E-commerce in Belgium

Belgian customers like to shop, and increasingly online. In 75% of all cases, they shop for products in foreign online shops or 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.
• Another example: online shops in Belgium are required to offer two delivery options. Such as home delivery, delivery at a neighbour's house, or at a parcel pick-up point. 
• Also make sure your products meet EU safety requirements. 

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 are also responsible for collecting discarded devices. And their environmentally friendly processing. This is in the WEEE regulation.

This law applies whether your business is big or small. And whether or not you have a business in Belgium. 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 regulations

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 and processing 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. This includes Dutch companies. 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. 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

In Belgium, a trust mark is also known as a quality label. The Becom and Webshop Trustmark labels are well-known in Belgium (both websites available in Dutch and French).  

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. As well as a trust mark, you could also show customer reviews on your website to highlight your reliability and professionalism.

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 €16.3 billion in 2023, an increase of almost 11%  compared to 2022. The top online purchases are clothing, package holidays, plane tockets, and accommodation.

According to Greet Dekocker (in Dutch), managing director of Safeshops.be, “Belgians are increasingly usimg online marketplaces. Belgian traders are often underrepresented there, so some of the growth in our country is going to foeign players. ”

For more figures, market information, and e-commerce news, go to the websites of BeCom (in Dutch) or Comeos. Becom is the Belgian e-commerce federation for online shops. Comeos represents traders and service providers.