The Belgian electrical inspection (AREI): what the inspector checks and how to pass

What the AREI is and when an inspection is required

The AREI (Algemeen Reglement op de Elektrische Installaties) is the federal regulation that sets the rules for every electrical installation in Belgium. Since 2020 the domestic rules sit in Book 1. The inspection is not done by the electrician or the grid operator but by an accredited inspection body (erkend keuringsorganisme) that works independently and reports to the federal economy ministry. Expect to pay 135 to 200 euro for a standard home, and 80 to 150 euro for a re-inspection.

An inspection is mandatory in these situations:

• Before a new installation is put into service, which is also when Fluvius connects the meter
• After a significant modification or extension, such as a new fuse box, a new circuit for an EV charger, air conditioning or a heat pump, or solar panels and a home battery
• When the grid connection is upgraded to a higher current
• When a home with an installation dating from before 1 October 1981 is sold; the seller has to hand the report to the buyer
• Periodically, every 25 years, counted from the last positive report

What the inspector checks

The visit takes about an hour for a house and runs in three parts. The first is administrative. The inspector needs the one-line diagram (eendraadschema), which shows every circuit, its fuse rating, cable section and the devices on it, and the situation plan (situatieschema), a floor plan with the position of every socket, switch, light point and the fuse box. Without these two documents the installation fails on paper before anything is measured.

The second part is visual: the fuse box with its labelling and the colour coding of wires, the earth connection and the equipotential bonding to water and gas pipes, socket heights and types in bathrooms and other wet rooms, sealed cable boxes, and whether the installed material matches the diagram.

The third part is measurement. The main ones are:

• Earth resistance: below 30 ohm, with a 300 mA residual current device on the main circuit; above that value a stricter combination is required and above 100 ohm the installation fails
• Residual current devices: a 300 mA device at the head of the installation and 30 mA devices on circuits for bathrooms, washing machines, dryers, dishwashers and outdoor sockets, tested for trip current and trip time
• Insulation resistance of each circuit, to detect damaged cables or moisture
• Loop impedance and the correct rating of each fuse for the cable section behind it

The most common reasons for failing

Inspection bodies see the same remarks again and again. In an older home bought in the Kempen or in the city of Antwerp the report typically lists several of these:

• No or outdated one-line diagram and situation plan
• No 30 mA residual current device on the bathroom or washing machine circuit
• Earth resistance too high, often because the earth electrode is corroded or was never installed
• Sockets in the bathroom too close to the bath or shower, or without a cover
• Non-standard wire colours, loose connections or open junction boxes
• Fuse box without a cover, with old screw fuses or without labels
• No equipotential bonding on metal pipework
• Cables too thin for the fuse protecting them

What happens if the installation fails

A negative report is not a ban on using the installation; it is a list of non-conformities with a deadline. For a new or modified installation you have 12 months to have the points corrected and a new inspection carried out. For a home bought with an old installation and a negative report, the buyer has 18 months from the deed to bring it into conformity and have it re-inspected. Miss the deadline and the inspection body is obliged to notify the federal authorities, which can result in a fine. A non-conform installation can also complicate a fire insurance claim.

Only the points listed in the report are re-checked, and the re-inspection is cheaper than the first visit. Send the report to an electrician before you ask for prices: it is a precise list of what has to change, and a good quote follows the numbering of the report.

How to prepare and pass first time

For a renovation or a new circuit, the simplest route is to let the electrician who does the work also draw the diagrams, book the inspection body and be present during the visit. An installer who works to the AREI from the first socket has nothing to discuss with the inspector. Ask upfront that the diagrams, the inspection and the Fluvius registration of any battery, panels or charger are included in the quote.

For an existing home, walk through the list above before you book: labelled fuse box with a cover, a 30 mA device where needed, no open boxes, the diagrams printed and up to date. Roakus-E prepares the one-line and situation diagrams, requests the inspection, attends it and, if a report is negative, turns the remarks into a fixed-price plan and arranges the re-inspection. Most installations placed that way pass at the first visit, which is also the moment the 2-year warranty on the work starts to count.