Moving to Belgium from Dubai — International Removals, Belgian Customs & Door-to-Door Delivery

Verhuisgoederen / Biens de Déménagement — The Belgian Removal Goods Exemption

Belgium administers the EU removal goods exemption through ADDA (Algemene Directie Douane en Accijnzen) in Dutch, or AGD&A (Administration générale des Douanes et Accises) in French. The exemption applies equally across all three Belgian regions (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels Capital Region) but the declaration form and correspondence language should match the destination.

Eligibility Requirements

• You must be transferring your normal place of residence from outside the EU to Belgium
• You must have lived outside the EU continuously for at least 12 months immediately before the move
• Goods must have been owned and used by you personally for at least 6 months before the move
• Goods must not be sold, lent, pledged, or hired out for 12 months after importation
• The declaration must be submitted to ADDA/AGD&A before or at the time of importation

Required Documentation

• Verhuisgoederen / biens de déménagement declaration — completed and signed in the correct language
• Complete itemised inventory in Dutch or French (inventarislijst / liste d’inventaire)
• Proof of former residence outside the EU for 12+ months — UAE residence visa, employer letter, utility bills
• Proof of new Belgian address — huurcontract / bail (rental contract) or purchase deed
• Passport copy and UAE residency documentation
• Bill of Lading

Fusion prepares the customs declaration and the bilingual inventory as standard. For Dutch-speaking Flemish destinations (Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges), documentation is prepared in Dutch. For French-speaking Wallonia (Liège, Namur, Charleroi) and Brussels, documentation is prepared in French. For German-speaking Eastern Belgium, German is used. You do not need a separate translation service.

Registration de Commune / Aangifte bij de Gemeente

Belgian law requires all new residents to register with their local commune (gemeente in Dutch, commune in French) within 8 working days of establishing residence. The commune issues a registration certificate after a home visit by the local police — the police verify that you actually live at the registered address. This registration provides your Belgian National Register Number (Rijksregisternummer / numéro de registre national), which is required for healthcare, banking, and tax registration. Fusion briefs every client on the commune registration process before they leave Dubai.

EU Institutions & NATO Personnel — Special Provisions

Staff of EU institutions (European Commission, European Parliament, Council of the EU) and NATO posted to Belgium benefit from specific customs and tax privileges under their respective headquarters agreements. EU institution staff may be exempt from Belgian income tax on their EU salary, and special provisions apply to their household goods imports. NATO personnel posted to SHAPE (Mons) or NATO HQ (Brussels) have separate status-of-forces agreement provisions. Fusion advises on the specific documentation applicable to institutional staff at survey stage.

Vehicles to Belgium

Vehicles imported into Belgium from outside the EU must obtain Belgian registration (DIV — Direction pour l’Immatriculation des Véhicules). UAE-specification vehicles typically do not hold EU type approval (COC) and require individual approval before Belgian registration. Vehicles are also subject to BIV (Belasting op de Inverkeerstelling) — a one-time registration tax — and annual road tax (verkeersbelasting). See our Automobile Relocation page.

Pets to Belgium

Belgium is an EU member state. Dogs and cats entering from the UAE must comply with EU pet import regulations: ISO-standard microchip, valid anti-rabies vaccination, and an EU-format health certificate issued by an officially authorised UAE veterinarian within 10 days of travel. No quarantine is required for pets meeting EU requirements. See our Pet Relocation page.