Tesla's Full Self-Driving Gains Approval in Two More European Nations Within a Week

Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system is accelerating its expansion across Europe. Following Denmark's approval for the system on June 9, Belgium officially granted its permit on June 10, becoming the fifth European Union country to greenlight Tesla FSD.

The Minister of Mobility for the Flemish region of Belgium personally announced the news on social media, confirming the signing of the approval document. This came just a day after the Danish Road Directorate announced its provisional approval for the supervised version of Tesla FSD on public roads, making Denmark the fourth country to approve the system after the Netherlands, Lithuania, and Estonia.

Since the Dutch Vehicle Authority issued the first EU type approval in April 2026, five EU member states have completed their approvals within just two months. This rapid expansion is facilitated by a mutual recognition mechanism among EU countries, allowing them to approve the system without conducting independent, comprehensive technical assessments.

The approved supervised version of FSD is classified as a Level 2 driver assistance system under the UN Regulation R-171, requiring drivers to remain attentive and ready to take control at all times. Initially, it will be available only for vehicles equipped with HW4/AI4 hardware, running a localized FSD V14 version tailored to European road conditions and regulations. The EU version of FSD has some functional adjustments compared to its US counterpart, primarily offering features like city navigation assist, automatic lane changes, and roundabout navigation.

Despite progress in these smaller and mid-sized markets, significant hurdles remain before Tesla FSD can achieve full EU-wide coverage. The EU Commission's technical committee requires approval votes representing at least 55% of member states and 65% of the total population, meaning approval from at least one major economy like Germany, France, or Italy is essential. Currently, none of these three countries have completed their approval processes.

With Latvia accelerating its approval process and Sweden expanding its public testing scope, Tesla's FSD rollout in Europe is gaining momentum. If countries continue to mutually recognize the Dutch approval standard, it could pave the way for a unified EU-wide permit in the future. This expansion is being closely watched by global markets, as Tesla Motors continues to refine system performance through ongoing data collection and software updates.