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Belgium sits right across the Channel. So a move there's short and often good value. Nearly every move goes by road. The fastest way over is Le Shuttle, the Eurotunnel train from Folkestone to Calais. It takes about 35 minutes. From Calais it's a short drive into Belgium. Bruges is roughly an hour away. Antwerp is about two hours, and Brussels around an hour and 45 minutes.
Ferries are the other option. Dover to Calais (with P&O Ferries or DFDS) takes about 90 minutes. Dover to Dunkirk (DFDS) takes about two hours. Dunkirk is just inside France but only minutes from the Belgian border, which suits moves to West Flanders. The UK leg is a straight run down the M20 to the Kent coast.
Belgium is small. It's one of the easiest EU moves from the UK. The crossing is quick. The drive from Calais is short. And the route runs daily, so shared loads go often.
Belgium is officially trilingual. Flanders in the north is Dutch-speaking. Wallonia in the south is French-speaking. Brussels is bilingual. The small eastern area around Eupen is German-speaking. The move itself works the same way wherever you land. Still, it helps to know which region you're heading for.
International Removals Companies connects your enquiry with one FIDI-certified partner mover for the UK to Belgium route. We aren't a removal company. The service is free.
Belgium is small. But it's split into language regions. Knowing which one you head for helps your mover plan. It helps you settle in too. The move is the same. The local signs and forms are what differ.
Flanders is the north. It's Dutch-speaking. This is where you find Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Leuven and the coast. Road signs and local forms are in Dutch. Your mover may note Flemish place names. Antwerpen is Antwerp. Brugge is Bruges.
Wallonia is the south. It's French-speaking. Liège, Charleroi, Mons and Namur sit here. Signs and forms are in French. The hill towns can have steep, narrow streets, so access is worth checking early.
Brussels is officially bilingual. Street signs show both French and Dutch. It's the capital and the home of the EU institutions. Waterloo, just to the south, is a long-standing favourite with English-speaking families. The small German-speaking area around Eupen is in the east. It's the only part of Belgium where German is the main language.
Belgium's older centres come with a few access quirks worth flagging early. A good mover checks all of this before moving day, so nothing comes as a surprise. Always give the full four-digit Belgian postcode for the delivery address.
here's the part people most often get wrong. Being close doesn't make Belgium simpler at the border. Since Brexit, moving your things from Great Britain to Belgium counts as an EU import. It's to clear customs.
The good news: if you are moving your main home, you can usually claim removal-goods relief. This is the transfer-of-residence relief. It means no import duty or VAT on belongings you have owned and used for at least six months. The authority is the Federal Public Service Finance. It is known as SPF Finances in French and FOD Financiën in Dutch.
Belgium's standard VAT rate is 21%. That's what you'd pay on your goods if you can't claim or document the relief. If your paperwork is incomplete on arrival, customs may ask for a guarantee. It's around 10% duty plus 21% VAT. You get it back within about six months, once you show your Belgian residence certificate. So the paperwork really matters.
You normally have up to one year to bring your household goods in duty-free. The clock starts at your official change of residence. One Belgium-specific point: relief no longer covers second homes. Only a genuine move of your main residence qualifies. Your accredited mover prepares and files the customs declaration and the relief claim. You can't file the commercial declaration yourself.
Because the crossing is short, Belgium is one of the cheaper EU moves from the UK. The figures below are a guide to help you plan, not a quote. Your firm price comes after a free home survey.
Belgium uses the euro (EUR), not sterling. Moving there means moving into a euro economy. Deposits, local charges and day-to-day costs are all in euro once you arrive.
International Removals Companies works with currency exchange partners. We don't provide currency exchange ourselves. If you need to convert sterling to euro, we can connect you with a partner who can help. This is a free add-on. It carries no cost and no ties.
there are a lot of removal firms out there. Not all handle a cross-border move well. That's why standards matter.
We connect you with one suitable FIDI-certified partner mover for your UK to Belgium route. Not a list of firms. Just one mover, who reviews your items, access notes and delivery address before confirming the price.
FIDI FAIM is the main quality standard for international removal companies. Partner movers pass an independent audit by Ernst and Young every three years, covering more than 200 quality checks. For a move that crosses an EU customs border, that matters. It shows the mover meets the right checks for sea and road packing and EU customs.
Most moves go by road across the Channel. The quickest option is Le Shuttle (Eurotunnel) from Folkestone to Calais. It takes about 35 minutes. Then it's a short drive into Belgium. Ferries from Dover to Calais or Dunkirk are also used. Calais to Brussels is roughly one hour and 45 minutes by road.
Yes. Since Brexit, a move from Great Britain to Belgium is an EU import and must clear customs. If you are moving your main home, you can usually claim removal-goods relief. You then pay no duty or VAT on belongings you have owned and used for at least six months. The Belgian authority is the Federal Public Service Finance, known as SPF Finances or FOD Financiën.
A shared-load move often falls between £1,200 and £3,000. A dedicated vehicle for a larger home is usually £3,500 to £7,000 or more. The short crossing keeps Belgium among the cheaper EU moves. You only get a firm price after a home survey, which the mover does free.
A dedicated van can reach most Belgian cities within a day or two of leaving the UK. A shared-load service depends on the schedule. It usually takes a few days to two weeks. The van waits until it's full before it travels.
Yes. With a shared load you pay only for the space your things take up. So it's the cheaper choice for a small flat or a part move. Because the Calais route runs so often, shared-load space to Belgium comes up regularly.
Usually, with planning. Bruges has a protected medieval core with narrow, partly pedestrian streets. A smaller vehicle may handle the final approach. Antwerp and Ghent run low-emission zones (lage-emissiezone) that keep older vehicles out of the centre. A good mover checks these before the day.
It helps to know. Flanders in the north is Dutch-speaking. Wallonia in the south is French-speaking. Brussels is officially bilingual, and the small eastern area around Eupen is German-speaking. The move works the same way, but local paperwork and signage follow the regional language.
Look for FIDI or FAIM accreditation and BAR Overseas membership. Check for goods-in-transit and liability cover, a written inventory, and a clear quote after a survey. We only connect you with movers that meet these standards.
International Removals Companies is not a removal company. We are a free matching service operated by DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD (company 07425576). You send one enquiry and we connect you with one FIDI-certified partner mover for your UK to Belgium route. Free, no obligation.
We connect removals to any city or town in Belgium. Use the Flanders and Wallonia sections below to find your destination. Whatever city you choose, the service is the same: one FIDI-certified partner mover, free matching, no obligation, and the Belgian customs paperwork handled for you.
International Removals Companies connects removals to Belgium enquiries with one suitable vetted partner mover. Partner movers hold FIDI FAIM, BAR Overseas, FEDEMAC and IAM accreditations where confirmed. Working Member of AGM Group since 2010.
Prices, transit times, insurance cover and customs paperwork must be confirmed by the partner mover before booking.