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The Eurovignette is a certificate for trucks of 12 t MGW and over, it is mandatory when using motorways in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, Denmark and Sweden, and as such a way of toll levying. How exactly does it function, and what are the costs involved?
Purchase
Eurovignettes are bought through AGES, the only company assigned to the online selling of Eurovignettes on behalf of the participating countries. Its website includes a portal containing the necessary information. The portal provides 7 steps, ranging from vehicle registration to payment details and booking terms. In case of payment with a fuel card it is possible to order a maximum of 10 Eurovignettes at a time. For all participating countries, only one Eurovignette is required per individual vehicle licence. A schedule of all the steps can be found here.
Costs
The cost of a Eurovignette depends on 3 different factors: number of axles, emission class and the term of validity of the vignette. The first factor, emission class, can range from Euro 0 to Euro 6. The higher the emission class, the lower the costs for a vignette. The second determining factor for the cost is the number of axles of the vehicle. Which can range from 1-3 to 4 and over. The charge for a vehicle with 4 axles or over exceeds the charge for 1-3 axle vehicles by more than 50%. Finally there is the important factor of the term of validity. Converted to time units, a daily vignette is far more expensive than an annual vignette. An overview of current tariffs can be found here.
Mode of payment
There are two ways a Eurovignettes can be paid. The easiest way for hauliers is fuel card settlement, which is provided by for instance DKV Euro Service. All costs are collected in one specification and the haulage company is billed directly each month. Another option is Mastercard or Visa payment, this options does not include the possibility of buying more than one Eurovignette at the time.
Refunds
There is the possibility of claiming a refund when a Eurovignette is no longer used while still having a remaining term of validity of at least 1 month. This will surely be worthwhile in case of large fleets and longer terms of validity. Refunds are only granted in full-month periods and the applicable refund handling fee is € 25, – at all times. Several completed documents are required in order to qualify for refunding. The entire process is outlined here.
Future
The Eurovignette was introduced in 1996. At the time it covered Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg and Denmark, with Sweden joining two years later. In Germany, Eurovignettes were abolished with the introduction of the Toll Collect electronic toll system and the same will apply to Belgium with the introduction of the new, satellite-based toll system on 1 April 2016.
The new Belgium toll system, does not put an end to the necessity for vehicles with a Belgian licence plate to carry a Eurovignette, which will still be required when driving through the Netherlands, Luxemburg, Sweden and Denmark. In Belgium, Eurovignettes will no longer be available through regular channels when the new Belgian tolls system is introduced, but exclusively by way of service providers like DKV Euro Service. For more information you can visit our website.
We will obviously be keeping you posted on all new developments!