Belgium

At a glanceRequirements at a glance

Transport Licence Required

Yes

Yes, where the mover operates its own vehicles. 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. Where a mover subcontracts the road transport, the carrier’s own licence covers the transport it performs, and the mover should use carriers that hold the licences that transport requires.

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, where the mover operates its own vehicles internationally. 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.

Consumer Complaint Resources (For Movers Not Vetted as ITMs)

Yes, through multiple channels. General Belgian consumer protection applies through standard national consumer authorities. BKV, the moving-industry chamber, also offers complaint mediation for consumers experiencing problems with a moving company, via its erkendeverhuizers.be platform.

Industry Association

Yes. BKV (Belgische Kamer der Verhuizers / Chambre Belge des Déménageurs), founded in 1930, is recognized by the FOD Economie as the professional organization for the Belgian moving sector and holds the mandate for Paritair Comité 140.05, the sector’s joint labor committee. It has approximately 105 direct member companies; Belgium’s Crossroads Bank for Enterprises lists 1,218 active businesses under the moving-sector NACE code (49.420). Membership is voluntary and is not a government licence.

OverviewOverview & Scope

Belgium licenses road haulage 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. The licence attaches to the company operating the vehicles: where a mover subcontracts transport, the carrier’s own licence covers the transport it performs, and the mover should use carriers that hold it. Belgium also has a government-recognized moving-industry chamber, BKV, which holds the sector’s labor-committee mandate.

RegistrationRegistration & Compliance Essentials

Company licensing (where the mover operates its own vehicles)

1. Apply to FOD Mobiliteit en Vervoer for a vervoervergunning, or the Community Licence if operating internationally within the EU, and keep it current (5-year term, renewed automatically by FOD Mobiliteit).
2. Demonstrate good repute, financial standing, professional competence, and genuine establishment.

Vehicles (where the mover operates its own vehicles)

3. Obtain a licence copy for each vehicle used, keeping the original at the company’s head office.

Subcontracted transport

4. Where transport is subcontracted, use carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they perform.

Customer practices

5. Ensure consumer-facing practices comply with general Belgian consumer protection law.

ChecklistCompliance checklist

Company licensing

• Vervoervergunning (or Community Licence) held from FOD Mobiliteit en Vervoer and current within its 5-year termWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles for hire and reward above 500kg useful load or 2.5 tonnes MTM)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Good repute, financial standing (guarantee of €9,000 for the first vehicle and €5,000 for each additional vehicle), professional competence certificate, and genuine establishment in BelgiumWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles; licence conditions)Verified by DocumentRequired

Subcontracted transport

• Where transport is subcontracted, the mover uses carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they performWhere applicableVerified by AffirmationRequired

Vehicles and drivers (where the mover operates its own vehicles)

• Licence copy held for each vehicle used, with the original kept at the head officeWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired

Customer practices

• Consumer-facing practices comply with general Belgian consumer protection lawVerified by AffirmationRequired