Lost, stolen or damaged plate or certificate?

When it is required, and how to make it

A report is needed in case of loss or theft. It is not needed if the document is merely damaged: you still have it, so we request a duplicate directly.

• Who makes it

  The registered keeper, at the police station of their choice, with the vehicle present.

• Less than fifteen days old

  A report that is too old is no longer accepted: you have to go back to the police for a new one.

• The remaining part

  If part of the certificate remains, bring it: the police will stamp it, which helps later on.

Who does what, with no grey area

• You, alone

  What nobody can do for you

  • → Make the police report in case of loss or theft.
  • → Present the vehicle at the police station.
  • → Send us the report certificate.
  • → Book an appointment at the DIV and file the application there.
• Cinassur

  What we take care of

  • → Give you the registration application form, completed.
  • → Affix the insurance sticker, without which the DIV will not process the file.
  • → Tell you exactly which papers to take to your appointment.
  • → Keep your cover in place throughout.

Front plate, rear plate: do not mix them up

What to attach to the pink form

What to fill in on the pink form

• Box X3: plate format

  Standard (52 × 11 cm), square (34 × 21 cm), motorcycle (21 × 14 cm, compulsory for motorcycles) or moped (10 × 12 cm). A format change is repeated in box X10.

• Box X10: phone and email

  Recommended by the DIV: the file moves faster, and bpost must be able to call you for express delivery. This is also where a proxy for the counter goes: representative's identity, national register number, both signatures.

• The insurance sticker

  Affixed and signed by Cinassur, on behalf of the insurer. Without it, the application is rejected.

• Box X12: the reference

  Write it down or photograph the form: it lets you track the file on My vehicle, my plate, and you will be asked for it when booking a DIV counter appointment.

• Capitals, front side only

  One letter per box. The form is scanned: a crossing-out or a note on the back is enough to get it rejected.

• The full guide

  Every box is explained in The pink form.

The procedure in detail

1. 01Report at the police stationThe police give you a certificate of involuntary dispossession and report the plate. A theft (unknown perpetrator, no violence, in Belgium) can be reported online via Police on Web; for a loss, go to the police station.
2. 02The plate is cancelled on the spotThe report cancels it automatically in the DIV register. The vehicle is no longer registered and cannot be driven, not even just to get home. This number will never be issued again.
3. 03Cinassur prepares the applicationWe hand you the completed pink form, affix the insurance sticker and check that your contract covers the period the vehicle is off the road.
4. 04DIV counter, by appointmentRe-registering in the same keeper's name after a loss or theft does not go through WebDIV: the file is submitted at a DIV office by appointment, with the police certificate and the pink form. Offices open 8.30 am to 12 pm and 1 pm to 3.30 pm; nearest to our offices: Namur, rue de l'Économie 13, 5020 Suarlée (closed Monday and Thursday).
5. 05Delivery by bpostThe counter does not hand over the plate: the new plate, with its new number, and the certificate are delivered to your home by bpost, as in the standard procedure. €30 to pay to the postman.

Six common traps

• Driving just to get home

  From the police report, the plate is cancelled: the vehicle is on the road without valid registration. Have it towed.

• Waiting for the plate at the counter

  The DIV counter takes in the file, it does not hand over the plate. It comes by bpost: make sure you can be reached (box X10).

• Attaching the certificate for a damaged plate

  The DIV explicitly asks you not to. The file is slowed down or rejected.

• Reporting only the lost part

  The police report the whole document: both parts become invalid.

• Asking for a duplicate to sell

  Pointless: the loss certificate replaces the registration certificate for the buyer. Have it issued just before the sale.

• Thinking an old plate can be duplicated

  An old-format, non-personalised plate gives a new European plate, with a new number.

Timing, delivery and tracking

• Standard delivery

  Application reaches bpost before 6 pm: delivery the next working day. After 6 pm: two working days. The DIV notes this is no longer guaranteed.

• Express: + €80

  Application processed before 1 pm, delivery the same day before 10 pm. Since 1 August 2025, only by appointment at the counter, until 11 am.

• File sent by post

  Several days in the post, then about 8 working days of processing after scanning. DIV processing times.

• Not at home

  The parcel stays 30 days at the post office or post point, with a second delivery attempt possible, then goes back to the DIV.

• Tracking your file

  Status on My vehicle, my plate with the X12 reference; parcel on bpost; bpost call centre: 0800 96 005.

• Police report

  Take the next steps within fifteen days: after that, the report must be made again.

The police report, near you

• Ciney

  Condroz-Famenne police zone, zone website · 083 68 73 00

• Dinant

  Haute-Meuse police zone, zone website

• Eghezée

  Orneau-Mehaigne police zone, online appointments

• Elsewhere

  Find your zone on police.be with your postcode.

Your questions about duplicates

• Can I lose or break my front plate without doing anything?

  Yes. The front plate is only a reproduction of the official plate, sold in shops. Buy a new one: no police, no DIV. Only the rear plate, bearing the DIV logo, is the official plate.

• Will my new plate have the same number?

  No. A lost or stolen plate is cancelled as soon as the police report it, and its number is never reissued: someone could use it fraudulently. You receive a new plate with a new number. Only a damaged European-format plate keeps its number, through a duplicate.

• Do I always have to go to the police?

  No. For loss or theft, yes. For simple damage, no: you still have the document, so we request a duplicate directly.

• How long do I have to request the duplicate certificate?

  Fifteen days from the police report. After that the report is no longer valid and a new one must be made.

• Can I still drive in the meantime?

  Not with a lost or stolen plate: as soon as the police report it, the plate is cancelled and the vehicle is no longer registered. Driving exposes you to a fine and, after an accident, to serious discussions about cover. For a certificate alone, the situation differs: call us and we will tell you what is covered.

• Where can I find the registration application form?

  From your broker. We hand it to you completed, with the insurance sticker: you then file it at the DIV yourself. The document is explained box by box in our guide

  The pink form (formulaire rose).

• If I go to the DIV counter, do I leave with my plate?

  No. The counter takes in the file, but the plate is never handed over there: it is produced and delivered to your home by bpost, as in the standard procedure. Even with the express option (+ €80, by appointment at the counter until 11 am), bpost delivers it the same day before 10 pm.

• How much does it cost?

  A plate, or a duplicate plate, possibly with a certificate: €30. A certificate or duplicate certificate alone: €26. Express delivery: + €80. Paid to bpost on delivery, in cash with the exact amount or by mobile payment; at the post office, cash or Bancontact. These fees are never refunded.

• Do I have to send the police certificate to the DIV?

  It depends. If you re-register, the certificate is part of the file submitted with the pink form. If you do not, nothing to send: the plate is already cancelled by the police report.

• I am selling my vehicle and lost the certificate: do I need a duplicate?

  Not necessarily. The loss certificate issued by the police replaces the registration certificate so that the buyer can re-register. Have it issued just before the sale. A duplicate certificate is in any case only issued for a vehicle that is still registered.

• I only lost one of the two parts of the certificate

  Since 2013 the certificate has a vehicle part and a home part. If one disappears, the police report the whole document: both parts become invalid. Attach the remaining part and the police certificate to the duplicate application.

• Can I change the plate format at the same time?

  Yes: tick the format you want in box X3 and repeat it in box X10. The motorcycle format requires a roadworthiness test to validate the mounting and cannot be submitted by the insurer.

• My plate is still in the old format

  An old-format, non-personalised plate cannot be duplicated: re-registration with a European plate and a new number, and the old plate must be deregistered. Attach the original certificate, or the police certificate if you no longer have it.

• Nothing has arrived after 30 days

  After 30 days without collection, the parcel goes back to the DIV. Tell us the plate number: we ask for it to be resent or collected at the Brussels counter.

Official sources (in French)

DIV: replacing a plate · replacing a certificate · the registration certificate · plate reproduction · plate format · delivery and fees · processing times · DIV counter appointment · deregistering a plate · My vehicle, my plate · Police on Web · bpost: plate tracking