Electrical Inspection in Belgium: The Complete Guide 2026

What is an Electrical Inspection?

In Belgium, electrical installations are inspected by an approved body at the events defined by the AREI/RGIE. These include first use of a new installation, major modifications or extensions, periodic checks and certain property-sale situations.

The required procedure depends on the case. A sale inspection of an older installation is not the same as the conformity inspection of a new build. Fixed claims about delay and extra cost are not reliable without a project and provider.

When Do You Need an Inspection?

An electrical inspection is required in the following situations:

• New installations: Before the initial connection to the grid
• Major modifications or extensions: for example, adding a circuit at the board; minor changes are treated differently
• Periodic inspection: Every 25 years for residential buildings
• Property sales: Inspection visit when selling a dwelling unit
• After a violation report: Re-inspection after fixing identified issues
• Capacity increase: in the AREI cases that apply to an older domestic installation

Good to know: Even if you're only adding a few new circuits, you may trigger a full re-inspection. Always check with your electrician or inspection body beforehand.

How to Prepare for the Inspection

Good preparation makes the installation inspectable, but cannot guarantee a positive result. Have the following ready:

1. Required Documentation

The inspector will ask for the following documents:

• Single-line diagram (Eindrahtschema / Schéma unifilaire) — A schematic overview of all circuits, protection devices, and connections
• Floor plan (Situationsplan / Plan de situation) — Shows the physical location of all electrical components
• Technical documentation needed for special equipment such as PV, an EV charger or a battery

2. Installation Requirements

Make sure your installation meets these basic requirements:

• All circuits are properly protected by circuit breakers
• A 300mA differential switch protects the entire installation
• Additional 30mA RCD protection (high or very high sensitivity) for socket-outlet circuits, lighting, wet rooms (bathroom/shower), as well as washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers
• Proper earth connection with a resistance of at most 30 Ohms (AREI Art. 4.2.4.3b: if 30 Ohm is exceeded, additional high-sensitivity residual-current devices are required; general formula: R_A x I_delta_n <= 50 V)
• All cables are properly secured and protected
• Junction boxes are accessible and properly closed
• At least two separate lighting circuits for dwellings with more than two rooms (Art. 5.3.5.2b)

3. Common Mistakes to Avoid

These points deserve particular attention in practice; no unsupported ranking or failure statistic is claimed here:

• Missing or incorrect single-line diagram
• Insufficient differential protection
• Earth resistance too high
• Cables not properly fixed or protected
• Missing covers on junction boxes
• Fewer than two separate lighting circuits for dwellings with more than two rooms

What Happens During the Inspection?

Scope and duration depend on the installation and type of control. The inspector will among other things:

1. Check documentation — Verify that the single-line diagram and floor plan match the actual installation
2. Visual inspection — Check all visible components, cables, and connections
3. Measurements — Test earth resistance, insulation resistance, and loop impedance
4. Functional tests — Test all differential switches and circuit breakers

After the inspection, you receive a written or electronic report. Its conclusion, infringements and any required follow-up are set out there. The often quoted 25-year period is the normal interval after a positive initial inspection of a domestic installation; it is not a universal “green certificate” for every situation.

Identify the type of inspection first

The official Federal Public Service Economy overview separates several procedures. A new installation and a major modification or extension undergo conformity control before use. A periodic inspection addresses safety during continuing operation. A sale inspection concerns certain older domestic installations that have not had the relevant complete conformity review. A capacity increase has its own conditions.

That distinction affects both deadlines and scope. For a major extension, the body considers the new work and its possible effect on unchanged parts. A minor change may not trigger the same control, but the installation file still needs updating. Describe the actual work to the electrician and inspection body instead of using the broad word “renovation”.

Reconcile the documents before the appointment

The federal domestic electrical inspection page lists at least the single-line diagrams, situation plans and the connection's EAN code when available. The single-line diagram represents circuits, interconnections and equipment characteristics. The situation plan locates the boards, boxes, sockets, lighting points, switches, fixed machines and sources referred to by the diagram.

Compare both drawings with the installation in a fixed order:

1. do circuit references match at the board and on both drawings?
2. are ratings, poles, cable type and cross-section recorded correctly?
3. are newly added sockets, lights, fixed appliances and sources present?
4. can connection and junction boxes be found and accessed?
5. are the manufacturer records for PV, charger, battery or other special equipment available?

A polished drawing is not enough if it describes an old state. Conversely, technically sound work does not remove the documentation duty. Mark uncertainties and resolve them before the visit.

Prepare for visual examination, testing and measurement

The inspection body compares documents with visible conditions and performs the tests and measurements required for that control. Owners should not invent values or copy measurements from an old report. Earth resistance, insulation and operation of protective devices must be assessed on the actual installation.

Provide safe access to the distribution board, earth-disconnection point and relevant rooms. Labels should be legible and covers complete. Tell the inspector in advance about local generation, a battery, backup function, charging equipment and older sections. Opening equipment or measuring live circuits is not a do-it-yourself preparation task.

Simple numbers also require context. Thirty ohms is not a universal pass/fail rule for every earthing arrangement; Book 1 relates earth resistance, residual-current protection and permissible touch voltage. Cable protection depends not just on cross-section but also conductor material, installation method, grouping, temperature, length and protective device.

Act on the report, not on a generic deadline

A positive report records the assessment at the time and within the scope inspected. It does not remove maintenance duties or the need for a new assessment after later major work. Store the report with the installation file and record subsequent minor changes.

For a negative report, handle every listed infringement. Where infringements are found during conformity control before first use, the affected installation or section cannot be used until they are corrected and a new control is completed. For a negative periodic inspection, federal guidance describes a supplementary visit by the same body within twelve months. In the relevant sale inspection of an old dwelling, the buyer generally has eighteen months from the authentic deed to remedy the installation and arrange a new inspection. The report and control type remain decisive.

Use PlanElec within its real scope

When booking and on the day

Tell the inspection body whether the installation is domestic, the requested control type, the number of boards and any PV, battery, backup supply or charger. Ask which documents should be printed or digital, what access is needed, and confirm the body's current tariff directly. For a sale, mention the installation age and earlier reports; for an extension, distinguish old and new sections.

Provide a contact who knows the installation, keep boards and the earth-disconnection point safely accessible, and do not improvise electrical changes during the visit. Once the report arrives, check installation address, control type, inspected scope and document list for clerical errors. Raise technical questions in writing against the exact finding, and keep the final report with the plans that were presented.

If an area was inaccessible, check how that limitation affects the report and whether another visit is required.

Record that answer.

PlanElec can turn entered topology into a single-line diagram and situation plan, generate PDF documents, and flag supported planning issues that can be derived from the data. Its self-check is not a conformity certificate. It cannot see concealed wiring, perform electrical measurements or automatically know every manufacturer condition and legacy derogation.

Use it as a consistent documentation base: capture the installation, compare it with the executed work, have uncertainties reviewed professionally, and then export. The official conclusion remains with an approved inspection body. The Federal Public Service Economy publishes the current list.

Record the inspected scope after the visit

Note which boards, rooms, energy sources and operating modes were accessible and actually included. Compare that boundary with the wording in the report. A positive report for a clearly defined section does not assess additions made later or areas that were not inspected. If fixed wiring, protective devices, PV, battery or charging functions change after the visit, update the plans and installation file and determine which new control is required. Keep the exact plan version presented at the appointment unchanged beside the report; create a newly dated version for subsequent work. This preserves evidence of the configuration that the inspection body actually assessed.

How PlanElec Helps

Creating the required documentation is often the most time-consuming part of preparing for an electrical inspection. PlanElec simplifies this process dramatically:

• Create structured single-line diagrams from the recorded circuits
• Belgian symbol library for supported plan representations
• Situation plans based on the recorded floor plan
• Export to PDF for easy submission to the inspector
• Multi-language support — Documentation in Dutch, French, German, or English

Compare the export with the executed installation and have design, measurements and unresolved technical questions assessed professionally.

Start creating your electrical documentation for free →