have carried out your activities for one year during the previous ten years;
- an extract from the criminal records proving your good conduct;
- proof of a knowledge of French or German;
- a certificate of competence for applicants for a group 2 driving licence (medical certificate).
Any material change to the situation established by these documents should be notified together with new documents evidencing the change.
This notification should be made within three months from the date of the actual change. This declaration should be renewed once a year if the person concerned intends to provide services on a temporary or occasional basis in Belgium in any specific year.
Only instructors are free to provide services, but not directors of a driving school.
This procedure is available in French, English and German.
In detail
Applicants must prove that they speak French or German.
If an applicant for the recognition of professional qualifications cannot prove that they have the language knowledge required by Article 25 of the Law of 12 February 2008 establishing a general framework for the recognition of EU professional qualifications, namely French or German, they should take a test which should show that they have sufficient knowledge of French or German to be a driving instructor.
This test consists of an interview with the chairperson or one of the chairpersons of the examination board.
File creation
In the context of the freedom of establishment, applications for recognition and authorisation for instructors are sent to the Road Transport Service of the Public Service of Wallonia by emailing formation.conduite.automobile@spw.wallonie.be, attaching the following documents:
- Form AE0018 – application for authorisation for instructors found on http://mobilite.wallonie.be/home/je-suis/une-ecolede-conduite/formulaires.html
- The following documents must be provided with the application for authorisation for instructors:
- A copy (double-sided) of the driving licence;
- A copy of your identity card;
- A copy of the attestations of professional competence or of the evidence of formal qualifications for the profession of driving instructor or director of a driving school;
- Documents issued by the relevant authorities of the Member State of origin proving fulfilment of the conditions referred to in Article 12(1), (1), (2) and (4) of the Royal Decree of 11 May 2004 on the conditions for the approval of driving schools (motor vehicles): an extract from the criminal records, dated within the last three months, a copy of the authorisation to instruct and valid medical certificate.
- The following documents must be provided with the application for authorisation for instructors:
Validation of the file
When, pursuant to Article 15 of the Law of 12 February 2008 establishing a general framework for the recognition of EU professional qualifications, the SPW grants access to the profession of the director of a driving school, it grants authorisations to instruct or direct a driving school as referred to in paragraph 4 of Article 12(2) of the Royal Decree and the corresponding certificates referred to in Article 24 of the Royal Decree of 11 May 2004.
There is no fee for applying for the recognition of professional qualifications.
The authorisation for instructors is issued within one month of the date of receipt of proof that the applicant meets all the required conditions.
The Minister or delegate may extend the period within which a decision is given, by one month. It will inform the applicant accordingly. If authorisation to be a driving school director or instructor, after submitting a complete application, is not issued within the time limits laid down, this will be deemed an acceptance.
The following documents must be provided with the application for authorisation to instruct:
- A copy (double-sided) of the driving licence;
- A copy of your identity card;
- A copy of the attestations of professional competence or the evidence of formal qualifications for the profession of driving instructor or director of a driving school;
- Documents issued by the relevant authorities of the home Member State proving compliance with the conditions referred to in Article 12(1), (1), (2) and (4) of the Royal Decree of 11 May 2004 on the conditions for the approval of driving schools (motor vehicles): an extract from the criminal records, dated within the last three months, a copy of the authorisation to instruct and valid medical certificate.