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In 2021 relations between the European Union and the United Kingdom came to an end.

Since 1 January 2021, for customs purposes, the United Kingdom (UK) is treated as a non-EU country.

This means that customs clearance costs will be charged. The agreement between the sender and the addressee will determine who will pay these costs.

For more information about customs- and clearance costs: Since 1 July 2021 new VAT rules are applicable to online purchases.

For more information, we advise you to contact the General Administration of Customs & Excise Duties.

If you install a letterbox you should take account of the following requirements:

• The letterbox must be placed within reach (free, easy and without danger) at the border of the public highway.
• The house number must be visible and legible from the location of the letterbox. If you also have a box number, please mention it clearly visibly and legibly on or near the letterbox concerned.

Standards for letterboxes:

• The letterbox aperture must be at least 23 cm wide and 3 cm high.
• The lower edge of the aperture must be situated at a minimum height of 70 cm and the upper edge of the aperture can be situated at a maximum height of 170 cm above the place from where one usually has access to the letterbox.
• The letterbox must be large enough to be delivered a C4 size unfolded item (229 mm by 324 mm) with a 24 mm thickness without damage.

For full details of the regulations, consult the official texts, available via the following link: Justel database.

A shipment coming from a country outside the European Union can be subject to a check and various duties and fees: VAT, import duties (also called “customs duties”) and excise duties (only on specific products such as alcohol, tobacco, etc.).

“Customs formalities” are administrative formalities concerning the collection of the various duties and fees.

Some Internet traders give an estimation of the customs duties and formalities beforehand as soon as the order is placed.

Some postal operators will ask a compensation for performing those customs formalities, payable in addition to the duties and fees; others have already integrated those costs in the fixed costs of their products/services.

In case of purchases made on a site that is registered in the European Economic Area delivery must take place within the period indicated by the online web shop, unless the buyer has expressly asked for and the seller has accepted another period.

However, if no period is mentioned on the website or if no period has been agreed on by the seller and buyer, delivery must take place within 30 days.

Most delivery services offer the possibility to track the parcel.

That service can be offered by the postal operator carrying out the delivery or by the Internet trader.

Tracking is possible by e-mail, text message, a web page or a mobile application of the postal operator and/or the Internet trader.

• Tip: In order to ensure you do not miss any deliveries you can have your parcel delivered in a postal point. On the site postalpoint you can find all postal points of all the operators within a range of up to 10 km from the address you have entered. You can not only find the precise address, but also the opening hours of the various postal points.

If you are the person having placed the order, you should contact the seller as soon as possible. The latter is responsible for delivering the parcel.

If your rights are not respected or if a dispute with the seller occurs, you can

1. report this to the Report website,
2. submit a complaint to or ask for mediation by the Consumer Mediation Service and/or
3. make use of mediation through alternative dispute resolution (ADR).

Both sender and addressee can also ask for information or submit a complaint to the postal service provider who has or should have delivered the parcel.

If you are dissatisfied with the postal service provider’s response, you can turn to the Ombudsman Services for the Postal Sector.

Some Internet traders offer the possibility to change the delivery address during the handling of the shipment. It may be that this option is offered at a charge.

The postal service provider who is tasked with delivering your order can also offer the possibility to change the delivery address when you are not present. Usually that information is provided when you are tracking the shipment.

• Tip 1: If possible inform the postal service provider about your absence.  If you call in another person to accept the shipment, also inform that person of your absence and grant a mandate in case the identity is checked.

• Tip 2: In order to ensure you do not miss any deliveries you can have your parcel delivered in a postal point. On the site postalpoint.be you can find all the providers of postal services within a range of up to 10 km from the address you have entered. You can not only find the precise address, but also the opening hours of the various postal points.

These rules only apply to sales by professionals to private persons (B2C).

For example, an online purchase made by a Belgian consumer on a British or Chinese platform:

• The buyer must pay the VAT on the goods imported into the EU from a third country.
• For goods with a maximum value of € 150 and purchased online outside the EU, the buyer must pay the VAT during the sale, if the seller is registered for the one stop shop (IOSS).
• If the seller is not registered for the IOSS or if the amount of the purchases exceeds € 150 the buyer will in principle have to pay the VAT to the transporter during the delivery.

Please verify whom you buy from and especially whether the VAT and the import duties are included in the selling price, so as to avoid any surprises.
Check your order and your invoice!

More info on the website of the Federal Public Service Finance: for private individuals  //  video private individuals

Yes, provided that there is an interruption of at least 8 hours.

Operators are - in the case of a financial compensation - free to determine the way in which they grant the compensation (this can be a credit note for instance, or it can be in the form of a discount on the amount of the fee on the invoice).

They have to communicate the manner of their choice to the end-users in a transparent manner.

When operators wish to compensate the subscribers (or users of prepaid cards) affected in kind (e.g. a free movie), they have to communicate this clearly and give the end-users the choice between this form or a financial compensation.