Belgium facts
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Facts about Belgium:
- Legal age to drink: 16 (not enforced)
- Legal age to enter a dancing or cafe without PG: 16 (rarely enforced)
- Legal age to fly an airplane: 16
- Legal age to drive a car: 18
- Legal age to have sex: 16 (not enforced)
- Legal age to prostitute yourself: 18 (pimping is illegal)
- Legal age to marry: 18
- School is mandatory until the age of 18
- Education is free for all Belgians 18 and below.
- Voting is mandatory for all Belgians 18 and above.
- Army duty is not mandatory any more.
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National ID
All Belgians that are 12 and above are issued a national identification card. Belgians 15 and above are required to always carry it with them unless they are within a 200 meter range of their homes. (Foreigners too must at all times be able to provide identification, either a passport, or an ID issued by the Belgian Government)
Belgians aren't required to show their IDs unless dealing with:
- Particular Governmental Agencies
- The police
- Authorised bus and train personnel
The card holds the following information:
- Photograph
- Names of the holder
- Nationality: Belgian
- Date and place of birth
- Sex
- Signature
- ID card number
- Period of validity
If the holder wishes, the following info will also be mentioned on the card:
- Marital status
- State register number (each individual is issued unique number for administration purposes)
In the future, the ID will be replaced with a chip card with more information stored inside the chip. The address of the holder won't be printed on the card either. The ID card may be used as a form of identification when travelling within the EU. For most other countries outside the EU, a Belgian citizen must ask for a passport.
Driving
- In Belgium, you drive on the right side of the road.
- With a few specific exceptions, seatbelts are required for all passengers.
- Cars 4 years of age and older are required to be checked every year to make sure they are roadworthy.
- Number plates are insurance + driver specific. As long as you remain the main driver, and you keep the same insurance company, you keep your number plate.
- Number plate is white background with red numbers and letters, except for motorcycle plates which have black numbers and letters on a yellow background. Usually a three-letter combination followed by a three number combination: "AAA 111" (there are still many "old" number plates in use: one letter/four numbers or two letters/three numbers in various combinations)
Speed Limits (unless stated otherwise)
- Highways: 120km/h (131 miles/h)
- Regional roads: 90 km/h (101 miles/h)
- Within City Limits: 50 km/h (61 miles/h)
- Slow zones: 30 km/h (41 miles/h)
Fines usually start at 11 km/h above speed limit. When caught, the offender can choose to settle and pay the fine or dispute the offence before a court. If however, the offender is travelling 40 km/h or higher than what is allowed, the offenders driving license will immediately be revoked for at least two weeks. The offender will also be required to go to court and cannot settle beforehand. (the 40 km/h rule is under good weather conditions. It's less under bad weather conditions.) As of 1 January 2003 there will theoretically be zero-tolerance regarding speed offences.
Alcohol limit when driving:
- 0.5 per thousand
Smoking
- Any form of advertising or sponsoring of cigarette brands are banned.
Education
There are two main school systems in Belgium: State-owned schools and state-free schools. Most of the state-free schools are catholic oriented and are also subsidised by the government.
Pre-school
Free schooling is provided to every child from the age of 2 years 6 months. In most schools the child can start in school as soon as they reach this age, so class size for the youngest children grows during the year. The school year runs from 1 September to 30 June, but each class typically has children who were all born in the same calendar year.
Primary School
Consists of six forms and the subjects given are generally the same at all schools. Compulsory schooling starts at age 6. Most schools are either provided by the local commune, and are therefore secular, or are church-sponsored schools, mainly catholic. Education is rather traditional, concentrating on reading, writing and arithmetic. There are also many private schools set up to serve various international communities in Belgium, mainly around the larger cities.
Class size is usually below 20, although this is growing due to financial pressures on the school system. In commune schools it is compulsory to learn a 2nd language (French or Dutch depending on the location of the school) from the age of 8, although many schools start earlier.
Secondary School
Students can choose what "direction" they want to follow depending on their skill level and interests. Secondary school is divided into four general types. Each type consists of a set of different directions that may vary from school to school. The general types are as follows:
- General Secondary Education: Most subjects are very general and theoretical and form the basis for higher education. Once students have completed all six years, it is expected that they will continue studying (e.g.: university). Otherwise the acquired diploma would be considered useless if they were to try to enter the job market.
- Technical Secondary Education: Subjects are more technical and practical. Usually lasts six years. Once students have completed all six years, they are generally considered ready for the job market in whatever speciality they chose. They may also choose to continue studying to have more theoretical background.
- Job education: Very practical and very job specific. Six years plus seventh specialisation year.
- Art Education: Less known and mostly artistic subjects given
After secondary school, graduates can choose to continue studying. They have two choices: Higher Education or University. Unlike primary and secondary, it's not free. Students will probably have to pay between € 70.00 and € 650.00 per year depending on their situation (The rest is government subsidised).
Higher Education
Since the adoption of the Bologna process in most European countries, the higher education system in Belgium follows the Bachelor/Master system:
- Bachelor's degree: 3 years
- Master's degree: 1 or 2 years
In Belgium, both Universities and Colleges are allowed to teach Bachelor and Master classes, either practical or theoretical.
Prior to the adoption of the Bologna process, the Belgian higher education system had two degrees:
- Graduate degree (Dutch: graduaat, French: graduat): A 3-year long course in a college. Mostly practical.
- Licentiate degree (Dutch: licentiaat, French: licentiat): A 4 or 5-year long course in a University. Mostly theoretical.
The licentiate degree was split up in two other degrees:
- Candidate diploma (Dutch: kandidaat, French: candidat): The first 2 years at a University
- Licentiate diploma (Dutch: licentiaat, French: licentiat): The last 2 or 3 years at a University.
Because the licentiate degree was split up in two cycles, a licentiate degree was usually called a 2-cycle education, and a graduate degree was called a 1-cycle education.
A University education was not considered finished until the licentiate diploma is obtained. Occasionally it was possible to switch specializations after obtaining the candidate diploma. For example, a student with a mathematics candidate diploma was often allowed to start in the third year of computer science class. Sometimes a graduate diploma was also accepted as an equivalent to a candidate diploma, allowing for 2 or 3 more years of education at a University.