Taxibuddy LogoTaxiBuddy
Starting a taxi business in Flanders

Your municipality asks for a test vervoerbewijs and a test dienststaat. We supply both.

Without those two documents there is no IBP licence. Those are the Dutch names your municipality uses for the ride receipt and the shift sheet. As a TaxiBuddy customer you get them within 24 hours of your payment, with your own company details and number plate.

  1. Become a customer
  2. Pay
  3. Enter your number plate
  4. Documents ready
Start your applicationSee the 8 steps

Within 24 hours of paymentApplication in a quarter of an hourWorks for Uber and Bolt too

Test vervoerbewijs
Per ride, for the customer
Art. 35
Operator
Number plate
Driver
Ride sequence number
Boarding, date and time
Alighting, date and time
Kilometres and fare
Amount and complaints
In your name, after your application
Test dienststaat
Per shift, for you
Art. 33-34
Operator and vehicle
Driver
Start time and odometer
Rest breaks
Rides and final fare per ride
End, date and time
In your name, after your application
At a glance

Four things are required

Since 2020 Flanders has one taxi licence left: IBP. If you drive rides booked by phone, app or website, you are a street taxi. A taximeter and a taxi light are not compulsory then.

The company
Company number, social insurance fund, VAT number.
The licence
IBP, at your municipality. Valid five years across Flanders.
The driver pass
Per driver, the owner included. At the municipality where you live.
The vehicle
TX plate, suitable insurance, roadworthiness test, ecoscore.
The plan

Eight steps, in this order

  1. You start with a sole proprietorship or a company. Without a company number you cannot apply for a licence.

    • A company number in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises
    • Affiliation with a social insurance fund
    • A VAT number

  2. The car must be registered with the DIV for paid passenger transport, carrying a TX number plate.

    • Insurance covering paid passenger transport; ordinary car insurance is not enough
    • Roadworthiness test before first use, and annually since 1 September 2026
    • A maximum of nine people, driver included
    • Ecoscore of at least 74 when registered from 1 January 2025, 67 above five seats and 55 for a minibus

  3. The application runs through centaurus2020.vlaanderen.be, at the municipality of your operating seat. That seat can differ from your registered office.

    • Identity card and a criminal record extract, model 596.1-27, no more than three months old
    • A certificate showing no tax debts and a social contributions certificate
    • Proof of Dutch at level B1
    • The vehicle documents: registration, roadworthiness test, insurance and proof of ownership
    • A specimen of your vervoerbewijs and your dienststaat, compulsory with the application and supplied by us
    Request your test vervoerbewijs and test dienststaat

  4. With the licence, the municipality supplies two laminated cards per vehicle. Both have to be on display.

    • One on the back of the front passenger seat, or on the dashboard in a two-door car
    • One at the bottom right of the rear window, readable from outside

  5. Everyone who drives the taxi needs a personal pass, the owner included. You apply at the municipality where you live.

    • At least 21 years old and holding a driving licence for at least two years
    • A medical examination for paid passenger transport
    • Criminal record extract model 596.1-28, a different model from the one for the licence
    • Dutch at level B1, or A2 provided you reach B1 within two years

  6. Every shift and every ride goes digitally to Chiron, the ride database of the Flemish government. That happens live, at the start and at the end of each ride.

    • You collect a Client ID and a Secret from the Department of Mobility and Public Works
    • As a street taxi a compliant app is enough; a calibrated taximeter is not needed
    • You record every shift and every ride with secured equipment, see the documents below

  7. As a street taxi you set your own prices. There is no price list to collect anywhere.

    • The fare card goes at the bottom right of the rear right side window, readable from outside
    • It shows the starting fare, the price per kilometre, the waiting rate per hour and any fixed or minimum fares
    • Do you always agree the price upfront when the ride is booked? Then the fare card is not compulsory

  8. Rides are booked in advance as a rule, by phone, app or website. Picking up customers who hail you is only allowed with a taximeter and a lit taxi sign.

    • No cruising or waiting without a booking within 200 metres of a taxi rank or of the airport
    • Standing at a taxi rank is never allowed without municipal authorisation
    • Your licence covers all of Flanders, but not Brussels or Wallonia
The two documents

What must a vervoerbewijs and a dienststaat contain by law?

The vervoerbewijs (ride receipt), per ride

Art. 35

The customer gets it at the end of every ride, even without asking. Article 35 lays down twelve compulsory entries.

  • Your details as the operator, the number plate and the driver's name
  • The sequence number of the ride, with the date and time of boarding and alighting
  • The pick-up and drop-off point, the distance covered and the fare applied
  • The amount due, and where the customer can file a complaint

The dienststaat (shift sheet), per shift

Art. 33-34

It runs across three moments: at the start of your shift, during it, and at the end.

  • At the start: operator, vehicle, driver, starting time and odometer reading
  • During the shift: your rest breaks, and the number of rides with the final fare per ride
  • At the end: the date and time of closing, with the ride and distance data
  • You can always generate a copy of your own dienststaat

You keep the data for seven years. Read which data goes to Chiron

The costs

Official 2026 amounts

IBP licence, per vehicle per year
The application itself is free. The licence is valid for five years and renewable.
€437.47
Zero-emission vehicle, per vehicle per year
The same licence at a lower rate, for an emission-free car.
€312.48
Driver pass, per driver
The pass is valid for five years. Each year you upload a fresh criminal record extract in Centaurus.
€25.00

Indexed every year, so check the amount with your municipality. On top of that come the car, the insurance, the roadworthiness test and your software.

The start check

You may drive as soon as this is true

  • The IBP licence has been granted (step 3)
  • The licence cards are on display in the car (step 4)
  • Every driver holds a valid driver pass (step 5)
  • Ride registration to Chiron is working (step 6)
  • Your fares are set and visible (step 7)

Taxi ranks, collecting the cards and car-free zones are arranged by each city itself. Check with the taxi department of your municipality.

Frequently asked questions

Questions about starting a taxi

Yes. The licence is counted per vehicle, so you can start with one car and expand later. Many operators in Flanders drive one or two vehicles.

The municipality decides on your licence within 45 days of a complete application. For the driver pass that is 20 days. Allow time on top of that for registering your car, the roadworthiness test and collecting your documents.

Yes. Your municipality asks for a specimen of your vervoerbewijs and your dienststaat with the licence application. Without those two you do not get a licence. We supply both, request them by WhatsApp, mail or phone.

Not as a street taxi. If you do use a measuring device, a taxi light and a fare card come with it. A rank taxi always needs a calibrated taximeter and a taxi light.

Not for a ride that stays entirely within Brussels. Picking up in Brussels is only possible for a booked ride where your car is outside Brussels when the booking is accepted and the destination lies outside Brussels. That arrangement ends on 30 June 2027.

Yes, at level B1. You can start at level A2, provided you reach B1 within two years.

Yes. Driving for Uber or Bolt in Flanders means driving as a street taxi, and the route is exactly the same.

Read on

Sources

With TaxiBuddy

Specimen documents for your municipality, Chiron for every ride

Steps 3 and 6 are the ones TaxiBuddy handles: your test vervoerbewijs and test dienststaat for the licence, and after that every ride start and ride end automatically to Chiron.

Start your application

Information as of 2 September 2026.

This page gives general information about starting a taxi business under the Flemish Taxi Decree of 29 March 2019 and the implementing decree of 9 June 2023. The rules can change and your municipality may set additional conditions. This is not legal advice. When in doubt, consult your municipality or the Department of Mobility and Public Works.