Driving in Belgium with an Andorra Driving Licence: IDP Requirements and Rules
Yes. Belgium recognises valid Andorran driving licences, including its listed AND 004 model. A visitor using a recognised national licence does not legally need an International Driving Permit (IDP). No Belgium-specific government recommendation to carry one was verified, although rental companies may require it. A sworn translation may be requested for resident exchange. The 185-day limit applies after Belgian residence registration, not simply to a tourist visit.
Quick answer
The legal position and car-hire requirements differ. The table above separates national licence recognition from the documents a rental counter may ask for.
How Belgium treats an Andorra driving licence
Andorra and Belgium are separate sovereign states. Andorra is outside the EU and EEA, so its licence is treated as non-European for Belgian licensing purposes. The countries have a bilateral recognition and exchange agreement, signed on 1 April 2009 and in force since 11 February 2019. Both are also parties to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which entered into force for Andorra on 25 September 2025.
Belgian Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport lists the Andorran photographic licence model AND 004 as recognised for exchange. For this model, Andorran B1 corresponds to Belgian car category B, A2 to A2 and A3 to A. The category table used for exchange must not be taken as permission to drive a vehicle outside the actual entitlement on the licence.
International Driving Permit and translation
A valid, recognised Andorran national licence is an accepted alternative to an international licence under Belgian foreign-licence rules. An IDP is therefore not an additional legal requirement for an eligible visitor. Belgium has not published a specific recommendation telling holders of the recognised Andorran licence to obtain one.
If an IDP is needed for a rental or as a multilingual aid, the relevant instrument is the 1968 Vienna Convention IDP. Automòbil Club d’Andorra is the authorised issuer and describes its permit as a translation of the national licence. It must accompany the original licence. The club also gives broad advice about an IDP for temporary driving abroad in a foreign-plated vehicle, which should not be confused with a Belgium-specific legal requirement.
A mandatory visitor translation specifically for the recognised AND 004 licence was not established. For exchanging a licence after moving, the Belgian mobility authority says a municipality may request a translation by a sworn translator in Belgium. Rental-company language rules are separate.
Visitors and people moving to Belgium
There is no verified fixed number of days for an unregistered tourist driving on a recognised Andorran licence. Do not treat 185 days as a period starting at the border. Under Belgian rules, a person registered in Belgium may drive on a recognised non-European licence during the first 185 days of registration. Thereafter, a Belgian licence is needed to continue driving.
Exchange is handled by the municipality where the resident is registered. An application can start before day 185, but the Belgian licence cannot be issued until that threshold. The licence model and categories must be recognised and valid, the original is checked for authenticity, and the Belgian authority applies rules on when and where the licence was issued. The original is retained when exchanged.
Renting a car with an Andorran licence
Legal permission to drive is not a promise that a rental desk will accept the same paperwork. These published company rules differ.
| Company | Published requirement | Source checked |
|---|
| Enterprise Belgium | Original licence, passport, major credit card and IDP for a non-EU licence. | Belgium rental guide |
| Europcar Belgium | An IDP alongside the licence if the licence is in a different language from the rental country or its characters cannot be read. | Belgium rental FAQ |
| SIXT | Its general guide accepts Latin-script national licences from Vienna Convention parties, while directing customers to location-specific terms. | IDP help page |
Documents for police and insurance
Belgian police guidance requires drivers to produce their original driving licence rather than a photocopy. The vehicle should have its applicable original registration documents and evidence of compulsory motor third-party liability insurance. Carry an IDP alongside, not instead of, the national licence if using one.
For rental vehicles, Enterprise states that its fleet carries third-party liability protection but makes that protection subject to the rental agreement. A recognised licence or an IDP does not itself establish that insurance conditions have been met.
Category and recognition exceptions
The bilateral agreement covers valid photographic licences and equivalent categories, subject to each country's laws. The Belgian AND 004 exchange schedule maps B1 to B, C1 to C1, C2 to C, D1 to D1, D2 to D, plus specified motorcycle and trailer classes. It gives no exchange equivalence for A1, B2, B2E, J or LC. That distinction concerns exchanging a licence and should not be applied indiscriminately to short-term driving rights.
Recognition or exchange of a different or older Andorran licence specimen: unverified – confirm with official authority.
Official and first-party sources checked
- Belgian Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport, recognition and residence rules, checked 2026-10-26.
- Belgian Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport, Andorra licence specimen AND 004 and exchange table, checked 2026-10-26.
- United Nations Treaty Series, Belgium–Andorra recognition and exchange agreement, checked 2026-10-26.
- Government of the Netherlands treaty database, 1968 Vienna Convention party and entry-into-force information, checked 2026-10-26.
- Automòbil Club d’Andorra, official Andorran IDP issue and model, checked 2026-10-26.
- City of Brussels, 185-day registration and exchange rule, checked 2026-10-26.
- Belgian local police, original documents and insurance certificate, checked 2026-10-26.
- Enterprise, Europcar and SIXT, rental policies linked in the rental section, checked 2026-10-26.
Practical recommendation for an Andorra licence holder
For a visit in your own vehicle, keep your original valid licence and insurance documents accessible. If hiring a car, get the 1968-model IDP before travelling when the chosen company asks for one. For a move to Belgium, check the municipal exchange requirements early, particularly if your licence shows a category that Belgium has not mapped for exchange.
Last verified
Information checked against the linked government, treaty, IDP issuer and rental-company sources on 2026-10-26. This is the verification date, not a date on which Belgian law changed.