Moving to Belgium from a non-EU country: our tips

Looking to move to Belgium? Whether you’re a Belgian returning from outside the European Union or a foreign national coming from a non-EU country, you’ll need to comply with certain customs and tax formalities. Maison Genné specialises in relocating internationally and into Belgium in particular. We’ll inform you about all the documents and certificates you’ll need as well as manage them and submit them to the Belgian authorities on your behalf.

Entry requirements for Belgian customs

Dealing with customs is part of Maison Genné’s core services. We can help you with the required procedures for settling in Belgium. The documents that need to be produced are as follows:

• A form completed in five original copiesand in a colour other than black print
• A photocopy of your ID card and passport
• Proof of your registered address in Belgium

Registering in advance within the Kingdom of Belgium

This last point requires having completed prior procedures to find a place of residence in Belgium. A confirmation letter from your new local authority will serve as proof of this. Is your residency application still in progress and are you still waiting on a visit from the neighbourhood police officer? The Population service will provide you with a temporary document attesting to this.

Transportation of your possessions: by sea or by road?

The transportation of your personal effects will be carried out by boat or lorry, depending on your situation:

• The distance of your previous homefrom Belgium
• The volume of possessions to be moved
• How long you havebefore starting a new job in Belgium, for instance

Removal vans

Quick to plan and low-cost, road transport also makes formalities easier. Moving from Switzerland to Belgium? Don’t forget to start the residency process for your new home a few months before your possessions are loaded.

Official documents should be scanned and sent in advance to your removal company, which will forward them to customs in order to ensure that everything goes smoothly. When crossing the border, the removals team will present the original copies which you’ll have sent in advance.

Removals by sea

If your personal effects are going to be transported by boat, bear in mind that maritime removals take more time, which can be put to good use getting your Belgian residency sorted. Your administrative application needs to be ready before your container of goods can be shipped. Once your things arrive at the destination port, it will take several days for them to be cleared by customs. Exceeding the allotted deadline will incur costs.

It’s the port agent, contacted by your international remover, who will receive your documents and forward them to the relevant custom authorities.

Importing personal effects into Belgium: specific authorisations

If you’re moving back to Belgium, you can import your furniture and other possessions without paying any duty if you have spent more than a year away from Belgium. You can prove your entry and exit dates to and from a country in various ways:

• A residence permitfrom the municipal authority or an equivalent (the preferred document)
• An employment contract
• Bills from suppliers and utility companies

Declaring the overall value of your moveable assets is sufficient in this case.

Did your stay abroad for less than a year? You will be asked for a costed list of your property. Give the approximate value of your furniture, allowing for wear and tear. This detailed list should not include clothing, books or decorative objects, as they will be covered in general categories, with no precise inventory.

However, an exception is made for items containing protected species of plants or animals, such as ivory, which is used for the keys on some pianos or ancient or rare wood, from which certain string instruments are made (violin bows, guitars). Since Belgium is a signatory of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), special authorisation is required to travel to Belgium with such items.

For passing through customs and to make unloading at your new home easier, it’s important to correctly identify the contents of the moving boxes supplied by your service provider. Each package should be labelled with a unique number, referring to an inventory drawn up by your mover.

International moves with Maison Genné: one final tip

Crossing a border in order to live in another country for a long period of time has to be planned right. Even if you’re moving from one European country to another, such as from France to Belgium, you need to allow enough time to find a new home, your possessions to be loaded, customs formalities, transportation itself and submitting your application to the authorities before going ahead with having your things delivered to your destination.

Contact Maison Genné, the specialists in relocating internationally and into Belgium, for all information connected with your move, or for an estimate.