What changes on 1 November 2026 for the sealing of residual current devices?

What changes on 1 November 2026?

From 1 November 2026, a recognised inspection body no longer has to seal the residual current device placed at the origin of a Belgian domestic electrical installation when that installation is found compliant. The Royal Decree of 13 August 2026, published in the Belgian Official Gazette of 15 September 2026 (numac 2026006432), removes the prescription from parts 4 and 6 of Book 1 of the AREI/RGIE. Book 1 therefore moves to version 07.

The requirement to install at least one RCD of no more than 300 mA at the origin of the installation is unchanged. What disappears is only the sealing of that device by the inspector — and the corresponding statement in the inspection report.

Which provisions are removed exactly?

The decree has five articles; three of them amend Book 1.

The deleted paragraph in 4.2.4.3., b. required adequate measures to make the input terminals of the RCD(s) inaccessible, and stated that this inaccessibility had to be made permanent by a seal applied by the person carrying out the conformity inspection. The whole paragraph goes, not just the word sealing. General protection against electric shock by direct contact (section 4.2.2., through enclosures and insulation among others) remains fully in force: a distribution board must still shield its live parts.

Is sealing the only change in version 07?

Yes. A word-by-word comparison of the complete Dutch and French texts of versions 06 and 07 shows only the three passages above and the version marking on the title page. Nothing else changes in substance; all other variations are pagination and line breaks.

Do not confuse this with two other dates:

Why is the seal being abolished?

The report to the King justifies the repeal with five practical situations that kept raising questions about the purpose and application of the measure:

• once a seal has been removed, only a recognised body can apply a new one, and only through a new inspection of the installation;
• where an installation was declared non-compliant, Book 1 did not require the body to seal at all;
• sealing applied only to domestic installations;
• for a significant modification or extension the sealing could be partial: only the RCD affected by the work had to be sealed;
• the deterrent value of a seal as a safety measure is limited.

The decision was taken in consultation with representatives of installers, recognised bodies and public grid operators. The report states explicitly that the repeal does not reduce the safety of domestic installations.

What did such a seal look like in practice?

The AREI never prescribed a form. The text required only a seal applied by the person responsible for the conformity inspection — no specific material, colour or marking. In practice this usually meant:

• a terminal cover over the input terminals of the main RCD, with two eyelets or holes;
• a thin metal wire threaded through those eyelets into a closed loop;
• a lead or plastic seal crimped onto the loop with sealing pliers, often carrying the mark of the recognised body.

The seal therefore sat on the input side of the device, not the output: it evidenced that everything downstream was fed through that maximum 300 mA protection, and it could not be broken without leaving a visible trace. This is entirely separate from the grid operator's seals on the service connection and the meter, including a digital meter. Those stay in place and must never be removed.

My main RCD is not sealed — is that a violation?

Not necessarily, and from 1 November 2026 certainly not. A missing seal on an older installation usually has one of these explanations:

• the installation was declared non-compliant at the inspection, in which case Book 1 required no sealing;
• work was done on the board after the inspection and the seal was broken — not in itself a breach of Book 1, but the evidential value is gone;
• during an extension only one of several RCDs at the origin was sealed;
• the device or the board construction did not allow the input terminals to be sealed.

A seal on the meter cabinet or the service cable is a different matter: it belongs to the distribution grid operator and has nothing to do with the AREI prescription. For your own installation, the last inspection report is the reference: until now it stated explicitly whether sealing had been carried out.

Can an existing seal simply be removed now?

From 1 November 2026, Book 1 no longer requires a seal on the RCD to be applied or kept intact. Still, do not remove it yourself:

• work inside a distribution board happens close to the supply cable and belongs in professional hands;
• grid operator seals on the meter, main fuse or connection are not affected by this change and remain off limits;
• an intact seal remains practical evidence that nothing has changed on the supply side since the last inspection.

What does this mean for inspection reports and dossiers?

Reports drawn up after 1 November 2026 will no longer mention sealing. What remains:

• confirmation that the recognised body visaed the single-line diagrams and situation plans, both at the conformity inspection and at the control visit;
• the latest date for the next control visit (chapter 6.5.);
• the assessment of the installation against the prescriptions in force at that time.

Older reports mentioning a seal remain valid. An installation does not need re-inspection because a prescription disappears: an inspection assesses the installation under the applicable law, and the control visit of an existing installation follows its own periodicity.

What does the change mean for the PlanElec self-check?

Nothing – and that is consistent. The AREI/RGIE self-check in PlanElec works on the project model: single-line diagram, situation plan, circuits, protective devices and distribution board. Sealing is an act by the inspector on the installed system, not a property of a plan, so it was never a check rule. The main RCD of no more than 300 mA at the origin is still checked, because that obligation remains (4.2.4.3(b)).

For existing installations you record for each circuit which period it dates from: before 1 October 1981, under the old AREI, under the new AREI from 1 June 2020, or current work. The self-check applies the permitted Part 8 deviations and names them in its findings. The regulatory full text in PlanElec is Book 1 version 06 (applicable since 1 April 2026). Measurements and the on-site inspection are carried out by the approved inspection body.

Sources

This article summarises the official texts; the wording published in the Belgian Official Gazette is binding.

Related articles

• AREI/RGIE regulations 2026: the key changes
• Electrical inspection in Belgium
• Inspection checklist: what the inspector verifies
• RCD type A or type B

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