Forklift certificate in Belgium: get it, find it, renew it
No legal licence, but mandatory training and medical fitness; the certificate of a training centre is the usual proof.
| Who needs it, by law or by the site? | Anyone driving a forklift, reach truck, stacker or order picker at work |
|---|---|
| Validity and renewal | No statutory term; BeSaCC IS-001 certificate five years; refresher as the employer decides |
| How do you get it? | Training with theory and practical test at a training centre, VDAB or the employer |
Who needs it, by law or by the site?
Anyone driving a motorised transport vehicle at work: counterbalance forklift, reach truck, stacker or order picker. Well-being legislation provides no official forklift certificate or licence, but obliges the employer to let self-propelled mobile work equipment be driven only by employees who received adequate training for driving it safely. In practice employers, insurers and sites therefore ask for the certificate of a training centre, often complemented by an internal authorisation. [1] [2]
Driving a forklift is a safety function within the meaning of article I.4-1, §2, 1° of the Code: you are subject to mandatory health surveillance and must be declared medically fit by the occupational physician, before taking up the function and periodically afterwards. Student workers may not operate motorised transport vehicles; those over 18 may drive equipment with a low lift height under the conditions of book X. [1] [3]
Legal basis
Code on well-being at work: book IV title 3 (mobile work equipment), article IV.3-7, 1°: adequate training for drivers of self-propelled mobile work equipment; book I title 2, articles I.2-16 to I.2-21: information and training of employees, and article I.2-11, second paragraph, 5°: the hierarchical line checks that tasks are only assigned to employees with the required competence, training and instructions; book I title 4, article I.4-1, §2, 1° and I.4-3: safety function and mandatory health surveillance; book X, article X.3-8: ban for student workers. The regulations provide no recognition of and no obligation to organise forklift courses. [1] [2] [3]
How do you get it?
You follow training at a training centre, through VDAB or with your employer and take a theory and a practical test; the centre issues the certificate. The authorities neither recognise nor require those courses: the certificate is the proof with which the employer shows it met its training duty. If you work in (petro)chemicals or on a VCA site, the employer often asks for the BeSaCC certificate 'Working with a forklift, advanced' (IS-001), for which the exam at a recognised centre is mandatory. [1] [5]
Through VDAB: the Warehouse worker course (in Vorst, Temse, Zwijnaarde and Vilvoorde among others, on average eight weeks including an internship) is recognised by VDAB and therefore free for jobseekers; those who pass obtain a forklift certificate and a reach truck certificate. The VDAB catalogue also shows shorter courses from training centres such as Embuild and Syntra, in Antwerp, Hasselt, Kortrijk and Zwijnaarde among others: a two-day basic course and a one-day refresher. Conditions there: minimum 18 years old and declared medically fit by the occupational physician. [4]
Length of the training
At the training centres in the VDAB catalogue: basic course two days, refresher one day. The VDAB Warehouse worker course takes on average eight weeks including an internship. Other centres set their own duration; there is no legal minimum. [4] [1]
Validity and renewal
The law sets no validity period and no renewal interval; the employer decides when a refresher is needed, based on the risk analysis and the training duty. The BeSaCC IS-001 certificate (forklift, advanced) is valid for five years. Training centres offer one-day refreshers for those who already have experience. [1] [5] [4]
Your medical fitness as a driver is reassessed periodically by the occupational physician, independently of the certificate, because you hold a safety function. [3] [1]
Finding or requesting it
There is no central register of forklift certificates. If you lost yours, ask the training centre that issued it or the employer that organised the training for a duplicate. A BeSaCC IS-001 certificate from a recognised centre is listed in the Central Diploma Register (csm-examen.be/cdr, section Risk-bearing Tasks). [1] [6]
If you followed the training at VDAB or in a course recognised by VDAB or VLAIO, your qualification is in the Flemish qualifications database (LED): log in to Mijn Burgerprofiel and choose the theme Education and training. The LED holds the name of the course, the institution and the date, but no scan of your paper certificate; that copy is requested from the training institution. [7]
What does it cost?
Courses recognised by VDAB, such as Warehouse worker, are free for jobseekers. For the other courses the price differs per training centre; many employers and temp agencies pay for the training. [4]
Frequently asked questions
How do you get a forklift certificate in Belgium?
Follow training at a training centre, through VDAB or with your employer and pass the theory and practical test; the centre issues the certificate. There is no official exam and no government certificate: the law only requires adequate training and medical fitness. First ask your employer or temp agency whether they pay for the training. [1][2]
Can you get a forklift certificate through VDAB?
Yes. The VDAB Warehouse worker course (on average eight weeks including an internship) is recognised by VDAB and free for jobseekers; those who pass receive a forklift certificate and a reach truck certificate. The VDAB catalogue also contains shorter courses from partners such as Embuild and Syntra (two-day basic course), which are not recognised by VDAB and therefore paid. [4]
Where can you get a forklift certificate in Antwerp?
The VDAB catalogue lists among others the Forklift driver course of Syntra West with Antwerp as a location; the VDAB Warehouse worker course runs at several locations in Flanders and Brussels. Search vdab.be/vindeenopleiding for 'heftruck' and filter by place; private training centres and temp agencies in the port organise courses as well. [4]
How do you find or request your forklift certificate?
There is no central register. Ask the training centre or the employer that gave the training for a duplicate. A VDAB qualification is found in the LED through Mijn Burgerprofiel (theme Education and training). A BeSaCC IS-001 certificate is found in the Central Diploma Register at csm-examen.be/cdr. [1][7][6]
Do you have to renew your forklift certificate?
The law sets no term; your employer decides, based on the risk analysis, when a refresher is needed. Training centres offer one-day refreshers. The BeSaCC IS-001 certificate for VCA sites is valid for five years and must then be obtained again. Your medical fitness is reassessed periodically in any case. [1][5][4][3]
Is a forklift certificate legally required?
The certificate itself is not: well-being legislation provides no certificate and recognises no courses. What is mandatory is that the employer only lets employees with adequate training drive (article IV.3-7) and that you are medically fit. The certificate is the proof both parties use for that. [1][2]
Do you need a medical examination to drive a forklift?
Yes. Driving a forklift is a safety function, so you are subject to mandatory health surveillance: a prior health assessment by the occupational physician before taking up the function and periodic assessments afterwards. Training centres often already ask for a declaration of medical fitness before you start the course. [3][1][4]
Vacancies that mention this certificate
Sources
Every paragraph points with a number to the source it rests on. What no official source says is not on this page; where the rule differs per employer or per training centre, it says so literally.
- FOD Werkgelegenheid: attest voor het besturen van een gemotoriseerd transportwerktuig (checked on 23 October 2026)
- Codex over het welzijn op het werk, boek IV titel 3 Mobiele arbeidsmiddelen (FOD WASO, pdf) (checked on 23 October 2026)
- Codex over het welzijn op het werk, boek I titel 4 Gezondheidstoezicht (FOD WASO, pdf) (checked on 23 October 2026)
- VDAB: opleidingsaanbod heftruckchauffeur en reachtruck (checked on 23 October 2026)
- BeSaCC-VCA: Register van Risicovolle Taken, versie 2020-01 (pdf) (checked on 23 October 2026)
- BeSaCC-VCA: Diplomaregister (checked on 23 October 2026)
- Vlaanderen.be: een diploma raadplegen via de LED (Mijn Burgerprofiel) (checked on 23 October 2026)
This page is information, not legal advice. Your employer, its prevention advisor and the competent region remain responsible for what applies at your workplace.