Freight from Belgium to the Czech Republic
We move goods made in Flanders and Wallonia to the Czech Republic, as well as overseas cargo landed at Antwerp, Ghent or Zeebrugge. A full truck from Antwerp to Prague (about 900 km) takes roughly 1–2 days. Customs status is what matters: EU goods and goods already released into free circulation need only an invoice and CMR, while an uncleared container needs customs clearance or a transit document. The calculator shows an indicative price.
Made in Belgium, or merely landed there?
Before we send a truck, we need to know the customs status of the shipment. Belgium is in the EU, yet much of what is loaded in its ports originates in Asia or the Americas. The difference matters:
| Situation | Customs status | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| product of a Belgian or other European manufacturer | Union goods | invoice and CMR |
| overseas goods bought from a Belgian distributor who has already cleared them | in free circulation in the EU | invoice and CMR, just like European goods |
| container from China or the USA sitting uncleared at the terminal | non-Union goods | clearance in Belgium or T1 transit to a customs office in the Czech Republic |
| consignment from Great Britain that arrived by ferry at Zeebrugge | third-country goods | customs declaration, possibly a transit document |
On non-EU goods, duty and import VAT are paid only once, at release into free circulation. Whether that happens in Belgium or in the Czech Republic is for the importer to decide with their customs broker. The terminal will only hand over a container once it has been released or a transit declaration has been opened. We supply the truck and make sure the driver has the right paperwork at collection.
The Belgian cities where we collect most
Most pick-ups fall within the Antwerp – Ghent – Brussels triangle, while heavy industry sits in Wallonia along the Meuse and the Sambre. The key places and what they send to the Czech Republic:
| City | Industry | What we typically carry from there |
|---|---|---|
| Antwerp | Europe’s second-largest container port after Rotterdam, chemicals and petrochemicals | containers of consumer goods, chemical raw materials in drums, IBCs and on pallets |
| Ghent | steelworks, paper, car plant, port for agricultural commodities | sheet and coils, paper, car parts |
| Bruges (Zeebrugge) | ferries from Great Britain and Ireland, new-car handling | unaccompanied trailers shipped in by sea, new vehicles |
| Kortrijk | carpets, floor coverings, textiles | carpet and flooring rolls longer than a pallet is wide – hence a side-loading mega trailer |
| Roeselare | vegetable and potato processing | frozen vegetables and chips in a freezer trailer at −18 °C or colder |
| Brussels and Walloon Brabant | pharmaceuticals, chocolate and confectionery | medicines handled under Good Distribution Practice, chocolate in a temperature-controlled truck in summer |
| Liège | steel processing, cargo airport | steel sheet, air freight from overseas |
| Charleroi | flat glass, steel, biotech | flat glass on racks, steel products on heavy-duty trailers |
For ADR chemicals we need the safety data sheet and UN number before we book the vehicle. Belgium ranks among Europe’s biggest exporters of frozen vegetables, and unchilled chocolate soon blooms in summer heat, so always state the required temperature for food.
Collecting directly at a container terminal requires a pre-booked time slot and a truck fitted with a container chassis. Far more often, though, the box is first unpacked at a port warehouse and we pick up the palletised goods with a standard curtainsider.
The road to the Czech Republic: Viapass and German weekend bans
In Belgium, vehicles over 3.5 t pay the distance-based Viapass charge on motorways and some other roads in all three regions. Belgium has no general weekend ban for ordinary lorries; restrictions apply mainly to abnormal loads. From Antwerp the route runs via Liège and Aachen into Germany, where the Toll Collect motorway charge applies. German roads are closed to lorries on Sundays and public holidays until 22:00, so a load collected on Friday afternoon usually arrives on Monday.
Single pallets from Belgium travel by groupage, larger volumes as a part or full load. A Belgian pick-up often combines well with one in the Netherlands – see freight from the Netherlands. Every country is listed under freight from EU countries, and the calculator gives an indicative price.
