From one municipality to another, the cost of a resident parking permit in Brussels can vary significantly.
While parking meter rates have largely been standardised across the Brussels-Capital Region, municipalities still set their own prices for resident permits. As a result, a resident of Berchem-Sainte-Agathe pays more than twice as much as a resident of the City of Brussels for their first annual permit.
Brussels motorists are not all treated equally. Although the Brussels-Capital Region has harmonised the rates for the different parking zones (green, red, orange, grey and blue) municipalities remain responsible for setting the price of exemption permits, including resident parking permits. This means that the cost can vary considerably for households that own one or more cars.
Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Schaerbeek and Ganshoren among the most expensive
For a first resident parking permit valid for one year, Berchem-Sainte-Agathe and Schaerbeek rank as the most expensive municipalities, with a fee of €37, followed by Ganshoren (€35), Saint-Gilles (€31) and Anderlecht, Auderghem, Forest and Molenbeek (€30).
At the other end of the scale, the City of Brussels, Etterbeek, Koekelberg, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Uccle, Watermael-Boitsfort and Woluwe-Saint-Lambert offer the cheapest first resident permits, at €15 per year. Evere and Woluwe-Saint-Pierre apply an intermediate rate of €20, while Ixelles (€26) and Jette (€29) fall somewhere in between.
Up to €211 for a second vehicle
The gap becomes even wider when a household has more than one car. Ixelles has the highest fee, charging €211 per year for a second permit, followed by Forest (€200) and Jette (€180). Next come Anderlecht, Ganshoren, Koekelberg and Schaerbeek (€150), while Berchem-Sainte-Agathe and Evere charge €140.
At the opposite end of the ranking, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert is the cheapest municipality for a second permit, at €120, followed by Etterbeek (€126). Several municipalities – Auderghem, the City of Brussels, Molenbeek, Saint-Gilles, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Uccle, Watermael-Boitsfort and Woluwe-Saint-Pierre – charge €127.
Parking meter rates are largely the same across Brussels
While resident permits vary significantly in price, hourly parking rates are now largely harmonised across the Region.
In green zones, parking generally costs €1.80 for the first hour, followed by €3.70 for the second hour, and an additional €2.70 for each extra hour. Red, orange and grey zones also follow regional pricing rules, with fixed penalties ranging from €37 to €47 in case of non-payment, depending on the type of zone.
However, some municipalities retain specific rules. Uccle, for example, charges €5.50 for two hours in a green zone, compared with €5.40 under the regional tariff. Etterbeek applies its own hourly rate of €2.20, while Woluwe-Saint-Lambert offers some local advantages, such as two hours of free parking at lunchtime on certain streets.
Two different parking management systems
Among Brussels’ 19 municipalities, 13 have delegated parking management to the regional agency parking.brussels: Anderlecht, Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Evere, Forest, Ganshoren, Ixelles, Jette, Koekelberg, Molenbeek, Saint-Gilles, Schaerbeek, Watermael-Boitsfort and Woluwe-Saint-Pierre.
The six remaining municipalities – Auderghem, Etterbeek, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Uccle, the City of Brussels and Woluwe-Saint-Lambert – still manage their own parking policies.
However, this difference in management does not fully explain price variations. Some of the cheapest municipalities, such as the City of Brussels and Uccle, operate independently, while others, such as Koekelberg and Watermael-Boitsfort, are managed by parking.brussels. Conversely, several municipalities under regional management are among the most expensive.
The cheapest municipalities for a first resident parking permit
- City of Brussels – €15
- Etterbeek – €15
- Koekelberg – €15
- Saint-Josse-ten-Noode – €15
- Uccle – €15
- Watermael-Boitsfort – €15
- Woluwe-Saint-Lambert – €15
The most expensive municipalities
- Berchem-Sainte-Agathe – €37
- Schaerbeek – €37
- Ganshoren – €35
- Saint-Gilles – €31
- Anderlecht, Auderghem, Forest and Molenbeek – €30
For Brussels residents who rely on their car, the choice of municipality can therefore make a real difference: while the first resident permit may cost as little as €15 per year, a second vehicle can cost more than €200 annually depending on where they live.
