Shipping guide · Europe

Shipping from China and Hong Kong to Belgium

Belgium is small, central and disproportionately important in European freight. Antwerp is the second largest port in Europe, it sits further inland than any comparable deepwater port, and that inland position is worth real money in road cost for anyone delivering into northwest Europe.

Talk to us about Belgium
Customs union
European Union, common tariff and common customs code
Customs authority
General Administration of Customs and Excise (FPS Finance)
Import VAT
BTW or TVA, standard rate 21 percent
VAT deferment
ET 14000 licence shifts import VAT to the periodic return
For foreign companies
Fiscal representation gives access to the same deferment
Main entry points
Antwerp-Bruges by sea, Liege and Brussels by air

The Port of Antwerp-Bruges, formed by the 2022 merger of Antwerp and Zeebrugge, combines a container and chemical giant with a vehicle and ro-ro specialist. For containerised cargo from Asia, Antwerp is the relevant half, with direct Asian services and dense onward connections.

Antwerp being roughly 80 kilometres inland means the vessel does the last stretch instead of a truck. For cargo destined to Belgium, the north of France, the Rhine belt or the southern Netherlands, that is a structural advantage rather than a marketing claim.

Belgium also offers an import VAT deferment licence, the ET 14000, which works like the Dutch Article 23: import VAT moves to the periodic VAT return instead of being paid at clearance. Combined with Liege, one of the busiest cargo airports in Europe, the country functions as a full gateway rather than just a national market.

Where cargo lands

Main freight and distribution centres

Antwerp

Port city and the largest logistics and chemical cluster in the country, with the deepest bench of customs brokers.

Brussels

The consumption and administrative centre, and the base for a great many European distribution operations.

Liege

Air cargo hub of national importance and a growing multimodal platform on the road and rail axis towards Germany.

Ghent and Zeebrugge

Industrial and ro-ro traffic, vehicles and project cargo, on the coastal and canal network.

Sea freight

Ports of entry and what they mean for your cargo

Antwerp

The main container gateway, with direct Asian services and an inland position that shortens the road leg into northwest Europe. Very strong on chemicals, breakbulk and project cargo as well as containers.

Zeebrugge

Now part of the same port authority. Specialised in vehicles, ro-ro and short sea traffic to the United Kingdom.

Ghent (North Sea Port)

Industrial port handling bulk, steel and project cargo, useful when the cargo does not fit a container terminal.

Antwerp being inland is the point. For a delivery in Brussels, Lille or the German border region, the difference in road cost against a coastal port adds up across a year of shipments.

Antwerp has historically been the European port with the strongest breakbulk and project cargo capability. If the cargo is oversized or does not containerise cleanly, this is usually where it should arrive.

Congestion at Antwerp is real during peak periods, and inland barge connections are the pressure valve. Building that into the plan is better than discovering it at the terminal.

Air freight

Airports and when air is the right answer

Liege (LGG)

One of the busiest cargo airports in Europe, freighter oriented and operating around the clock. The default choice for volume air freight into Belgium.

Brussels (BRU)

Strong bellyhold capacity and specialised handling, including pharmaceutical grade facilities that also benefit other high-value cargo.

Ostend (OST)

Smaller freighter airport used for charters, outsized cargo and specialised movements.

Liege operating without a night curfew is the practical reason so much e-commerce and express volume from Asia lands there. For cargo that needs to be delivered the following morning, that matters more than the flight time.

Brussels Airport has invested heavily in controlled environment handling. For high-value or sensitive cargo, the quality of the handling on the ground is often the real differentiator, not the flight.

Indicative transit times

How long the movement usually takes

  • Sea FCL, South China to AntwerpAround 30 to 38 days port to portAntwerp inland position saves road distance once the container is discharged.
  • Sea LCL, South China to AntwerpAround 36 to 46 days door to doorGood consolidation frequency thanks to the volume passing through the port.
  • Air freight, Hong Kong or South China to Liege or BrusselsAround 4 to 8 days door to doorStandard consolidated service including pickup, handling and clearance.
  • Express or priority airAround 3 to 5 days door to doorLiege round the clock operation supports genuinely tight deadlines.

These ranges are indicative and exist to help you plan. Real transit time depends on the service, the season, the routing and the clearance itself, and we confirm it per shipment rather than publish it as a promise.

Customs

How clearance into Belgium actually works

The competent authority is General Administration of Customs and Excise, FPS Finance.

The ET 14000 licence lets a Belgian VAT registered importer defer import VAT to the periodic VAT return rather than paying it at clearance. The effect is the same as the Dutch Article 23 arrangement: the 21 percent never becomes a cash outlay.

A company without a Belgian establishment can access the same treatment through a fiscal representative. As in the Netherlands, this is a normal and well supported arrangement rather than an exception.

Duty follows the EU Common Customs Tariff and the HS classification of the goods. Belgium has no national tariff.

Belgium is a heavily used transit country, so cargo frequently arrives here and clears elsewhere, or clears here and moves on. Both are routine, but the choice determines where the VAT and compliance obligations land.

Bonded warehousing around Antwerp is extensive and competitively priced, which suits importers who want to defer duty until goods are sold or redistributed.

Documentation

What you need to have ready

Commercial invoice

Value, incoterm and description consistent with the rest of the file.

Packing list

Weights, dimensions and piece counts per package.

Bill of Lading or Air Waybill

The transport contract and the release instrument.

EORI number

Required for any operator dealing with EU customs.

ET 14000 licence or fiscal representation agreement

What enables import VAT deferment to the periodic return.

Certificate of origin

Needed to claim preferential duty where an agreement applies.

CE conformity documentation

For electronics, machinery, toys, lighting and construction products.

Product specific certificates

Phytosanitary, veterinary, CITES or dangerous goods documentation as applicable.

Controlled and restricted goods

What gets stopped, and why

  • Antwerp runs intensive container inspection driven by narcotics enforcement, and legitimate cargo is sometimes caught in it. Build a few days of tolerance into a tight schedule.
  • Counterfeit enforcement is active, particularly on branded consumer goods arriving in volume.
  • Food, plants and animal origin goods must enter through an approved border control post with the corresponding certification.
  • Chemicals and dangerous goods are a Belgian speciality but also heavily regulated, with REACH obligations sitting alongside customs requirements.
  • Dual use goods and export controlled technology require licences.
  • Wood packaging must comply with ISPM 15 and carry the mark.

Working with Velonex

What clients usually bring us in for on this lane

  • Project and oversized cargo, where Antwerp breakbulk capability and inland position are hard to beat anywhere in Europe.
  • Importers with no EU entity who want deferment of import VAT through fiscal representation, without setting up a company first.
  • Time critical air cargo that benefits from the round the clock operation at Liege rather than waiting for a daytime slot.
  • High-value goods needing controlled handling on the ground, using the specialised facilities at Brussels rather than a general cargo shed.
  • Cargo delivering into northern France or the German border region, where discharging at Antwerp shortens the final road leg materially.

Get a quote

Tell us what needs to move to Belgium

We listen before we quote. Share the cargo, the deadline and the constraint, and we will come back with a route that accounts for all three, the documents it will need and a timeline we can stand behind.

Your details

Includes your name, company name and email address

Shipment route

Includes your pickup location and destination

Cargo type

Includes the type of cargo you are shipping

Special requirements

Includes a short note about your challenge

Timeline

Includes your desired timeline

Your quote

A tailored response based on everything above

Velonex icon

Corporate logistics partner

Trust, clarity and operational follow through for complex cargo.

Not ready for a quote? Email info@velonex-hk.com or message us on WhatsApp with the question and we will answer it.

Sources

Where this information comes from

General guidance, last reviewed August 2026. Customs rules and product requirements change, and the treatment of any specific shipment depends on its classification, origin and value. Confirm the detail with us or with the authority before you commit to a movement.

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