Importing a car from China to Belgium / EU: full landed-cost guide 2026

Importing a car from China to Belgium: duties, VAT, BIV / TMC, individual approval and DIV registration

A Chinese-market car can be imported into Belgium by a private person or a company. It pays EU customs duty and 21% VAT at the border, a one-off regional registration tax (BIV in Flanders, TMC in Wallonia and Brussels) and, if it is a new Chinese-built electric car, the EU countervailing duty. Without an EU certificate of conformity (COC) it needs a Belgian individual approval before the DIV registers it.

Policy checked: 26 October 2026. Each rate and step links to its official source. Customs, the regional approval authorities, the DIV and the regional tax offices decide; nothing here guarantees the outcome.

Who can import, and what the car must be

Individuals and companies may both import: a company declares with an EORI number. According to the Flemish government's page on importing from a third country, a customs representative lodges the declaration; after clearance, customs issues the E705 vignette on the pink registration form. Belgium drives on the right, so left-hand drive is not an issue. The car must meet EU technical, safety and environmental requirements: ask the manufacturer for a statement listing its partial approvals, because missing ones must be re-tested, which the page warns can be expensive.

Taxes and the landed cost

1. EU customs duty 10% on the customs value (car, freight, insurance), TARIC 8703, confirmed for passenger cars on the Flemish import page.
2. Countervailing duty on new Chinese-built electric cars, Regulation (EU) 2024/2754: BYD 17.0%, Geely 18.8%, Tesla 7.8%, other cooperating producers in the Annex 20.7%, all others including SAIC 35.3%, which also applies without the manufacturer's invoice declaration. Under CN note C/2025/330 a car is still new if registered 6 months or less or driven 6,000 km or less, so a used car must exceed both, with proof.
3. Import VAT 21% (Belgian standard rate) on the customs value plus duties, paid with the declaration.
4. Registration tax, set by each region. Flanders' BIV depends on CO₂, particulates, fuel, Euro standard and age; zero-emission cars registered from 2026 pay a flat €61.50. Wallonia's TMC since July 2025 is a formula: a power-band base (€61.50 up to 70 kW, €4,957 above 155 kW, 2025–26 amounts, indexed yearly, reduced with age) × CO₂/136 × maximum mass/1,838 × an energy coefficient (petrol 1, hybrid 0.8, electric 0.01–0.26), between €50 and €9,000. Brussels' TMC depends on power and age: €78.88 to €6,357.85 (2026 index).

Two petrol SUVs, calculated live by this site's rules engine. The registration-tax row is the engine's default estimate of €1,000; a 2.0-litre turbo above 155 kW can owe several thousand euros in Wallonia or Brussels, so check the regional simulator. The last two rows are estimates, not official fees.

Landed charges come to about 50–52% of CIF, or 112–120% on top of the ex-works price. An electric car pays little registration tax but, if new, the countervailing duty. The customs assessment and the regional tax notice prevail.

Individual approval and DIV registration

Without an EU COC the car needs an individual approval. A certificate from a Flemish, Walloon or Brussels approval authority allows registration and use in Belgium; in Flanders private applicants go through a recognised technical service (ESTL, CHTS, TDLF), with a certificate fee of €246 for unlisted categories. In Wallonia, a non-EEA car first needs a written request to the SPW with the 705 form, invoice, the manufacturer's technical sheet and declaration of conformity, then a visit to an authorised contrôle technique station or technical service. In Brussels the designated centre examines it and Brussels Mobility issues an approval form that serves as the certificate of conformity; fees are not refunded if refused. Each inspection centre decides whether it inspects imported cars, so book first.

For DIV registration you need the approval certificate, the pink form with the 705 vignette, proof of purchase and your insurer's vignette; a broker can register online. The platform assumes about €2,000 for approval and clearance, an unverified estimate excluding modifications. LandedCar does not guarantee approval or registration. Under Regulation (EU) 2018/858, a national approval (Article 45) is valid only where issued (Article 46); the Flemish page says EU individual approval (Article 44) is not yet available in Belgium.

Shipping and customs clearance

Cars ship from China by roll-on/roll-off or container to Antwerp-Bruges (Zeebrugge or Antwerp); the calculator uses the current reference freight and insurance. The seller provides the invoice, export declaration, bill of lading and the Chinese certificate of conformity with translation. LandedCar delivers to the port (FOB or CIF); customs, taxes, approval, contrôle technique and DIV registration are handled in the importer's name by the importer or their agent, and the responsibility for each step must be written into the quotation and pro forma invoice.

Frequently asked questions

I am moving from China to Belgium. Can I bring my car duty-free? Regulation (EC) 1186/2009 grants duty relief after 12 months' residence outside the EU and six months' use of the car. Customs decides; approval and registration tax still apply.

Does a used Chinese electric car avoid the countervailing duty? Only if registered more than six months and driven more than 6,000 km, with proof of both.

Will a Belgian dealer of the brand honour the warranty? Ask the seller what warranty is included.

Sources, checked 26 October 2026: Flanders: importing a vehicle from a third country · Flanders: BIV · Flanders: electric and hydrogen vehicles · Flanders: individual approval certificate · Wallonia: TMC · SPW Finances: TMC reform 2025 · Wallonia: vehicle homologation · Brussels Fiscality: road taxes · Brussels Fiscality: TMC tax sheet · Brussels: individual approval · Your Europe: VAT rates · Reg. (EU) 2024/2754 · CN note C/2025/330 · Reg. (EU) 2018/858, Art. 44–46 · Reg. (EC) 1186/2009 · TARIC 8703. Estimated rows are LandedCar's estimates, not official charges. Rules change; the decisions of customs, the regional approval authorities, the DIV and the regional tax offices on the actual vehicle prevail.