Sending your belongings to Belgium by sea
Moving to Belgium, going home after years in Canada, or sending boxes to family? Personal effects travel in a shared ocean container (LCL groupage) from our receiving warehouses in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver to Antwerp and Brussels. You pay only for the space your boxes take, from USD 3 per cubic foot, and the carrier estimates 16–35 days in transit depending on the gateway and the city.
Personal effects to Belgium are accepted subject to carrier approval: before you pay, we send your packing list and passport copy to the carrier, and only then is the booking confirmed.
Moving to Belgium. Household goods enter free of duty and VAT under the EU transfer-of-residence relief (twelve months outside the EU, goods owned for six months). Belgian customs asks for the inventory and proof of registration with your new commune. Commercial cargo needs an EORI number.
Belgium is small and well connected, so the choice between Antwerp and Brussels mostly depends on where the consignee will collect. Brussels is home to the European Union institutions and NATO, and many staff have special customs arrangements for household goods; ask your organization for the exemption certificate before shipping. Belgium has three official languages, and inventories in English or French are accepted.
Boxes for a student year or a posting in Leuven, Ghent or Liège can travel as personal effects too: keep the packing list detailed and tell the clearing agent in Antwerp whether you claim the transfer-of-residence relief or will pay duty on the goods.
Rates for household boxes to Belgium
| Destination | From Toronto | From Montreal | From Vancouver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antwerp | USD 3 / cu ft 16 days · min. USD 370.96 | USD 3 / cu ft 16 days · min. USD 370.96 | USD 5 / cu ft 35 days · min. USD 441.60 |
| Brussels | USD 3 / cu ft 18 days · min. USD 370.96 | USD 3 / cu ft 18 days · min. USD 370.96 | USD 5 / cu ft 28 days · min. USD 441.60 |
Example: moving boxes from Toronto to Antwerp
A medium moving box of 18 × 18 × 16 inches holds 3.0 cubic feet; packed with clothes, books and kitchenware it weighs about 15 kg.
- 10 boxes (30 cu ft, 150 kg): USD 370.96
- 20 boxes (60 cu ft, 300 kg): USD 445.00
- The smallest shipment: USD 370.96
The totals include the A1 processing fee, surcharges and solar fee. The carrier charges by volume or by weight (1,000 kg per CBM), whichever is greater. From the Prairies, with trucking to the port included: Calgary USD 645.00 (via Montreal) and Winnipeg USD 645.00 (via Montreal).
Which Canadian gateway: 20 boxes to Antwerp
- From Toronto: USD 445.00, about 16 days
- From Montreal: USD 445.00, about 16 days
- From Vancouver: USD 565.00, about 35 days
Toronto is both the least expensive and the fastest gateway to Antwerp. Choose the warehouse you can reach; from other Canadian cities the calculator shows the lowest of the three.
20 moving boxes to different cities in Belgium
- Antwerp: USD 445.00 from Toronto, about 16 days
- Brussels: USD 445.00 from Toronto, about 18 days
The difference between the least and the most expensive of these is USD 0.00.
Documents for personal effects
- Passport copy. The photo page of the shipper's passport. It must be valid (not expired) and the name must match the shipper on the booking and on the packing list. We accept a passport from any country, but no other ID.
- Packing list. Our fillable packing list (PDF) names the shipper and the receiver in Belgium and lists every box: contents, quantity, dimensions, weight and value. Number the boxes and write the same numbers on the list. "Winter clothes, 2 coats, 6 sweaters" is useful; "personal items" is not. Sign it before you upload it.
- Customs value. The total declared value of the shipment may not exceed CAD 2,000.
The carrier's tariff requires a passport copy and a complete, detailed packing list for every personal-effects shipment, and household goods must be professionally packed. More help: how to fill in the packing list.
Packing advice
Your boxes are handled several times: at the warehouse, in the container and at the terminal in Antwerp. Use new, strong double-wall cartons and fill them completely so they do not collapse under the weight of others; seal every seam with packing tape. Put heavy items such as books in small boxes and light items in larger ones. Write the receiver's name and city in Belgium on two sides of every box. Many boxes can be strapped onto a pallet on ISPM 15 heat-treated wood; you or your mover prepare the pallet, A1 does not palletize.
What not to pack
The carrier does not accept vehicles or parts with fuel, food, plants, animals, medication, weapons, dangerous goods (aerosols, batteries, paint, flammable liquids), cash, jewellery or other valuables. If you are not sure about an item, ask us before you pack it.
Carrier conditions for Belgium
- Commercial Invoice Required
- Personal Effects / Household Goods On Approval
- Subject to ISPM 15 Packing Regulations
Insurance (optional)
Cargo insurance for personal effects is arranged through Marsh Canada (CargoCover): owner-packed goods, all risks, with a USD 300 deductible. To request it, sign the insurance coverage form and complete the valued inventory, then upload both on your booking page before departure. All forms: useful links and forms.
How to book
Calculate the price in the calculator above with the cargo type "Personal effects", accept the quote and upload the passport copy and the signed packing list on your booking page. After the carrier approves the shipment and confirms the destination charges, you pay and receive the labels and the warehouse delivery instructions. You deliver the boxes yourself: A1 does not offer pickup from your home.
Shipping to Belgium by service
Questions and answers
How much does it cost to ship 20 boxes to Belgium?
Twenty medium moving boxes (about 60 cu ft and 300 kg) from Toronto to Antwerp cost about USD 445.00 including all A1 fees. Destination charges, duties and taxes are confirmed separately.
Which ID do I need to ship personal effects to Belgium?
A copy of the photo page of the shipper's passport: valid, not expired, and in the same name as the shipper on the booking and the packing list. A passport from any country is accepted; no other ID is.
Can A1 pick up my boxes at home?
No. You or a local mover deliver the packed boxes to our receiving warehouse in Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver; the warehouse measures and weighs them and the final price follows those measurements.
Rates valid through December 25, 2026; totals include A1 fees of USD 265.00. Destination charges are confirmed by the carrier, duties and taxes are paid by the consignee, and transit days are the carrier's estimate.