Weekend driving ban or a ban limited to certain vehicles

For anyone who has to drive for work, a driving ban (déchéance du droit de conduire) of a few weeks or a few months often causes a financial problem. A lorry driver, a nurse who works night shifts or a self-employed plumber cannot work without a licence. The law therefore allows the police court (tribunal de police) judge to adapt the ban: only at weekends, or only for certain vehicles.

These options are by no means automatic. You have to ask for them yourself and justify them properly, and they are excluded in certain situations. In this article you will find out how the weekend driving ban and the ban limited to certain categories work, when they are impossible and what you should put before the judge. The general rules are set out in our overview of the driving ban in Belgium.

What is a weekend driving ban?

With a weekend driving ban, you can drive normally during the week. The ban only applies:

• at weekends, from Friday 8 pm to Sunday 8 pm;
• around public holidays, from 8 pm on the day before until 8 pm on the public holiday itself.

This option is provided for in Article 38, § 2bis of the Road Traffic Act. It applies to every driver who holds a driving licence. It still exists after the reform of 1 September 2026.

Why at weekends?

The legislator wanted to give the judge a way of keeping drivers off the road precisely at the times when many accidents happen: Friday evenings, weekends and public holidays. The Constitutional Court ruled on 2 June 2016 (judgment no. 88/2016) that this scheme does not breach the Constitution, even though it mainly benefits people who work during the week. Someone who works at weekends cannot therefore demand that his or her ban be served during the week.

How long does a weekend driving ban last?

The judge sets the length in the judgment. Because you are only unable to drive for part of the week, a weekend ban will generally last longer than an ordinary ban. Ask the judge to word the length as clearly as possible, so that there is no doubt later about the last day.

A driving ban limited to certain vehicles

Article 45 of the Road Traffic Act allows the judge to limit the ban to certain vehicle categories. These are the driving licence categories, such as AM (moped), A (motorcycle), B (car), C (lorry) and D (bus).

There is a strict limit: if you committed the offence with a motor vehicle, the ban must at least cover the category of that vehicle. Someone who was speeding in his or her car therefore always receives at least a ban for category B.

A typical example: a lorry driver drove under the influence at the weekend in his own car. The judge can then limit the ban to category B, so that he can keep driving his employer’s lorry. If he was driving the lorry himself, the ban must also cover category C.

Since 1 July 2026, the judge can also extend the ban to other vehicles that he or she describes precisely. The judge must then expressly give reasons. Vehicles intended for people with severely reduced mobility that go no faster than walking pace are not included.

When is it impossible?

A weekend driving ban and a limitation to certain categories are excluded in two cases:

Situation	Weekend driving ban	Limitation to certain categories
The judge imposes reinstatement exams or a reinstatement course	Impossible	Impossible
The judge imposes an alcohol interlock (Article 37/1)	Impossible	Impossible
Driving ban for unfitness to drive (Article 42)	Not applicable	Not applicable

The consequences are significant. For a repeat offence, four reinstatement exams are compulsory (read our article on repeat offences). New drivers who have held their category B licence for less than two years must also take an exam. In those cases, a weekend ban or a limitation to certain vehicles is therefore excluded. A judge who imposes exams can, however, limit that requirement to the category with which the offence was committed.

For someone who drives professionally and risks an alcohol interlock, a separate scheme applies: the judge can limit the alcohol interlock to certain categories, with express reasons. To find out more, read our article on the alcohol interlock for professional drivers.

How does it work in practice?

Even with a weekend ban or a limited ban, you hand in your licence at the court registry after notification by the public prosecutor (parquet). Read our article on serving a driving ban and handing in your licence.

• The registry gives you a certificate. This certificate is valid for one month.
• With that certificate, you go to your municipality. It issues you a licence that is only valid outside weekends and public holidays, or only for the categories not covered by the ban.
• When the ban ends, you collect your ordinary licence from the registry.

Keep strictly to the limits. Anyone who drives on a Saturday afternoon during a weekend ban, or who drives a car when only the lorry is allowed, is driving during a driving ban. That leads to a new compulsory ban of at least three months. Read our article on driving during a driving ban.

What should you ask the judge for?

The judge will not grant a weekend ban or a limitation of his or her own accord. You have to ask for it, at the hearing or in written submissions, and explain why it is reasonable in your case.

Our lawyers usually prepare such a request with:

• A certificate from your employer or, if you are self-employed, documents about your business: why do you need to drive, with which vehicle, on which days?
• Your work schedule. If you only work during the week, a weekend ban fits well. If you mainly work at weekends, a limitation to one category is often more realistic.
• A copy of your licence, so that the judge can see which categories you hold.
• Your record and your attitude. A clean criminal record and an honest explanation of the facts make a more lenient way of serving the ban more credible.

It is often wise to make several requests in parallel: first a partially suspended ban and, if the judge refuses, a weekend ban or a limitation to certain categories. Also read our article on the suspended driving ban.

Frequently asked questions

Have your case reviewed

Do you need your licence for work and are you facing a driving ban? We examine which form of driving ban is possible in your case and prepare your request. Contact us.

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