Considering a Move to Belgium?

Moving to Belgium from the UK

Abels Moving Services has provided professional, discreet packing and European road removal services for over 50 years. We work with discerning families and professionals who are moving to Belgium.

Belgium: Geography and Regions

Belgium covers around 11,787 square miles, just an eighth the size of the UK. It borders the Netherlands to the north, Germany and Luxembourg to the east, and France to the south.

Around 11.9 million people live in Belgium. Despite having roughly a sixth of the UK’s population, the country’s population density is around 50% higher than the UK’s.

Belgium divides into three administrative regions: Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels. Within these sit several provinces, including Antwerp, East Flanders, Flemish Brabant, Hainaut, Liège, Limburg, Namur, Walloon Brabant, and West Flanders.

Brussels and Places to Visit

Brussels is the capital, with a metropolitan population of around 1.8 million. It’s known as the capital of the European Union and hosts NATO’s headquarters too.

Worth visiting once you’ve settled in: Antwerp, home to the largest diamond centre in the world. Ghent is worth a look too, with 18 museums, 100 churches, and over 400 historical buildings. Also worth knowing: Spa, which hosts the Belgian Grand Prix each August. Het Anker, the oldest operating brewery in Belgium, is worth a visit too.

The Belgian Economy

Belgium’s main exports include machinery and electrical equipment, chemicals, vehicles, metals, and diamonds. Related industries support these sectors and create job opportunities for people moving here.

Planning Your Move

Talk to a specialist international removal company before you move overseas. The process has its own pitfalls, which is why it’s worth speaking directly with Abels about your move to Belgium.

Before you call, think about whether you want to send everything you own or just a select few personal effects. Call our head office on +44 1842 816600 or email [email protected]. We’ll be in touch shortly to discuss your move.

For full house moves or large volumes, we recommend a home survey. One of our International Customer Service Managers will visit your home to discuss your requirements and allay any concerns. They’ll advise you on the whole process and assess the items you’re packing. They’ll also explain how best to protect them in transit. The survey also confirms access to your property, so we know a larger removal vehicle can reach you. Our colleague draws up a full list of items to move during the visit. Once we’ve collated all the costs (origin, road transportation, delivery), we’ll send you a detailed door-to-door removal proposal.

For smaller volumes, you can discuss your move over the phone, by email, or through our online service. We’ll assess your volume, access, packing requirements and shipping method from the information you give us. We’ll then send a detailed door-to-door proposal for you to consider.

Once you book with Abels, you’ll meet your Customer Liaison Move Coordinator. They work alongside your Customer Service Manager to manage the booking, organisation and day-to-day details of your move to Belgium.

Packing Your Possessions

We recommend professional packing for all your items when moving to Belgium. Furniture also gets packed to export standard for the journey.

We move your items from the UK in a large removal vehicle. Where access doesn’t suit a large vehicle in some areas, we shuttle your possessions onto a smaller local delivery vehicle instead.

Some items need more extensive packing, particularly valuable or delicate pieces. Your Customer Service Manager will identify these during your consultation. Depending on the item, we offer robust 8-ply paper blankets, foam edging, card covering, or crating. This gives the best possible protection.

We use the highest quality packing materials throughout. If you’re packing items yourself, avoid cheap materials. Cartons in a removal vehicle can stack up to two metres high. The ones at the bottom need to hold their shape and keep their contents protected for the whole journey.

We’re happy for you to pack some items yourself, so long as everything is properly wrapped. Our removal teams are always happy to leave cartons for personal clothing or papers on the day of your move. Our packing teams train specifically for this work too.

Fine Art & Specialist Packing Services

Fine art needs particular care. This includes paintings, grandfather clocks, barometers, chandeliers, and grand pianos. All of these call for enhanced packing and careful handling throughout. We regularly use made-to-measure wooden cases to give delicate and valuable items the highest level of protection.

How we dismantle these items before shipping matters as much as how we pack them. Grandfather clocks need their main components taken apart and weights removed before casing. Barometers need specialist handling too, since we bung the tube to prevent the mercury inside from spilling.

Thorough training is what keeps our packing teams versed in the right handling and packing techniques. Every team member returns to our training school each year. There, they practise on our own specialist furniture, not on customers’ belongings.

Road Removal Services

Abels runs a modern fleet of removal vehicles. Each one safely transports furniture, personal possessions and motor vehicles. Every vehicle carries a full alarm system and flat cleanable internal sides. Double-skinned walls protect furniture and limit temperature changes. Air-ride suspension keeps items steady in transit, and each vehicle carries mobile communications and driver and porter facilities.

We maintain a range of vehicle sizes to suit each move, depending on access, volume and distance. Our fleet includes road trains: a rigid truck pulling a similar-sized trailer, carrying up to 103 cubic metres (3,600 cubic feet). It also includes articulated trucks and trailers, plus pantechnicons and small packing vehicles for our removal teams and materials.

This range means Abels can provide efficient moving services across Europe, including your move to Belgium.

Customs Information

Since the UK left the EU, free movement of goods between the UK and Belgium no longer applies. Import and export rules now govern your household goods, including furniture and personal effects.

Your Abels Move Manager will give you tailored guidance through this part of the process.

You’ll need specific documentation for customs clearance. The exact requirements depend on your personal circumstances, and our team will talk you through these ahead of your move. Explore the FIDI Customs Guide for Belgium for further background before your move consultation with the Abels team.

Destination Services

Abels handles every aspect of destination services in Belgium with our own removal teams and vehicles.

For most deliveries, we use one of our large removal vehicles. Where access calls for a smaller vehicle, we transport your items by road in a standard removal vehicle. We then transfer them to a smaller vehicle locally.

Properties on higher floors need careful planning. We often work with the building’s concierge to confirm lift access and approved delivery times. Some properties only permit delivery using an external lift.

Abels holds FIDI-FAIM accreditation, reflecting the standard we maintain for every customer. Our destination services in Belgium include arranging customs clearance, where applicable, and a full delivery service.

The British Association of Removers runs the Advance Payment Guarantee Scheme. It protects prepayments from private customers if Abels were ever unable to fulfil a paid contract. This scheme was previously provided by IMMI.

Our standard delivery service in Belgium includes delivery into the rooms of your choice. It also includes unpacking cartons onto a flat surface. We also set up and position your furniture as instructed, and remove waste packaging. If you’d like a put-away service, cleaning, or settling-in support, talk to your Abels Customer Service Manager or Customer Liaison.

Our professional experience and local knowledge cover every aspect of delivering your possessions in Belgium. This keeps your arrival at your new home as smooth as possible.

Wherever your move takes you, we’d like to be the removal company you think of. That means this move, and the next one. If you’re moving to Belgium, or anywhere else in the world, get in touch for a removal quotation.

City Guides for Belgium

Once you know which part of Belgium you’re heading to, our city guides go into more detail: Moving to Antwerp, Moving to Brugge, Moving to Brussels, Moving to Bastogne, Moving to Ghent, Moving to Liege, Moving to Mechelen, Moving to Mons, Moving to Namur, and Moving to Spa.