Dri. Licence B in Belgium – Theory & Practical Questions for Non-EU Licence Holders

[Manin22himan]

Hello everyone,
I trsut all is well.
I’ve been living in Belgium for the past 2 years and I hold a valid Indian driving licence. I’m now going through the process of getting a Belgian driving licence B and I have a few questions that I hope someone can clarify:
1. Practical Lessons Requirement
Since I’ve been in Belgium for over 2 years and already have a driving licence from India, do I still need to take 12 hours of mandatory practical driving lessons before the practical exam?

2. Theory Exam Language Options
I took my theory exam in Alken (Flanders), and the system only displayed the questions in Dutch, with a robotic voice reading them out. I had difficulty understanding the questions.
• Is there any exam centre in Belgium (Flanders, Brussels, or Wallonia) where the written questions are displayed in English?
• Or atleast Can the questions be read by a real person instead of a robotic voice, (as in in Alken first it speak in dutch then English, enough time to loose the focus haha) especially for English-speaking candidates?

3. Negative Marking System Differences
In Flanders, 5 questions carry -5 penalty marks.
• Do other regions like Brussels or Wallonia have a less strict penalty system, e.g., only - 5 marks but just 2 or non ?

4. Theory and Practical Exam Locations
Do I need to take my practical exam in the same centre or region where I did my theory exam?
My current address is in Hasselt, but I’m wondering if I can take the theroy and practical test elsewhere (e.g., Brussels or Wallonia), where i have less minus marking questions. And centre which allow me to go for practical exam without taking the 12 lessons. Becus ei have the indian licence.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help! Your insights would be really appreciated.
Best regards,
Manin