Shipping from the UK to Belgium: what UK sellers need to know

Belgium handles far more UK trade than its size suggests. Antwerp is one of Europe's busiest ports, Liège is a major air-freight hub, and a large share of UK parcels bound for the rest of the EU pass through Belgian logistics centres. Brussels — home to the EU institutions and a highly international population — adds a strong consumer market of its own.

If you ship to Belgian customers — or route shipments through Belgium to other EU countries — here's what you need to know.

Belgium's VAT rate

Belgium's standard VAT rate is 21%. Applied to the CIF value of your shipment, this is the main charge Belgian customers face on UK parcels.

For a £160 product with £12 shipping and 0% duty, your Belgian customer faces a VAT bill of around £36 on delivery.

Belgium as a logistics hub

One thing that makes Belgium slightly different from other EU destinations is its role as a distribution hub. Many UK parcels bound for other EU countries transit through Belgian logistics centres — particularly through Liège, which is a major hub for express and e-commerce carriers including FedEx.

If your parcel is going to Belgium specifically, this is straightforward. If it's going elsewhere in the EU and transiting through Belgium, the customs rules of the final destination apply — not Belgium's.

Import duty

Under the UK-EU TCA, most UK-made goods attract 0% duty when exported to Belgium. Standard consumer goods, handmade products, clothing and homeware typically qualify. Check your commodity code for your specific product category.

Belgium's multilingual complexity

Belgium has three official languages — French, Dutch (Flemish), and German. Customs documentation and carrier communications may come in any of these depending on the region your customer is in. Brussels is officially bilingual (French and Dutch). Flanders is Dutch-speaking. Wallonia is French-speaking.

This doesn't affect the customs charges, but it's worth knowing if you're communicating with Belgian customers about delivery issues — the language of correspondence matters more in Belgium than in most EU countries.

The €150 threshold after 1 July 2026

The old rule — no customs duty on consignments under €150 — was abolished across the EU on 1 July 2026, so treat any advice built around "duty-free under €150" as out of date.

Here's what still holds. IOSS continues to handle VAT for B2C orders where the goods alone (excluding shipping) are worth €150 or less: Belgian VAT is collected at your checkout, or by the platform, rather than on the doorstep. Low-value consignments going through IOSS or the postal special arrangements now attract a flat €3 customs duty per item — a temporary charge running until 1 July 2028, paid on the seller or platform side rather than billed to the customer at delivery.

Ship outside IOSS and standard tariff duty applies at any value, unless the goods are UK-originating and you claim TCA preference with a statement on origin, which brings duty to 0%. Without IOSS, Belgian import VAT is also collected from the customer on delivery — at any order value — together with a carrier handling fee.

A real example

A UK homeware brand ships a set of linen napkins worth £85 and a tablecloth worth £110 to a customer in Brussels. Total order: £195.

What to do

Calculate the full landed cost before shipping to Belgium using ClearShip. And get your customs documentation right — it matters as much here as anywhere.