Regulatory & compliance · International household goods
International: Belgium
The Community Licence already covers EU-wide transport for movers operating their own vehicles. CMR excludes furniture removal, so Belgian domestic liability law continues to apply
Regulated byLicence communautaire (Community Licence) issued by FOD Mobiliteit en Vervoer covers both domestic and EU-wide road transport in a single authorization; the CMR Convention, which Belgium has ratified, explicitly excludes furniture removal from its scope, so Belgian domestic transport-contract liability continues to apply to genuine household-goods moves
At a glanceRequirements at a glance
- The Community Licence Already Covers EU-Wide Transport
- Yes
- Yes, where the mover operates its own vehicles internationally. As covered on the Belgium page, a mover holding the Community Licence (for vehicles over 500kg useful load) is already authorized for both domestic transport and international transport within the EU; no additional vehicle licence is needed for that traffic specifically.
- Domestic Liability Law Continues to Apply: CMR Does Not Cover Furniture Removal
- Belgium has ratified the CMR Convention, which generally governs international road carriage, but Article 1(4)(c) of the Convention explicitly excludes furniture removal from its scope, confirmed directly in the Convention’s own text and by UNIDROIT (its custodian body). This means a genuine international household-goods move does not automatically fall under CMR’s liability limits or consignment-note requirement; Belgian domestic transport-contract liability continues to apply by default.
OverviewOverview & Scope
For EU-wide road transport, Belgium’s Community Licence already covers the international leg: no separate international-specific vehicle licence is needed beyond what’s covered on the Belgium page. The licence attaches to the company operating the vehicles; where a mover subcontracts the cross-border carriage, the carrier’s own licence covers the transport it performs, and the mover should use carriers that hold it. On liability, Belgium’s ratification of CMR doesn’t change the outcome for a genuine household-goods move, since CMR explicitly excludes furniture removal from its scope; Belgian domestic transport-contract liability continues to apply by default.
RegistrationRegistration & Compliance Essentials
Movers that carry goods across borders by road in their own vehicles must:
- Hold the Community Licence (not a domestic-only licence) for EU-wide international road transport. No additional step is needed once this is in place.
Movers that subcontract the cross-border carriage must:
- Use carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they perform.
ChecklistCompliance checklist
Company licensing
- Community Licence held (not a domestic-only vervoervergunning) for EU-wide routesWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles internationally within the EU)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