E-commerce in Belgium

  • Sandra Visser-Meijer
  • Background
  • Edited 31 October 2023
  • 6 min
  • Managing and growing
  • International

The Belgian e-commerce market continues to grow. Online, Belgians spend the most on travel and trips. Online purchases of fashion products, electronics, and gaming entertainment increased by a third by 2022. For larger and more expensive purchases, Belgian people prefer using their laptops or desktops. More and more small online purchases are being made on smartphones.

Research shows that Belgian customers like to revisit the same online shop. They also like to shop on online marketplaces. The Belgian e-commerce market is subject to local product requirements, laws, and regulations. Read what they are before you start selling to Belgian customers. A local domain name will help you reach your Belgian customers, as will a professional translation of website content. 

Belgian rules and legislation

Dutch businesses looking to start an online shop in Belgium do not have to meet any specific rules, as local legislation follows the European rules for e-commerce and product safety. It is important to keep local product requirements (in Dutch) and product legislation in mind, however. For example, Belgium has stricter labelling requirements than the Netherlands. In Belgium, labels have to feature 3 languages: French, German, and Dutch, depending on the region in which you sell the product.

To encourage international business, the Benelux area has launched a web portal for retailers with links to organisations (in Dutch) that specialise in e-commerce and legislation.

WEEE regulation

Does your online shop sell electrical and electronic devices in Belgium? Then you must comply with the WEEE regulation. By bringing these devices onto the Belgian market, you become responsible for collecting discarded devices. And their environmentally friendly processing.

This law applies whether or nor you have a business in Belgium.  And whether your business is big or small. Register your business with the Public Flanders Waste company OVAM (in Dutch). Do so before you start selling the devices in Belgium. OVAM sees to it that you follow the rules. 

Waste matters

The Flemish waste law, the Afvalstoffenwet, is part of the WEEE regulation. There is a so-called 'acceptance duty' for discarded batteries. If you sell toys that contain batteries, for instance, you are responsible for collecting the discarded batteries. Register your company with OVAM before you sell your products on the Belgian market. You will be fined if you do not follow the rules. Even if you only send one shipment.

Packaging Act

Belgium's Packaging Act is stricter than its Dutch counterpart. You will have to comply with this act if your online shop sells packaged products to Belgian consumers. You have to be officially registered if you place more than 300 kg of packaging material on the Belgian market. For smaller amounts, you do not have to be registered.

The Interregional Packaging Committee IVC is the Belgian government agency responsible for legislation on packaging waste and transit waste. For more information about the various rules in Belgium, visit the IVC website. If you fail to comply with the rules, you may be fined.

Applying for a local domain name

Google is the most popular search engine in Belgium. Google prefers local websites. Register a local domain name if you want to attract Belgian customers to your shop.

Websites with a .be, .vlaanderen, or .brussels extension are registered with DNS Belgium. To register a domain name, you need a hosting provider or registrar. DNS Belgium has a list of registrars and guidance on criteria for domain names. Registering a domain name is free for businesses, organisations, and private citizens, and you do not need to have an address or run a business in Belgium.

Language

Belgium has 3 national languages; Dutch, French, and German. About 40% of Belgians are French-speaking. Although they seem very similar, there are clear differences between Dutch and Flemish. The Dutch word for sale, for example, is ‘uitverkoop’, while Belgian people call it ‘solden’. Have your website content translated or checked by a Flemish and/or French-speaking copywriter, and investigate which words and search terms your Belgian competitors use on their websites.

E-commerce trust marks

BeCommerce is the Belgian umbrella organisation for e-commerce. Belgian people feel more comfortable buying products from an online shop with a trust mark, such as:

As in the Netherlands, you are not required to have an e-commerce trust mark in Belgium, but they do lend credibility to your online shop. On top of that, trust marks will be adapted to sector-specific Belgian legislation and usually offer a local complaints centre. On top of a trust mark, you could also show customer reviews on your website to highlight your reliability and professionalism.

In November 2022, BeCommerce launched a trust mark for online security specifically for social influencers (in Dutch). Influencers get this trust mark (in Dutch) if they meet Belgian government requirements, such as transparency about advertising in their posts.

Payment methods

Belgian banks do not support iDEAL, the Dutch payment method. Instead, offer payment methods that are commonly used in Belgium. Bancontact is the most popular payment method in Belgium. It is very similar to iDEAL. Just like with iDEAL, payments via Bancontact are guaranteed and confirmed immediately. Credit card payments take second place, followed by PayPal. Important: in Belgium, a credit card is called a 'kredietkaart'.

VAT on distance sales in Belgium

For more information about Belgian tax rates, visit the website of the Federal Public Service for Finance. The Belgian government checks whether businesses use the right VAT rate, focusing particularly on online shops that sell products to Belgian consumers and organisations without a VAT identification number. If your online shop sells products to Belgian consumers, the 'destination country principle‘ applies, which means that you have to charge Belgian VAT to Belgian consumers.

There are two ways to file overseas VAT returns. The first way is to apply for a Belgian VAT number and file local VAT returns in Belgium. The second way is to sign your company up for the Union scheme under the One-Stop-Shop system of the Dutch tax authorities, who will then pass on the VAT to Belgium.

If your total sales to Belgian consumers and your other intra-EU consumer sales remain below the €10,000 threshold, you are allowed to continue to charge Dutch VAT as a Dutch online shop.

Find out everything you need to know about VAT and international business.

Key figures

Total e-commerce sales in Belgium reached €14.7 billion in 2022, representing a 22% increase compared to 2021. According to Greet Dekocker (in Dutch), managing director of Safeshops.be, “Belgians are still finding their way in the online landscape. There is obviously still room for growth. Compared with 5 years ago, the number of online purchases has increased by 75%.”

For more figures, market information, and e-commerce news, go to the websites of BeCom (in Dutch).

Flemish words

Tailor your SEO keywords to a Flemish-speaking market: Belgian consumers looking to buy a dress will not search for a ‘jurk’ but a ‘kleedje’.

E-commerce trust marks

The Unizo E-commerce trust mark (in Dutch) is well-known in Belgium. As is the Becom label.

As in the Netherlands, you are not required to have an e-commerce trust mark in Belgium, but they do lend credibility to your online shop. It shows you comply with Belgian regulations. Besides a trust mark, show customer reviews on your website to highlight your reliability and professionalism.

Social influencer trust mark

In November 2022, BeCommerce launched a trust mark for online security specifically for social influencers (in Dutch). Influencers get this trust mark if they meet Belgian government requirements, such as transparency about advertising in their posts.

Payment methods

Belgian banks do not support iDEAL, the Dutch payment method. Instead, offer payment methods that are commonly used in Belgium. Bancontact is the most popular payment method in Belgium. It is very similar to iDEAL. Just like with iDEAL, payments via Bancontact are guaranteed and confirmed immediately. Credit card payments take second place, followed by PayPal. Important: in Belgium, a credit card is called a 'kredietkaart'.

VAT on distance sales in Belgium

For information about Belgian tax rates, visit the website of the Federal Public Service for Finance. The Belgian government checks whether businesses use the right VAT rate, focusing particularly on online shops that sell products to Belgian consumers and organisations without a VAT identification number. If your online shop sells products to Belgian consumers, the 'destination country principle‘ applies, which means that you have to charge Belgian VAT to Belgian consumers.

There are two ways to file overseas VAT returns:

  1. You apply for a Belgian VAT number and file local VAT returns in Belgium.
  2. Or you sign your company up for the Union scheme under the One-Stop-Shop system of the Netherlands Tax Administration, who will then pass on the VAT to Belgium.

If your total sales to Belgian consumers and your other intra-EU consumer sales remain below the €10,000 threshold, you are allowed to continue to charge Dutch VAT as a Dutch online shop.

Key figures

Total e-commerce sales in Belgium reached €14.7 billion in 2022, representing a 22% increase compared to 2021. According to Greet Dekocker (in Dutch), managing director of Safeshops.be, “Belgians are still finding their way in the online landscape. There is obviously still room for growth. Compared with 5 years ago, the number of online purchases has increased by 75%.”

For more figures, market information, and e-commerce news, go to the websites of BeCom (in Dutch).

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