Useful news...
All useful news and information to who wants to travel to Belgium: necessary documents, driving rules and useful numbers for a safe trip.

ASSISTANCE
100 (Ambulance and Fire Brigade), 101 (Police), 105 (Red Cross). Emergency breakdown services:
Royal Automobile Club de Belgique 02 287-0900 or 078 152-000; Touring Club de Belgique 070 344-777.

SANITARY REGULATIONS
TEAM (European Health Insurance Card) will replace from 1st January 2006 all current paper forms (E111, E112 forms). This application form entitles all EU citizens to free medical care across the EU. Nationals of other countries should check whether their government has a reciprocal health agreement with Belgium, or whether they are covered by their personal medical insurance.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED
Passport or Personal Identity card for UE citizens. Valid passport for other nationalities (compulsory for extra UE citizen). More information by calling the Embassy of Belgium in Rome, Tel: 06 36091. A valid national driving licence is required. EU nationals taking their own cars to Belgium are advised to obtain a Green Card, as basic insurance is mandatory for driving in Belgium. Up to date information can be found by visiting ACI web-site.

RESTRICTIONS
Permissible alcohol limit 0,05 %.
No prohibitions are enforced for commercial vehicles.

SPEED LIMITS
50Kmh-in build up areas
90Kmh-on country roads
120Kmh-on motorways

TOLL PAYMENTS
There are no tolls on motorways in Belgium. Motorways are signposted with a white ‘E’ on a green background, major roads with an ‘N’ and minor roads with a ‘P’. The extensive motorway ring road around Brussels offers easy access into the city centre. Routes E19 and A12 lead north to Antwerp-from there, the E19 continues over the border toward Rotterdam and Amsterdam in The Netherlands. Route E19 also extends south to Paris, becoming E15. Route E40 links Brussels with Ghent-from there, Ostend is reachable via route E17. Route E411 links Brussels to Namur and route E40 to Liège, continuing east over the border toward Cologne, from where the E35 heads toward Frankfurt.

DRIVING SAFETY REGULATIONS AND EQUIPMENT
In Belgium, automobile and motorcycle drivers must circulate on the right side of the road, wear crash helmets, wear seatbelts (children under the age of 14, who are below a height of 150 cm, must be seated in an appropriate child-safety seat in front as well as in back), turn on the front fog lights in case of short visibility. Motorcycles must turn on the dipped headlights even during the day. Studded tyres and snow chains are admitted only when it is snowing and chains can be used from November 1st to March 31st. Speed restrictions are adopted in these case: 60km/h on country roads; 90km/h on highways; it is also necessary to display the national stickers. On a roundabout, give way to traffic entering from the right unless signed otherwise and carry a warning triangle and a first-aid kit.

MOBILE COMMUNICATION
Tim: 119, abroad +39 339 9119 on payment.
Vodafone: 190, abroad +39 349 2000 190 on payment.
Wind: 158, abroad +39 320 5000 158 on payment.

PETROL STATIONS
Euro Super (unleaded 95-octane)
Super Plus (unleaded 98-octane)
Diesel, GPL, Methane.

TELEPHONE
To place an outgoing international call from Belgium to Italy dial : 0039 + code area (including zero) + local phone number. International telephone access code for Belgium from Italy : 0032 + code area (without zero) + local phone number. Public phones use both coins and phone cards. These are available at the post office, at the train stations or newspaper stands.

CURRENCY
Euro

USEFUL LINKS
Italian Embassy in Belgium
Tourist information
Travel Information
ACI