Shipping to Belgium from Vietnam

Ship to Belgium from Vietnam — Antwerp sea freight, Brussels air. EU distribution gateway, EVFTA duty relief, FAVV-AFSCA clearance, B2B and family parcels.

Belgium is where a lot of Vietnam-to-Europe trade actually enters the continent, whether or not the final buyer knows it. Antwerp-Bruges — the two ports merged into a single authority since 2022 — is one of Europe’s largest container gateways, and goods cleared here regularly move onward by truck and rail into Germany, France, and the Netherlands within days. For B2B importers building an EU distribution strategy, routing through Belgium first is a well-worn path, not a novelty.

Belgium is also home to more than 15,000 Vietnamese residents, plus a rotating population of EU-institution staff, contractors, and students in Brussels who ship personal parcels the same way anyone abroad does. Gateway Express serves both sides: sea freight through Antwerp and Zeebrugge, and air freight into Brussels Airport (BRU), with FAVV-AFSCA food clearance and Belgian customs handled on your behalf.

This page covers our service tiers, Belgium’s EU customs framework and EVFTA paperwork, the country’s three-language labeling requirement, VAT rates, what you can and can’t ship, and the B2B case for using Belgium as an EU entry point.

Shipping Services to Belgium

Express Air (4-6 Business Days)

Direct or one-stop flights from Hanoi (HAN) and Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) into Brussels Airport (BRU).

Best for:

Time-critical B2B samples and contracts for Brussels-based businesses and EU institutions
Family parcels and gifts for the Vietnamese community
Documents and high-value small cargo

Service features:

4-6 business day door-to-door delivery
Real-time tracking with proactive customs updates
100% declared-value insurance included

Standard Air (7-12 Business Days)

Cost-effective routing via regional hubs.

Best for:

Personal parcels, clothing, household items
Bulk Vietnamese specialty foods with compliant labeling
Non-urgent commercial cargo

Sea Freight (30-40 Days)

Vietnam to Antwerp-Bruges, Europe’s second-largest port complex, with onward customs-cleared distribution across the EU.

Best for:

B2B inventory for importers using Belgium as an EU entry point
Furniture and household relocations
Heavy commercial cargo, LCL and FCL

Service features:

Belgian customs clearance directly at Antwerp
Onward road/rail distribution into Germany, France, and the Netherlands arranged as part of the same booking

Belgian Customs, EVFTA, and VAT

Regulators you may interact with

Agency	Role
FAVV-AFSCA (Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain)	Food safety, import inspection, labeling compliance
Belgian Customs (part of the FPS Finance Customs and Excise administration)	Customs clearance, duty and VAT collection

VAT and duty

Charge	Rate
VAT — standard	21%
VAT — reduced (basic food, pharmaceuticals, books)	6%
VAT — intermediate (some other food categories)	12%
Customs duty (EVFTA)	~99% of Vietnam-origin goods at 0%

Belgium’s food VAT landscape shifted in 2026: several prepared/ready-to-eat food categories moved from the 6% to the 12% bracket, so which rate applies now depends on the specific product — we confirm this at quoting stage rather than assuming a flat number.

EVFTA paperwork

Shipments under €6,000: an origin declaration on the commercial invoice is sufficient
Shipments over €6,000: Belgian customs requires the exporter’s REX (Registered Exporter) number, which we help arrange through the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce
Without valid origin proof, standard MFN duty rates apply instead

Three-language labeling

Belgium has three official languages, and retail food labels must match the region where the product will be sold:

Dutch (Flemish) — Flanders, including Antwerp and Ghent
French — Wallonia, including Liège and Charleroi
German — a small eastern community near the German border

For nationwide commercial distribution, labels are typically printed in Dutch + French at minimum, sometimes all three. Personal-quantity family gifts have more flexibility.

Need FAVV-AFSCA labeling review or REX paperwork help before pickup? Email info@gatewayexpress.com.vn or call +84 938 373 343.

Belgium as an EU Distribution Gateway

This is the detail that makes Belgium different from most of the other EU pages on this site: it isn’t just a destination, it’s frequently a first stop. Reasons B2B importers route through Belgium specifically:

Antwerp-Bruges ranks among Europe’s largest ports by container throughput, with deep-water berths and extensive customs-brokerage infrastructure built for high volume
Once cleared at Antwerp, goods move under free circulation across the EU — no repeat customs process at the German, French, or Dutch border
Brussels’ concentration of EU institutions, trade bodies, and multinational logistics firms means customs expertise and warehousing capacity are dense and competitive
Road and rail links from Antwerp reach most of Western Europe within a day or two

If you’re a Vietnamese exporter setting up EU distribution for the first time, ask us about a Belgium-first routing strategy — it’s often more efficient than clearing separately in each destination country.

The Vietnamese Community in Belgium

Indicator	Detail
Community size	15,000+
Main hub	Brussels — Schaerbeek and Anderlecht neighborhoods
Other hubs	Antwerp, Ghent, Liège
Notable context	Sizeable population tied to EU-institution work, alongside a longer-settled diaspora

Brussels’ Vietnamese community sits alongside a transient population of students and EU-institution staff who ship personal effects in both directions — a distinct pattern from the more purely family-remittance flow seen in some other European destinations.

What You Can Ship — and What’s Banned

Allowed

Processed foods: fish sauce, soy sauce, seasoning packets, mixed spices, instant noodles, dry rice noodles, pho noodles, dried seafood (dried shrimp, squid, fish), confectionery, roasted nuts.

Beverages: roasted and instant coffee, tea (phytosanitary certificate for plant products).

Non-food: clothing, footwear, small furniture, EU-compliant cosmetics, books, handicrafts, CE-marked electronics.

EU-banned categories from Vietnam

All meat and meat-derived products — fresh, frozen, dried, or processed, including pork floss (ruốc) and sausages
Fresh dairy from non-approved sources
Fresh eggs and egg products
Live fish and fresh seafood (frozen seafood is generally permitted)

Restricted

Prescription pharmaceuticals: require a valid prescription
Alcohol and tobacco: dutiable, subject to excise duty on top of VAT

Bringing coffee back from a trip to Vietnam? See our Vietnamese coffee shipping guide for packing advice that applies directly to Belgium-bound parcels.

How Shipping with Gateway Express Works

Step 1 — Get a quote

Hotline: +84 938 373 343 (also +84 944 247 267)
Zalo / Viber / WhatsApp: message the same number
Email: info@gatewayexpress.com.vn
Online: Request a free quote or contact our team

Step 2 — Pack and prepare paperwork

Pack to our guidelines, provide sender ID and full recipient details, and for commercial shipments supply HS codes, REX number where applicable, and declared value in EUR. For distribution shipments, tell us the onward destination countries so we can plan the Antwerp routing.

Step 3 — Free door pickup

Free pickup in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi; scheduled pickup in Da Nang, Hai Phong, and 60+ provinces.

Step 4 — Transit and tracking

SMS tracking from pickup, proactive customs milestone updates, and Antwerp clearance coordinated by us for sea freight.

Step 5 — Door delivery in Belgium

Express: 4-6 business days
Standard: 7-12 business days
Sea freight: 30-40 days

Where We Pick Up and Deliver

Pickup in Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi (all districts, free pickup); Da Nang, Hai Phong, and 60+ provinces (scheduled pickup).

Delivery in Belgium

Brussels — capital, EU institutions hub, Vietnamese community in Schaerbeek and Anderlecht
Antwerp — largest city in Flanders, primary sea-freight port
Ghent, Bruges — regional hubs
Liège, Charleroi — Wallonia, French-speaking region
All 10 provinces and the Brussels Capital Region

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does shipping from Vietnam to Belgium take?

Express: 4-6 business days
Standard: 7-12 business days
Sea freight: 30-40 days (via Antwerp)

Why do B2B importers route through Belgium specifically?

Antwerp-Bruges is one of Europe’s largest ports, and goods cleared there move freely across the EU without repeat customs at each border. For a Vietnamese exporter setting up EU distribution, clearing once in Belgium is often more efficient than clearing separately in Germany, France, or the Netherlands.

How does EVFTA help with Belgium-bound shipments?

EVFTA eliminates duty on ~99% of Vietnam-origin goods. Under €6,000, an origin declaration on the invoice is sufficient. Above €6,000, Belgian customs wants the exporter’s REX number, which we arrange.

What’s Belgium’s VAT on food?

It depends on the category: 6% for basic groceries, 12% for some prepared/ready-to-eat foods (a 2026 change moved several items from 6% to 12%), and 21% standard for non-food goods. We confirm the applicable rate per product at quoting.

Do labels need to be in multiple languages?

Yes, for commercial distribution — typically Dutch and French at minimum, since Belgium has three official languages tied to specific regions. Family gift parcels have more flexibility on labeling strictness.

Can I ship dried meat, pork floss, or sausages?

No. The EU bans all meat and meat-derived products from Vietnam in every form.

Can I ship fish sauce and dried seafood?

Yes. Bottled fish sauce and dried shrimp, squid, or fish are permitted processed-food categories, subject to proper labeling.

Do you deliver directly to Brussels’ Vietnamese neighborhoods?

Yes. We deliver to Schaerbeek, Anderlecht, and the wider Brussels Capital Region, alongside Antwerp, Ghent, and the French-speaking cities of Wallonia.

Is pickup free and is insurance included?

Yes to both. Free door pickup in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, and 100% declared-value insurance on every shipment.

Visiting Vietnam as a tourist? Ship souvenirs and excess baggage to Belgium with free hotel pickup → Tourist Shipping Service.

Ready to ship to Belgium? Get a transparent quote and door pickup from Gateway Express.

📞 Hotline: +84 938 373 343 📧 Email: info@gatewayexpress.com.vn 🏢 Office: 72/5 Giai Phong St., Tan Son Nhat Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Your trusted Vietnam–Belgium shipping partner. Also serving the Netherlands, France, and Germany. See all destinations we ship to from Vietnam.

Packaging & shipping operations at the Gateway Express warehouse

Gateway Express staff packing parcels

Team sorting and preparing international shipments

Warehouse staging area for international freight

Gateway Express warehouse ready for dispatch

Weighing and labelling parcels for shipment

Carefully packaged parcels awaiting pickup

Prices in USD. Rate: 1 USD = 26,500 VND

Economy 2026

Transit time:8-15days·VND·Chưa VAT 8%

Per-kg rates (≤ 20kg)

Per-kg rates (≤ 20kg)
Weight (kg)	Price (USD)
0.5 kg	$50.86
1 kg	$55.77
1.5 kg	$60.68
2 kg	$65.58
2.5 kg	$70.49
3 kg	$75.39
3.5 kg	$80.30
4 kg	$85.20
4.5 kg	$90.11
5 kg	$95.01
5.5 kg	$103.69
6 kg	$108.60
6.5 kg	$113.51
7 kg	$118.41
7.5 kg	$123.32
8 kg	$128.22
8.5 kg	$133.13
9 kg	$138.03
9.5 kg	$142.94
10 kg	$121.41

Weight (kg)	Price (USD)
10.5 kg	$130.53
11 kg	$130.53
11.5 kg	$139.66
12 kg	$139.66
12.5 kg	$148.78
13 kg	$148.78
13.5 kg	$157.90
14 kg	$157.90
14.5 kg	$167.02
15 kg	$167.02
15.5 kg	$183.69
16 kg	$183.69
16.5 kg	$192.81
17 kg	$192.81
17.5 kg	$201.94
18 kg	$201.94
18.5 kg	$211.06
19 kg	$211.06
19.5 kg	$220.18
20 kg	$220.18