Belgium

At a glanceRequirements at a glance

Transport Licence Required

Yes

Yes — Any individual or company transporting goods for hire and reward needs a vervoervergunning: an original licence kept at the company’s head office, plus a copy for each vehicle used. Not required if a vehicle’s useful load capacity is 500kg or less and its maximum authorized mass (MTM) is 2.5 tonnes or less.

Four Qualifying Conditions

Required for the licence — Good repute (a clean record for the company and its transport manager), financial standing (a joint and several guarantee of €9,000 for the first vehicle and €5,000 for each subsequent vehicle), professional competence (a certificate issued by FOD Mobiliteit en Vervoer after passing an exam organized through ITLB, the Institut Transport & Logistique Belgique), and a genuine, effective establishment in Belgium.

Community Licence Covers Both Domestic and International Transport

Yes

Yes — For vehicles over 500kg useful load capacity, a licence communautaire/communautaire vergunning (EU Community Licence) authorizes both national and international transport within the EU under a single licence.

Licence Validity

5 years — Automatically renewed and sent by FOD Mobiliteit, without requiring a fresh application each time.

A Government-Recognized Moving-Industry Chamber Exists

Yes, and genuinely well-established — BKV (Belgische Kamer der Verhuizers / Chambre Belge des Déménageurs), founded in 1930 with roots to 1902, is formally recognized by the FOD Economie as the professional organization for the entire Belgian moving sector, holding the mandate for Paritair Comité 140.05, the sector’s joint labor committee.

A Genuinely Recent Public Verification Platform

Yes

Yes — On 19 August 2025, BKV launched erkendeverhuizers.be (“Recognized Movers”), listing only moving companies that meet its quality charter and are legally compliant, and offering independent complaint mediation for consumers experiencing problems with a moving company.

Consumer Complaint Resources (For Movers Not Vetted as ITMs)

Yes, through multiple channels — BKV itself offers independent mediation for consumer complaints via its erkendeverhuizers.be platform. General Belgian consumer protection also applies through standard national consumer authorities. BKV additionally reports malpractice to federal labor inspection services on an ongoing basis and works actively against social fraud in the moving sector.

Industry Association

BKV (Belgische Kamer der Verhuizers) — Approximately 105 direct member companies, though its Paritair Comité 140.05 mandate extends its effective representation to the broader Belgian moving sector with employees. For comparison, Belgium’s Crossroads Bank for Enterprises lists 1,218 active businesses under the moving-sector NACE code (49.420), meaning BKV’s direct membership captures a meaningful but partial share of the total market.

OverviewOverview & Scope

Belgium licenses movers under the standard EU-1071/2009 framework, with FOD Mobiliteit en Vervoer issuing a transport licence requiring the four standard EU conditions, valid for 5 years with automatic renewal. Vehicles over 500kg useful load can be authorized for both domestic and EU-wide international transport under a single Community Licence. What distinguishes Belgium in this project is its moving-industry associational infrastructure: BKV, a century-old, government-recognized professional chamber holding the sector’s own labor-committee mandate, which in August 2025 launched a genuinely new public platform listing quality-vetted movers and offering independent consumer complaint mediation — a direct, explicit response to rogue “cowboy” movers in the Belgian market.

RegistrationRegistration & Compliance Essentials

Movers must:

1. Apply to FOD Mobiliteit en Vervoer for a vervoervergunning, or the Community Licence if operating internationally within the EU.
2. Demonstrate good repute, financial standing, professional competence, and genuine establishment.
3. Obtain a licence copy for each vehicle used, keeping the original at the company’s head office.
4. Renew the licence before its 5-year term expires, though FOD Mobiliteit handles this automatically.
5. Consider BKV membership, given its genuine recognition, sector mandate, and public verification platform.
6. Ensure consumer-facing practices comply with general Belgian consumer protection law.
7. Retain vervoervergunning, vehicle copies, and consumer-compliance documentation as required for renewal and regulatory review.

ChecklistCompliance checklist

• Vervoervergunning held from FOD Mobiliteit en VervoerRequired
• Good repute, financial standing, professional competence, and establishment demonstratedRequired
• Licence copy held for each vehicleRequired
• Community Licence held, if operating internationally within the EURequiredwhere applicable
• Licence renewed before 5-year expiryRequired
• BKV membership consideredRecommended
• Consumer-facing practices compliant with Belgian consumer protection lawRequired
• Vervoervergunning, vehicle copies, and consumer-compliance records retainedRequired