I’m a professional car dealer

If you want to sell a used car, you have to take it in for a used car inspection. The odometer reading will be prepared and issued automatically on the spot if the car passes the inspection. You'll find the inspection centres on https://www.gocavlaanderen.be/detail-page/keuringscentra or www.controle-technique.be .

It's not necessary to present the vehicle for a full inspection in order to get a Car-Pass. You can also obtain the document  at the counter of any inspection centre. The vehicle will have to be physically brought in, however. Indeed, the Vehicle Identification number (VIN) and the odometer reading must be recorded before a Car-Pass document can be issued.

Whenever a used car or light van is sold, the seller is legally required to give a Car-Pass to the buyer. It doesn't matter whether the seller is a private person, professional dealer or garage.

The only exception to this rule: if the buyer is a professional, no Car-Pass needs to be provided. 

So if you sell a used vehicle to a foreign private person, you are also required to provide a Car-Pass.

A Car-Pass is legally required. If a private buyer does not receive a Car-Pass, the law gives him the right to have the contract of sale cancelled. If the buyer asks a court to do so, the court will have to rule that the purchase is invalid. The purchase will therefore be considered as not existing and the purchase price will have to be repaid to the buyer.

The price of the Car-Pass is set at 10,50 EUR, including VAT.

If fewer than four odometer readings are shown on the certificate, the Car-Pass is free.

The Act of 11 June 2004 to fight fraud involving odometer readings in vehicles (Belgian Gazette 05/07/2004) . This law was modified by the law of 28 November 2018 (Belgian Gazette 06/12/2018). The law is now called law on the information to be provided when selling used cars.

It was further implemented by the following decrees:

• Royal Decree of 30 September 2004 concerning the entry into force of the Act of 11 June 2004 to fight fraud involving the odometer readings of vehicles and concerning the documents to be prepared by automotive professionals following work on a vehicle (Belgian Gazette 18/10/2004);
• Ministerial Decree of 3 November 2004 to appoint the civil servants who are empowered to investigate and ascertain violations of the Act of 11 June 2004 to fight fraud involving the odometer reading of vehicles (Belgian Gazette 19/11/2004);
• Royal Decree of 21 February 2004 concerning the certification of and control over the association that is charged with the registration of the odometer readings of vehicles (Belgian Gazette 14/03/2005);
• Royal Decree of 17 September 2004 concerning the amicable settlement in the event of violations of the Act of 11 June 2004 to fight fraud with the odometer readings of vehicles (Belgian Gazette 03/10/2005);
• Ministerial Decree of 19 September 2004 concerned with the appointment of civil servants charged with proposing amicable settlements within the meaning of Section 11 to the violators of the Act of 11 June 2004 to fight fraud involving the odometer readings of vehicles (Belgian Gazette 03/10/2005);
• Royal Decree of 4 May 2006 to certify the association charged with the registration of the odometer readings of vehicles (Belgian Gazette 19/05/2006);
• Royal Decree of 1 July 2006 to regulate the financing for the association charged with the registration of the odometer readings of vehicles (Belgian Gazette 24/07/2006);
• Royal Decree of 26 August 2006 to regulate the collaboration with the association charged with the registration of the odometer readings of vehicles (Belgian Gazette 30/08/2006, Ed. 2);
• Royal Decree of 30 January 2019 modifying the Royal Decree of 1 July 2006 to regulate the financing for the association charged with the registration of the odometer readings of vehicles (Belgian Gazette 05/02/2019);
• Royal Decree of 30 January 2019 modifying the Royal Decree of 26 August 2006 to regulate the collaboration with the association charged with the registration of the odometer readings of vehicles (Belgian Gazette 05/02/2019).

Professional dealers offering second-hand vehicles for sale will be obliged to display the information that appears on the Car Pass in the advertisement and in the showroom. These dealers can retrieve this information from the Car-Pass website, together with a unique link to a web page containing the relevant information. This link must be inserted into an online advert. It’s also possible to print off the vehicle history for customers visiting the showroom. 

At each maintenance and service, at each mechanical, electrical, electronic repair, or body repair and at each replacement and assembly of parts, components or accessories.

In concrete terms, this means the odometer readings also have to be forwarded at each assembly of tyres, exhausts, batteries, radios, alarm systems, etc.

Do not fall under the law: car wash and vehicle recovery without repairs.

There are several ways to do this:

• By using your own business software (DMS) if it supports the link to Car-Pass. This way, you don't have to enter the data more than once. You'll find a list of DMS systems on this page.
• You can also enter the data by using the Car-Pass website. This is of course completely free of charge.

The companies of the automotive sector have to communicate the mileage data immediately i.e. when the vehicle is still on the premises of the company.

The law states: any natural or legal person who buys and sells cars or works on cars acting in the exercise of his professional activities and aiming to achieve his statutory purposes.

Car-Pass will provide a user name and a password to each business that is mentioned in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE) with one of the following NACE codes:

• 45113 
• 45201
• 45203
• 45204
• 45205
• 45209
• 45320

The Act of 11 June 2004 is very clear. Following work on a vehicle, automotive professionals have to forward the right odometer readings to Car-Pass, in the manner prescribed by Car-Pass. Not forwarding the data or forwarding incomplete or incorrect data is a punishable offence. The law provides for heavy fines (upto 7.500 euro) and even prison sentences  (upto one year) in the event of violation. The officials of the Ministry for Economic Affairs are responsible for tracking down and establishing violations.

Car-Pass has access to the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBO) and therefore knows all the companies in the automobile sector. We can easily check who sends no data, very few data or incorrect data. Car-Pass will first inform the professionals who are involved. Upon simple request we transmit the names of the companies that are in violation to the Economic Inspection. If you stubbornly refuse to follow the rules, you will be sanctioned by the officials of the Ministry for Economic Affairs and may be penalized by a Criminal Court.

Car-Pass has access to the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBO) and therefore knows all the companies in the automobile sector. We can easily check who sends no data, very few data or incorrect data. Car-Pass will first inform the professionals who are involved. Upon simple request we transmit the names of the companies that are in violation to the Economic Inspection. If you stubbornly refuse to follow the rules, you will be sanctioned by the officials of the Ministry for Economic Affairs and may be penalized by a Criminal Court.

For imported vehicles the date of first registration in Belgium will not be filled out on the Car-Pass or will be more recent than the date of the first use. At the bottom of the Car-Pass is mentioned: “This used vehicle was imported from abroad." Car-Pass does not receive any mileage readings for the period during which it was not registered in Belgium, except for the following two cases:

1. For cars imported from the Netherlands, Car-Pass receives from RDW, the agency that manages the Dutch central database, the odometer readings recorded in that country. The Dutch mileage history is shown on the Car-Pass document.
2. Most of the car manufacturers have also a database with mileage records, registered by their dealer network in Belgium and abroad. As from the 1^st January 2020, they are obliged to share this information with Car-Pass when a vehicle of their brand(s) is imported into Belgium.

However, it is still possible that no mileage information from abroad is available. In that case, the first odometer reading that is recorded in our database is the one that is written down during the import inspection. Unfortunately, there are fraudsters who clock the odometers before going to the technical inspection. So be careful before buying a used car that is imported from abroad.

All passenger cars and light commercial vehicles (up to 3.5 tonnes). In short, all vehicles that can be driven with a category B driver's license, including minibuses and motorhomes. Exceptions are vehicles that have never been (pre-) registered in Belgium, such as vehicles with a foreign licence plate.

On the other hand you don't have to forward the odometer readings of motorcycles, trucks, buses and agricultural vehicles.

This is a repair that needs to be mentioned separately in the system. It suffices to e.g. tick the appropriate box in the web application.

These will be dealt with separately by Car-Pass. It will be clearly mentioned on the certificate. You do not have to add 1 or 2 to the odometer reading. Always forward the value that is displayed on the odometer.

Each time you send data to Car-Pass, you will receive a receipt message, which also includes the error messages. Every error has a unique error number. If you enter this number, you can correct the error in the same way as you entered the original data.

Warning: You can electronically correct a mistake only once. If you make a mistake again, you must fill out a standard correction form, sign it and return it to Car-Pass.

A professional that performs works under subcontract is required to forward the odometer reading, the Vehicle Identification number and the date of the works to Car-Pass. This also applies in case the main contractor also performs works on the same vehicle and therefore also reports the data to Car-Pass.

There's one exception to this rule. If a independant is working in the workhop of another car professional, only the professional owner of the workshop, needs to communicate the odometer reading to Car-Pass.

You always have to forward the mileage reading to Car-Pass, unless the customer is a private person (not subject to VAT) and the total cost of the works does not exceed 125 euros, VAT included.

However, if the customer is subject to VAT, the cost of the works plays no role. In that case, you always have to pass on the mileage reading to Car-Pass.