Calculating a traffic fine in Belgium: fixed amounts, surcharge multipliers and ability to pay

How is a traffic fine calculated in Belgium? It all depends on the route your case takes. With an immediate payment (perception immédiate) or an out-of-court settlement (transaction pénale), you pay a fixed amount. If your case goes before the police judge, the judge sets the fine, within the limits of the law, increased by the surcharge multiplier known as décimes additionnels.

Below, we explain why the amount in a judgment is often higher than expected, and how the judge can take your financial situation into account. How the procedure itself works is explained in our guide to traffic offences, their degrees and the procedure.

Two types of traffic fine

Feature	Immediate payment or out-of-court settlement	Fine from the police judge
Who sets the amount?	Fixed amount laid down in the regulations, or the public prosecutor (parquet)	The judge, within a statutory range
Conviction?	No, the case is closed	Yes, on your criminal record
Driving ban possible?	No	Yes
Your income taken into account?	No	Yes, if you ask

How much is an immediate payment?

The amounts are set by royal decree. They increased by 10% on 1 July 2026. According to the FPS Mobility (press release of 19 June 2026) and the federal police (press release of 7 July 2026), the amounts are now as follows:

Offence	Amount since 1 July 2026
First degree	64 euros
Second degree	128 euros
Third degree	191 euros
Fourth degree	520 euros
Speed: first 10 km/h over the limit	58 euros
Each additional km/h, in a built-up area	12 euros
Each additional km/h, outside a built-up area	7 euros

On top of this comes an administrative surcharge, which according to the police amounts to 10.67 euros in 2026. What the degrees mean is explained in our guide to traffic offences. For speeding, see our guide to speeding.

If you do not pay the immediate payment, the public prosecutor can offer an out-of-court settlement. Its amount is set by the public prosecutor (procureur du Roi). If you do not pay that either, a payment order (ordre de paiement) often follows: a higher amount, with an administrative surcharge. You can appeal within 30 days. See our article on appealing against a payment order.

How does the police judge set the fine?

Step 1: the penalty level

Since 1 September 2026, the penalties for traffic offences have been expressed in the penalty levels of the new Criminal Code. The Road Traffic Act (loi relative à la police de la circulation routière) uses levels 1 to 3. Each level has its own range of fines. Within that range, the judge is free to choose the amount, taking into account the seriousness of the facts, your record and your personal situation. If the judge finds mitigating circumstances, a lower level can be applied.

Step 2: the surcharge multiplier (décimes additionnels)

The amount chosen by the judge is then multiplied by the décimes additionnels (Act of 5 March 1952). This mechanism allows the legislature to adjust all fines for inflation in one go, without amending each individual law.

This mechanism has changed twice in recent months:

Period	Coefficient	Effect
Until 31 January 2026	70 décimes	amount × 8
From 1 February 2026 (Act of 19 December 2025)	90 décimes	amount × 10
Fines based on the new Criminal Code (Act of 16 March 2026)	2.5 décimes	amount × 1.25

Why suddenly 1.25? The amounts in the new Criminal Code have already been multiplied by 8. To bring them up to the level of the old factor of 10, adding 25% is enough. The judgment usually states the basic fine and the amount after the increase. The latter is what you pay.

Which system applies to older facts?

For facts before 1 September 2026, the judge applies the system that is most favourable to you. A new, stricter law does not have retroactive effect. For facts before 1 February 2026, the old factor of 8 may also still apply.

Does the judge take your income into account?

Yes, but only if you provide the information yourself. Article 52, §2, of the new Criminal Code requires the judge, when setting the fine, to take into account the information you put forward about your financial capacity and your social situation. This covers your income, assets, standard of living and outgoings.

Below the statutory minimum

If you show that you are in a precarious financial situation, the judge can impose a fine below the statutory minimum. Under the new Criminal Code, any evidence that makes your situation plausible is sufficient. An official certificate is no longer strictly necessary.

One caveat: the judge is not obliged to go below the minimum. On 22 April 2025 (P.25.0227.N), the Court of Cassation accepted that a judge may refuse to reduce the fine because the defendant was partly responsible for their own financial difficulties.

Which documents should you bring?

• your payslips, a benefits certificate or your tax assessment notice (avertissement-extrait de rôle);
• proof of your fixed outgoings, such as rent, a loan or maintenance payments;
• documents relating to debts or a collective debt settlement (règlement collectif de dettes).

The judge rules on guilt and on the penalty in a single judgment. So bring these documents to the first hearing.

Can I pay a traffic fine in instalments?

Yes. Under the new Criminal Code, the judge can allow you to pay the fine in instalments, if the circumstances justify it (Article 52, §2, of the Criminal Code). So ask for this at the hearing.

After the judgment, the FPS Finance collects the fine. You can also ask them for a repayment plan. For an out-of-court settlement, you can ask for payment in instalments online via the FPS Justice’s Just-on-web. Do so before the payment deadline expires.

What happens if you do not pay?

In the past, an unpaid fine could be converted into alternative imprisonment (emprisonnement subsidiaire). The new Criminal Code has abolished this, because it mainly affected people with no money.

Not paying still has consequences, however:

• the State can recover the fine by force, for example by attaching your salary, your bank account or your property;
• for unpaid traffic fines, a driving ban may follow until you have paid. Read more in our article on a licence suspended for an unpaid fine.

Which other costs are added?

Anyone who is convicted pays, in addition to the fine, the court costs and a few flat-rate contributions, such as the one to the Fund for victims of intentional acts of violence. These are not penalties, but they are included in the judgment. The costs of a blood test or an expert report may also be charged to you.

Frequently asked questions

Have your case reviewed

Have you been summoned to appear before the police court (tribunal de police)? We check which system applies to your facts and which documents about your financial situation can limit the amount. Contact us.

Law as at 30 September 2026. We update this article when the rules change.