Belgium

Possession, use, or trafficking of illegal drugs including cannabis are serious offences in Belgium — with severe penalties even for passengers transiting through the airport.

Minimum 3-month prison sentence possible; long jail terms or heavy fines.

Verified Jul 19, 2026

Cannabis is illegal in Belgium - possessing or growing it is a criminal offence carrying a fine and possible prison. An adult 18 or over caught with 3 grams or less, or one plant, for personal use is the lowest prosecution priority and normally gets only a simplified police report, but that is a prosecutors directive rather than a law: it does not apply if you hold or use it openly in public, in or near a school, or at a bus stop or park close to one, and individual judicial districts can tighten it - Limburg, on the Dutch border, began issuing immediate fines to adults aged 24 and over caught with drugs in public on 1 January 2026. There is no legal way to buy cannabis anywhere in Belgium, cannabis flower cannot be dispensed even medically, and driving is zero tolerance.

Adult personal-use possession: a fine of 15 to 25 euro for a first offence, 26 to 50 euro on a repeat within a year, and eight days to one month in prison plus a fine of 50 to 100 euro on a further repeat within a year (Law of 24 February 1921, art. 2ter). Federal Justice states that fines expressed in euro must be multiplied by a coefficient of 8. Outside the personal-use tier, art. 2bis of the same law provides three months to five years in prison and a fine of 1,000 to 100,000 euro, rising to five to ten years and ten to fifteen years in aggravated cases. Driving is zero tolerance: a positive result means immediate confiscation of the driving licence and prosecution before the police court.

Verified Sep 18, 2026

Carry prescription medication in original packaging with a prescription, and verify legality with the Belgian Federal Public Health Service before travel.

Verified Jul 19, 2026

Pepper spray is a PROHIBITED WEAPON in Belgium - simply having one is a criminal offence, and there is no tourist or self-defence exemption. The same list covers tasers, flick and butterfly knives, batons, throwing stars and nunchakus. Leave all of it at home; a find at the airport opens a judicial file.

Possession of a prohibited weapon is punishable under the Belgian weapons law, and the Federal Police state that discovery of one leads to the opening of a judicial file (dossier judiciaire). Carrying even a lawfully held, freely sold weapon in public is permitted only for a legitimate reason (motif legitime). The specific fine and imprisonment bands were NOT read this run - the consolidated statute host was unreachable - and no figure is published here rather than guessed.

Verified Sep 6, 2026

Traveling between Belgium and a non-EU country with EUR 10,000 or more (any form) must be declared; no declaration is needed between EU countries.

Fine if not declared or if incorrect information is given.

Verified Jul 19, 2026

Belgium controls diamonds tightly. Bring any in from outside the EU and you must declare them, and rough diamonds need a Kimberley Process certificate and can only clear through Antwerp's Diamond Office.

Verified Sep 8, 2026

Belgium gives you 4 liters of still wine and 16 liters of beer duty-free from outside the EU, plus EITHER 1 liter of spirits over 22% ABV OR 2 liters of drinks at 22% or under - sparkling wine and liqueur wines count in that second group, not the wine group. You must be OVER 17; Belgium words it "de plus de 17 ans", not "17 and over". Belgium's own table prints a bare "or" with no splitting rule, so do not assume you can mix the 1 L and the 2 L.

Choosing an exit channel counts as your customs declaration. If Customs finds you over the limits you pay the import duties and taxes AND a fine on top. The official page states that fines apply but publishes no amount or formula.

Verified Aug 30, 2026

Belgium is the strictest vaping country in western Europe. Disposable vapes are banned from sale outright - the first such ban in the EU - along with nicotine pouches, CBD pouches, snus and "smartvapes"; refillable devices and e-liquid remain legal to buy in person at 18+. Buying tobacco or vape products online is also illegal in Belgium, so do not order refills to your hotel. You may not vape anywhere smoking is banned: all enclosed public spaces and workplaces, professional passenger transport, any vehicle carrying a minor, playgrounds, zoos, amusement parks and sports grounds, and within 10 metres of the entrance to any school, hospital, care home, nursery or public library. Fines run from EUR 208 to EUR 8,000.

Breaching the smoking/vaping bans carries fines of EUR 208 to EUR 8,000. Supplying a tobacco or vaping product to a minor, including as a private individual, carries EUR 208 to EUR 24,000. Online sale or purchase of tobacco products can attract fines up to EUR 120,000. Breaches of the disposables ban are enforced by the FPS Public Health Consumer Products Inspectorate; stock found on sale is withdrawn and an administrative fine may follow.

Verified Aug 31, 2026

Coming into Belgium from outside the EU you get ONE of: 200 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars, or 250 g of smoking tobacco - and the allowance only applies from age 17. Use the red exit ("Goods to declare") if you are over the limit. If customs find you over it, you pay the duties and taxes AND a fine, so declaring is the cheaper move.

Exceeding the allowance without declaring costs the import duties and taxes PLUS a fine; goods subject to specific measures may be seized. FPS Finance, verbatim: 'you will have to pay not only the import duties and taxes due, but also a fine'. No fine amount is published on this page and none is invented here.

Verified Sep 4, 2026

The legal BAC limit for driving in Belgium is 0.05% (0.5 g/L). Police run breathalyzer checks, especially at night and during holidays.

Significant fines; vehicle may be impounded if the fine is unpaid on the spot.

Verified Jul 19, 2026

Speed limits are 120 km/h on highways, 50 in urban areas, and 30 in central Brussels; automated radar cameras are common and fines arrive by mail.

Significant speeding fines; vehicle may be impounded if the fine is not paid on the spot.

Verified Jul 19, 2026

Taking a street photo in Belgium is fine, but publishing one where a recognisable person is the main subject needs their consent - a right separate from GDPR. Crowds and background bystanders are OK.

No fine or criminal penalty is documented for breach of art. XI.174 in the sources read. The documented remedies are civil and administrative: the person shown can demand erasure from the publisher, complain to the Data Protection Authority or go to court, and the Belgian Federal Police invite them to file a complaint at their local police station.

Verified Sep 8, 2026

Belgium bans more than jammers: a speed radar detector is illegal to even own or carry, and so is a TETRA detector. Importing, owning, possessing or using signal blockers is forbidden too. Leave both at home, because the ban covers possession, not just use.

BIPT states the prohibition reaches using, owning, possessing, importing, selling and even advertising speed radar detectors and TETRA detectors, and importing, marketing, owning, possessing or using jammers. The statutory fine band under the Act of 13 June 2005 was not obtainable this run and is deliberately not stated.

Verified Sep 5, 2026

There are no legal restrictions on same-sex sexual relations or the organization of LGB events in Belgium.

Verified Jul 19, 2026

It is illegal to wear clothing that hides your face partially or completely (such as a burka or niqab) in public places in Belgium — there is no exemption for tourists.

Fine of up to 137 euros and detention for up to 7 days.

Verified Jul 19, 2026