Car Shipping Company from Kuwait to Belgium 0552803439 | RoRo from Shuwaikh to Zeebrugge, Containers & Air to Brussels

Home Safe is a car shipping company from Kuwait to Belgium that moves your car from the door of your home in Kuwait to your address in Brussels, Liège or Bruges. The main route is by sea: RoRo from Shuwaikh Port to the port of Zeebrugge, or a container to Antwerp, taking 35 to 50 days door to door. Air freight from Kuwait International Airport arrives in 4 to 7 days. The price on this route is set on request once the car and the method are known; for comparison, our line from Kuwait to Morocco starts from SAR 4,900 for a saloon, and our RoRo line from Jeddah port to European ports from SAR 2,800. To book: 0552803439.

In this guide45ShowHide

1. Who ships a car from Kuwait to Belgium?
2. What does a car shipping company from Kuwait to Belgium take care of?
3. Will Belgium accept your car? Three cases that settle the decision
4. RoRo car shipping from Shuwaikh Port in Kuwait to the port of Zeebrugge
5. Transit time from Kuwait to Belgium, and is there a land route?
6. Price of shipping a car from Kuwait to Belgium
7. What is particular about shipping cars from Kuwait?
8. RoRo or container: which is right for your car?
9. Lashing the car on the RoRo deck from Kuwait to Belgium
10. Types of vehicle we ship: private and commercial
11. Shipping luxury, classic and electric cars by sea
12. Preparing the car before loading in Kuwait
13. Exporting the car through the Kuwaiti traffic department
14. A summer in Belgium on Kuwaiti plates, or a final export?
15. Belgian customs on the car and registering a Gulf car there
16. Documents for shipping the car, and what is not accepted
17. Insuring the car and tracking it to Belgium
18. Delivering cars from Kuwait in Brussels, Liège and Bruges
19. Car shipping for individuals, companies, embassies and government bodies
20. Air freight for cars from Kuwait to Belgium
21. Collecting cars from the governorates of Kuwait
22. Steps for shipping the car from Kuwait to Belgium
23. Car shipping from Belgium to Kuwait
24. Home Safe’s tips before shipping your car from Kuwait to Belgium
25. How do you choose a car shipping company from Kuwait to Belgium?
26. Common mistakes when shipping cars from Kuwait to Belgium
27. Why Home Safe for shipping your car from Kuwait to Belgium?
28. Related articles and pages
29. Tags
30. Frequently asked questions about car shipping from Kuwait to Belgium
31. Which is the best car shipping company from Kuwait to Belgium?
32. How much does it cost to ship a car from Kuwait to Belgium?
33. How long does a car take to travel from Kuwait to Belgium?
34. Do RoRo ships sail from Shuwaikh Port or from Shuaiba?
35. Do I pay customs in Belgium on my Kuwaiti car?
36. For how many months may I drive my car on Kuwaiti plates in Belgium?
37. Can a Gulf-specification car be registered in Belgium?
38. What papers are needed to export a car from Kuwait?
39. Is RoRo safe for my car on a voyage this long?
40. Can I put belongings inside the car?
41. Do you ship electric and hybrid cars from Kuwait?
42. Can the car be shipped by air from Kuwait International Airport?
43. My car has instalments or a debt on it. Can it be shipped?
44. How do I follow my car after it leaves Kuwait?
45. Do you bring the car back from Belgium to Kuwait?

Sea route: Kuwait → Shuwaikh Port → the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea → the Red Sea and the Suez Canal → the Mediterranean and Gibraltar → the North Sea → Zeebrugge or Antwerp · Expected time: 35–50 days by sea, 4–7 days by air.

Who ships a car from Kuwait to Belgium?

Brussels is the seat of the European Union and of NATO, which makes the customers of this route different from those of the usual summer routes. There are officials and attachés starting a posting of several years, postgraduate students, Kuwaiti families spending the summer between Belgium and its neighbours, and European residents who have finished their work in Kuwait. Each group has its own shipping method and its own paper:

Car owner	What they ship	Most suitable method	Status of the car in Belgium
Kuwaiti family summering in Europe	The family car or a 4×4	RoRo sent seven weeks before travel	Temporary entry on its Kuwaiti plates
Diplomat or international-organisation employee	Their private car	Private container or air	Exemption by status, requested before shipping
European resident returning home	A car used in Kuwait	RoRo, or a 40ft container with furniture	Transfer-of-residence relief, under its conditions
Trader or collector	A classic or luxury car, or a group of cars	Enclosed container	Full import with duty and tax

What does a car shipping company from Kuwait to Belgium take care of?

On its journey the car passes through the Kuwaiti traffic department and customs, then the shipping line, then Belgian customs and an inland carrier. Our job is to bring these links into one file and to tell you on the first day what will be asked of you on the last. This is what the service includes:

• Advice before booking, free of charge: we look at your status in Belgium and the model of the car, and tell you whether shipping is worth what will be paid on it.
• Collection from your address: a flatbed takes the car from the house or showroom in any Kuwaiti governorate, with a condition report and photographs.
• Exit papers: following up the traffic department procedure and the Kuwaiti customs declaration through the agent.
• Booking and loading: a place on a RoRo ship, a private or shared container, or a pallet on a cargo aircraft.
• Storage when needed: a closed yard before sailing if you travel ahead of the ship, and a warehouse after arrival if your collection is delayed.
• Clearance and delivery in Belgium: presenting the file to customs, then a car transporter to the door.

This article is about cars only. Anyone shipping furniture, parcels or goods to Belgium will find the details in the article on shipping to Belgium, and the general vehicle service on the car shipping page.

Will Belgium accept your car? Three cases that settle the decision

Belgium sets no age limit on an imported car, and it drives on the same side as Kuwait, so in principle nothing stands in the way. The real question is how much you will pay and whether the car will be registered. The answer differs in three cases, and there is hardly a fourth. We settle which one is yours on the first call:

Case	What happens at customs	What happens afterwards
A visit or a summer, then return	Temporary entry with no duty or tax	It stays on its Kuwaiti plates and leaves within the period
Moving to live in Belgium	Relief from duty and tax, under conditions	Technical conformity, then Belgian registration
Sale or import without relief	10% duty and 21% tax	Technical conformity and registration tax, then plates

A car on which the charges approach a third of its value, and which no relief covers, may be cheaper to sell in Kuwait and replace in Belgium than to ship. We say so plainly to the customer before any payment.

RoRo car shipping from Shuwaikh Port in Kuwait to the port of Zeebrugge

Shuwaikh Port lies on Kuwait Bay immediately west of the capital, and is the oldest of the country’s commercial ports and the closest to its districts. The car enters it driven and waits in the vehicle yard until the ship’s door opens. At the other end is Zeebrugge, the harbour of the city of Bruges on the North Sea, one of the largest ports in the world for handling cars and run under a single management with Antwerp.

Stage	What happens	Approximate time
From your address to the agent’s yard	Collection, inspection and condition report	1 day
Traffic procedure and customs declaration	Temporary exit or export plates	3–6 days
Entry to Shuwaikh Port and waiting for the ship	The car is delivered before the cut-off	2–5 days
Sailing to Zeebrugge	Direct, or with a change of ship at an intermediate port	About 22–31 days
Discharge, matching and clearance	The chassis number is matched, then customs release	3–6 days
Haulage to your address in Belgium	Car transporter to the door	1–2 days

The words “matching the car on arrival” refer to a specific step. The port officer compares the chassis number stamped on the car with the number on the bill of lading and the registration, and records the state of the bodywork at the moment it comes off the ship. If a single digit differs, the release stops until it is corrected. That is why we photograph the chassis plate in Kuwait and check it against the papers before booking. We also write the name of the loading port on the booking, as some RoRo lines berth at Shuaiba Port in the south instead of Shuwaikh. The ports we work through are on the ports and gateways page.

Transit time from Kuwait to Belgium, and is there a land route?

Kuwait is at the far north of the Arabian Gulf, so the ship sails the whole length of the Gulf southwards before its real passage to Europe begins. That makes the voyage a week or two longer than the same trip from the Red Sea ports.

Method	Arrival port or airport	Door to door	When it moves
RoRo from Shuwaikh	Zeebrugge	35–48 days	According to the car-carrier schedule
Private 20ft container	Antwerp	36–50 days	On the first ship after the papers are complete
Shared 40ft container	Antwerp	40–50 days, sometimes more	When the container is filled with a second car
Air freight	Brussels or Liège	4–7 days	After the space on the aircraft is confirmed

What lengthens the time?

• A traffic fine or a debt that appears at the traffic department counter and stops the procedure.
• A sailing sent the long way round southern Africa when the line avoids Suez, which puts roughly a fortnight on the voyage.

We do not offer a land route. The theoretical road crosses Iraq, Turkey and the Balkans: thousands of kilometres and many borders that car transporters do not travel regularly. Times for the other routes are on the transit times page.

Price of shipping a car from Kuwait to Belgium

We do not write the price of this route as a fixed figure on the page. Sea freight from the northern Gulf to the North Sea shifts from month to month. We send the price after four pieces of information: the model and dimensions of the car, the method, the Belgian city, and whether the car is returning or being exported. It reaches you itemised: collection in Kuwait, Shuwaikh Port charges, sea or air freight, Belgian port charges, clearance and delivery. The Belgian duty and tax are paid to the treasury there and are not part of our charge.

Car and shipping method	Price	Note
Saloon or hatchback by RoRo to Zeebrugge	Set on request	Calculated on the volume of the car in cubic metres
Family car or 4×4 by RoRo	Set on request	Height and length raise the band
Car in a private 20ft container to Antwerp	Set on request	For luxury, classic and non-running cars
A place in a shared 40ft container	Set on request	Two cars share the container rate
Delivery from the port to the Belgian address	Set on request	According to the city
Air freight for the car	Set on request	On weight, dimensions and fuel type
For comparison: saloon on our line from Kuwait to Morocco	Starts from SAR 4,900, about KWD 400	Our nearest priced line from Kuwait, not a price for Belgium
For comparison: saloon by RoRo from Jeddah port to a European port	Starts from SAR 2,800	The price of our line from Saudi Arabia, a reference for the sea leg

Prices circulating in the market: little is published about this particular route. What circulates is that RoRo for a small car starts at about KWD 350, that a small car in a 20ft container is between KWD 390 and 450, a medium one in a private container between KWD 410 and 480, and a luxury or large one in a 40ft container between KWD 520 and 620, and that clearance in Belgium is between KWD 50 and 150. In the opposite direction, sea freight between the Belgian ports and Kuwait is published at USD 1,875 to 3,590. International guides say RoRo costs about a third to a half less than a container. All of these figures change, so always ask where the price ends: at the quay or at the front door.

Factor	Effect on the price
Dimensions of the car	The basis of the RoRo calculation; a tall 4×4 pays more than a saloon
Method	RoRo is the cheapest, then a shared container, then a private one, then air by a wide margin
Condition of the car	One that does not run needs a winch and a container, and RoRo will not take it
Routing of the ship	Sailing round Africa raises the rate and lengthens the time
Season	In the weeks before summer, demand from the Gulf to Europe is at its strongest

How do you cut the cost?

• Ship a running car by RoRo, and send it early instead of turning to air freight in the last week.
• Take off the roof rack and roof box before the car is measured, as they can move it up a whole band.
• If a container is necessary, accept a shared one, or combine the car with your household furniture in a 40ft container.

The pricing items are explained on the pricing factors page.

What is particular about shipping cars from Kuwait?

We start with what the customer should know about us. Home Safe is a Saudi establishment based in Jeddah, with no branch and no yard in Kuwait. We serve this route through Kuwaiti freight and clearance agents among our partners: they collect the car, follow the traffic department procedure and take it into the port, while we manage the booking, the documents and the Belgian partner. You keep one number and one file. After that come matters specific to the Kuwaiti origin itself:

• Summer heat: anyone shipping in June and July hands over a car that has stood in extreme temperatures. We ask for the coolant and the battery to be checked before handover, because a car that will not start in the port yard does not board the ship.
• An alternative route through Jeddah: the car can be moved on an enclosed transporter to Jeddah Islamic Port to sail from there, which is a week or two closer to Europe. We offer it when the land and sea legs together are quicker or cheaper than sailing from Shuwaikh, and its land leg is priced on request.

All the Gulf services are on the car shipping from the Gulf states page, and anyone shipping belongings from the Kingdom to Kuwait will find the destination page at shipping to Kuwait.

RoRo or container: which is right for your car?

On this route RoRo comes first for a simple reason: the arrival port is Zeebrugge, which is built for this kind of ship, and from it any Belgian city is two hours away at most. There is no long overland leg that calls for a locked box. A container remains the right choice when the car is expensive, a rare old model or not running, or when its owner wants to ship belongings with it.

Point of comparison	RoRo to Zeebrugge	Private 20ft container	Shared 40ft container
How it is loaded	Driven onto the ship uncovered	Put in the container, lashed and sealed	Lashed with a second car
A car that does not run	Not accepted	Accepted with a winch	Accepted with a winch
Belongings with the car	Not allowed	Possible with a list and a declaration	Limited
Cost	The lowest	The highest by sea	In between
Suits	Saloons, family cars and 4x4s	Luxury and classic cars	Anyone who finds a partner for the same destination

The two methods are detailed on the RoRo car shipping and container car shipping pages.

Lashing the car on the RoRo deck from Kuwait to Belgium

“Deck” here means one of the ship’s internal floors, not its open top. A car carrier is a garage of several enclosed storeys linked by ramps. A port worker drives the car uncovered as it is, with no cover or wrapping, and parks it in its bay a hand’s width from its neighbour. Then the lashing begins, and that is what keeps it in place for more than three weeks while the sea changes from the Gulf to the ocean to the North Sea.

• Four points: the car is secured by all four wheels, one strap per wheel, so it moves neither forwards nor sideways if the ship rolls.
• Straps to deck rings: a wide webbing strap goes round the tyre or hooks to the towing point and is tightened to a ring fixed in the floor of the hold. No chains on the body and no hooks on the rims.
• On arrival: the straps are released and the car is driven onto the quay at Zeebrugge, and a discharge report is written.

A very low or modified car may scrape its underside on the ship’s ramps, so we send that one in a container. Lashing and wrapping methods are explained on the packing and lashing page.

Types of vehicle we ship: private and commercial

The service card mentions saloons, family cars and 4x4s because they are most of what is shipped, but the route carries any registered vehicle. Commercial vehicles are a different matter: a company moving a pickup, a van or a machine is asked in Belgium for its tax number and its economic operator number, and as a rule pays duty and tax in full. A heavy vehicle boards the RoRo on its own wheels or on a low trailer.

Vehicle	Most suitable method	What we watch for
Saloon and hatchback	RoRo	The smallest size band and the lowest rate
Family car and 4×4	RoRo, or a 40ft container with furniture	Height with the roof rack
Pickup, van and light commercial vehicle	RoRo	Length, and the papers of the importing company
Lorry or heavy machine	RoRo for high and heavy cargo	Weight and dimensions sent before booking
Motorcycle	Wooden crate by sea or air	Draining the fuel and disconnecting the battery

Machines that exceed container dimensions have their own page, heavy equipment shipping.

Shipping luxury, classic and electric cars by sea

These are three categories for which what suits an ordinary car is not enough. Each is therefore handled in its own way, and we do not promise its owner what we do not have: there is no air-conditioned container for a car, and the real protection is in the loading, the lashing and the record.

• Luxury cars: an enclosed container for a single car, long ramps for a low car, soft straps on the tyres only, and an inner cover for the seats and steering wheel.
• Classic cars: oil leaks are checked before loading, a tray is placed underneath, and the car is insured on an expert valuation, not on the general market price.
• Customs for classics: a car more than thirty years old and still in its original state may be classed by customs as a collector’s item at a reduced duty and tax; the classification is in the hands of Belgian customs, so we ask about it before shipping.
• Electric and hybrid cars: the shipping line asks for a medium state of charge and a car with no fault warnings, and some lines assign them particular positions on the ship.

Preparing the car before loading in Kuwait

Half the problems on arrival come from what was left in the car on collection day. The Belgian port applies European Union rules on soil, plants and food, and the ship refuses a car that is dripping anything. This is a short list that takes an hour:

• Wash it thoroughly, and clean the wheel arches and the underside of sand and mud.
• Empty the cabin and the boot of every item, and remove access cards and electronic payment tags.
• Leave about a quarter of a tank, and make sure the coolant can cope with a Belgian winter if the car is staying.
• Take pictures of each side, the roof, the cabin, the mileage reading and the stamped chassis number.
• Disable the alarm, hand over one key and keep the second with you.

A fuller explanation is in the car shipping guide.

Exporting the car through the Kuwaiti traffic department

The competent body is the General Traffic Department of the Ministry of Interior, and you go to the traffic department of the governorate in which the car was registered. The procedure is for someone exporting the car for good; a traveller taking the car for a summer and returning does not cancel its registration. What is in the table is the rule in force, and we confirm the current requirements and fees on the day of your request:

Step	What is required	Note
Clearing fines	All paid before the procedure is opened	Checked online before visiting the department
Debt and finance	Consent of the lender or settlement of the loan	What delays the file most
Technical inspection	The car passes the traffic department test	A condition for accepting the export request
Export insurance	An insurance document specific to export	Bought before the request is submitted
Export request	The owner’s civil ID and the registration book, and the buyer’s details if any	The owner attends, or an agent with a power of attorney
Plates	Kuwaiti plates handed in and export plates received	For nominal traffic fees in dinars

After the traffic department comes the export declaration with the General Administration of Customs at the port or airport, which our agent presents. Keep a certified copy of the registration book before handing it in, because Belgium asks for the date of first registration, and the six-month condition of the relief is counted from it.

A summer in Belgium on Kuwaiti plates, or a final export?

A car that will return after two or three months is neither exported from Kuwait nor imported into Belgium. It leaves with its registration and plates, enters the European Union temporarily, and returns as it left. The rule in force in the Union is that a private car registered outside it, whose owner lives outside it, may be used there for up to six months in any twelve with no duty or tax.

Point of comparison	Temporary exit and return	Final export
Kuwaiti registration	Remains valid	Cancelled for export
Plates	Kuwaiti, as they are	Export plates
At Belgian customs	Temporary entry with no duty or tax	Duty and tax, or transfer-of-residence relief
Length of stay	The rule in force is six months a year	No return
Insurance	Frontier insurance covering Belgium for the whole stay	A Belgian policy before the plates

Three things are arranged before sailing, not after. The first is insurance: temporary frontier insurance is bought before the car moves out of the port. The second is the way temporary entry is evidenced for a car that arrived shipped rather than driven; this is decided by the customs office at Zeebrugge, which may ask for a guarantee that is refunded on exit. The third is the low-emission zones in Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent, where the rule in force is that a foreign-plated car is registered before it enters. The customs carnet is not a European requirement, and it is explained on the triptik carnet page.

Belgian customs on the car and registering a Gulf car there

Belgium applies the common European tariff, so what is paid at Zeebrugge is what is paid at any port in the Union, and only the tax rate differs. Clearance brings the car into the country, but it does not put it on the road. After it comes a technical and administrative stage that belongs to the region you will live in: Flanders, Wallonia or the Brussels-Capital Region.

Customs item	Rule in force	What we do before shipping
Customs duty	10% of the value of the car with freight and insurance	We estimate the value customs are likely to adopt
Value added tax	21% on the value and the duty together	We work it out with you on the same figure
Transfer-of-residence relief	12 months living outside the Union, and a car in your use for at least 6 months	We check the date of the registration book and the proof of residence
Restriction after relief	Not sold, lent or pledged for 12 months	We point it out to you in writing

Registration stage	Body	What is asked of a Gulf car
Proof of clearance	Belgian customs	The clearance of the car is recorded with the vehicle registration service
Individual approval	The conformity body of the region	European headlights, a rear fog lamp, emissions and noise measurement
Technical inspection	An approved test centre	The test for an imported used car before first registration
Insurance and plates	A Belgian insurer, then the registration service	A third-party liability policy, after which the plate arrives by post
Taxes	The region	A one-off registration tax and an annual road tax

What surprises the owner of a Gulf car most is the registration tax. The eight-cylinder engines common in Kuwait fall in its highest bands, and the method of calculation differs between the three regions and is revised from time to time. Left-hand drive and a kilometre speedometer need no change, and tinting on the front glass is removed. Send your address and the engine size so we can estimate the tax before booking, not after. Clearance is explained on the customs clearance page.

Documents for shipping the car, and what is not accepted

Kuwaiti papers are in Arabic, and Belgian customs read French, Dutch and English. So every Arabic document is accompanied by a certified translation into English at least. We ask for copies first and go through them with the Belgian broker, then the originals travel with the owner or by express courier, not in the glovebox of the car.

Document	Issued by	Required at
Registration book	Kuwaiti traffic department	Booking, both customs and Belgian registration
Export certificate, for a final export	General Traffic Department	Shuwaikh Port or Kuwait airport
Civil ID and passport	The owner	Every stage
Purchase invoice or valuation	The seller or an expert	Belgian customs and insurance
Proof of previous residence and new address	The person moving	The relief file
Lender’s letter	The bank or finance company	Kuwaiti traffic department
Bill of lading	The shipping line or airline	Collecting the car on arrival

These cases prevent loading or delay it until they are dealt with:

• Unpaid fines or an outstanding debt on the car.
• A chassis number that is illegible or does not match the registration book.
• A visible fuel or oil leak, which the ship and the airline refuse.
• Personal items in a RoRo car, or undeclared items in a container.
• Food, plants or soil, and weapons, fireworks and radar detectors.

The general lists are on the shipping documents and prohibited items pages.

Insuring the car and tracking it to Belgium

A Kuwaiti motor policy was written for Kuwaiti roads and does not cover a car lashed in a ship’s hold. The liability of the shipping line is limited to a sum nowhere near the value of a modern car. Marine or air cargo insurance is therefore the real cover, and it is written from the front door in Kuwait to the front door in Belgium.

• What the insurance covers: loading and unloading damage, fire and theft, perils of the sea, and the car’s share of general average if it is declared on the ship.
• Insured value: the agreed value of the car with the freight, and the policy is attached to the shipment file as a reference when needed.
• Basis of a claim: the condition report signed in Kuwait, the discharge report at Zeebrugge, and the photographs in between. We help you file it and follow it up.
• Our messages: a notice on entry to the port, sailing, passage through the Suez Canal, berthing, release and the delivery appointment.
• If something unexpected happens: if the ship is delayed or changes port we tell you the same day, with the new date. We answer calls and WhatsApp from 7 am to 11 pm.

Types of cover are on the cargo insurance page, and how to follow a shipment on the tracking page.

Delivering cars from Kuwait in Brussels, Liège and Bruges

After release the car is loaded from the port yard onto a licensed car transporter. Bruges is the nearest: the port is its harbour and only a quarter of an hour separates them. Brussels is about an hour and a half away, and Liège is the furthest of the large cities, to the east near the German and Dutch borders. A car arriving in a container is unloaded at Antwerp, which puts it closer to Brussels and Ghent.

City	From Zeebrugge	From Antwerp	Delivery note
Brussels	About 110 km	About 45 km	Streets in the European quarter and the centre are narrow, so the unloading spot is agreed
Liège	About 210 km	About 130 km	The transporter reaches it in a day, and its airport is the air cargo hub
Bruges	About 15 km	About 95 km	The quickest delivery for RoRo cars
Antwerp	About 100 km	Inside the city	Container cars usually delivered on the day of release
Ghent	About 60 km	About 60 km	Halfway between the two ports
Charleroi, Namur and Mons	About 170 km	About 100 km	Delivered on a single run south

Delivering the car with its papers means an envelope handed over with the key: a copy of the bill of lading, the import declaration or the relief decision or the evidence of temporary entry, the original Kuwaiti export certificate if there is one, and the condition report. A car bound for Luxembourg, northern France, western Germany or the southern Netherlands leaves the port on a transit document and is cleared in its own country. Delivery to the address is on the door to door page.

Car shipping for individuals, companies, embassies and government bodies

Brussels hosts a large number of missions and organisations, so cars with official status are frequent on this route. The service is the same at its core, and differs in the customs path and in who signs the papers:

• For individuals: a plan built on your travel date, and one member of staff who follows your file from Kuwait to delivery.
• For companies and showrooms: a signed contract with its invoice, the chassis numbers on one sheet, a separate condition report per vehicle, and a timetable when several are shipped.
• For embassies and missions: coordination by official notes, with the diplomatic exemption requested from the competent Belgian body before sailing, not on arrival.
• For government bodies: written dates, a report at each stage, and documented correspondence kept in the file.

The documents of embassies and consulates themselves travel by express courier, not with the car, and that service is on the parcel shipping page.

Air freight for cars from Kuwait to Belgium

Air is for the car that cannot spend six weeks on the way: a luxury car its owner wants from the first day, a show car with a fixed date, or the car of an official whose posting starts soon. It is handed over in the cargo area of Kuwait International Airport, secured on a metal pallet, and loaded onto a freighter or into the hold of a wide-body aircraft. It arrives at Brussels Airport, or at Liège Airport, one of the largest air cargo hubs in Europe, and is then delivered in Brussels or in your city within 4 to 7 days of collection.

• Routing: a direct flight or one through an intermediate airport, depending on what is available on the booking day; we name both airports for you before handover.
• Classification: airlines treat a car as dangerous goods on account of the fuel and the battery, so a certified specialist draws up its declaration.
• Fuel and battery: the tank at the minimum the carrier sets, and the battery secured with its terminals protected.
• Dimensions: which aircraft can carry the car is settled by how tall and wide it is, so a saloon finds a flight sooner than a high 4×4.
• Papers: the same as for sea freight, with an air waybill instead of the bill of lading, and clearance at airport customs.
• Price: set on request on weight and dimensions, and several times the sea rate.

Air services for things other than cars, including parcels and urgent documents, are on the air freight page.

Collecting cars from the governorates of Kuwait

The agent sets the collection time to the hour, and the driver calls before arriving. The car is inspected in front of its owner and its condition report signed, then it is moved on a flatbed to the yard and from there to Shuwaikh Port or the airport. All six governorates are within the service:

Governorate	Some of its areas	Collection note
Capital	Shamiya, Kaifan, Rawda, Dasma, Shuwaikh Residential	The nearest to the port
Hawalli	Salmiya, Jabriya, Salwa, Mishref, Bayan	Blocks with basement parking, so the car is brought out to the street
Farwaniya	Khaitan, Ardiya, Andalous, Ishbiliya	Close to Kuwait International Airport
Mubarak Al-Kabeer	Sabah Al-Salem, Qurain, Adan, Messila	Houses with wide entrances
Ahmadi	Fahaheel, Mangaf, Mahboula, Fintas, Sabah Al-Ahmad	The nearest to Shuaiba Port
Jahra	Qasr, Naeem, Saad Al-Abdullah, Mutlaa	A time arranged a day ahead

Steps for shipping the car from Kuwait to Belgium

Eight steps in the order they actually happen. The third is yours; the rest we handle and tell you when each is done.

1. On 0552803439 you send us the Belgian city, your travel date, the model and its year, and a picture of the registration book.
2. We settle the case with you: temporary entry, relocation or import; and the method: RoRo, container or air; and send the price and the time.
3. You pay the fines and ask for the lender’s letter if needed, and the traffic department procedure is completed for a final export.
4. The agent collects the car from your address, and the condition report is written and the car photographed.
5. The Kuwaiti customs declaration is presented, and the car enters Shuwaikh Port or the airport cargo area.
6. Once the vessel has sailed or the flight has left, the tracking number and a bill of lading copy are sent to you.
7. The car is matched at Zeebrugge or Antwerp, and its file is presented to Belgian customs and released.
8. The transporter reaches your address; you inspect the car and sign, and take the key and the envelope of papers.

Car shipping from Belgium to Kuwait

The opposite direction is busy, because the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge are among the largest car export gateways in Europe. There are two cases. A Kuwaiti car that left temporarily and returns to its registration after the summer is not imported afresh. A car bought in Belgium to be registered in Kuwait has its Belgian registration cancelled and sails to Shuwaikh or Shuaiba. The rule in force in Kuwait is that an imported used car is no more than five years old from the year of manufacture, that it is left-hand drive, that it meets Gulf specifications, and that a customs duty of 5% of its value with freight is paid on it. We go through this before the purchase, and confirm the current conditions before booking.

Home Safe’s tips before shipping your car from Kuwait to Belgium

These are notes that come from the nature of this route, and most are settled while the car is still in its parking space:

• Decide first whether the car is returning or staying, and do not cancel its Kuwaiti registration before the decision is firm.
• If you are moving to live there: check that the car has been in your name and use for six months before you travel, as a late purchase loses the relief.
• Work out the duty, the tax and the registration tax before shipping, and compare the total with the price of a similar car in Belgium.
• Book two months before the summer, and book the return with the outward trip if the car is a summer visitor.

How do you choose a car shipping company from Kuwait to Belgium?

Every advertisement promises speed and safety. The difference shows in the questions the office asks you, and in what it writes rather than what it says. These signs help you tell them apart:

Sign	What it shows
Asks about your status in Belgium before pricing	Knows that customs has three cases, not one
Names the loading port and the arrival port on the booking	Has an actual booking, not a general promise
Mentions technical conformity and the registration tax	Has dealt with Gulf cars registered in Belgium
Tells you where it is based and who its agent is	A registered body that can be questioned if a dispute arises

Common mistakes when shipping cars from Kuwait to Belgium

Seven mistakes recur on this route, and each one costs days or money:

• Cancelling the Kuwaiti registration of a car that will return after the summer.
• Shipping a car with a large engine for registration without asking about the registration tax in the region.
• Buying a car weeks before travelling in the hope of transfer-of-residence relief.
• Leaving suitcases in a RoRo car.
• Comparing a price to the quay with a price to the door as if they were the same thing.
• Driving away from the port on the Kuwaiti insurance policy.
• Lending a temporarily admitted car to a relative who lives in Europe.

Why Home Safe for shipping your car from Kuwait to Belgium?

Because we start the journey from its end. We ask what Belgium will require of your car, then choose the method, the port and the Kuwaiti paper that lead to it. And we tell you plainly who we are, where we work and who collects your car.

To book: 0552803439 by call or WhatsApp, from 7 am to 11 pm. Or from the request a quote page.

Related articles and pages

• Car shipping company from Saudi Arabia to Belgium
• Car shipping company from Kuwait to France
• Car shipping company from Kuwait to the UK
• Car shipping company from Kuwait to Morocco
• Car shipping from Saudi Arabia
• Sea freight

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Frequently asked questions about car shipping from Kuwait to Belgium

Which is the best car shipping company from Kuwait to Belgium?

The one that asks, before quoting, what your status in Belgium will be: summer visitor, new resident or seller of the car. The Kuwaiti traffic paper and what you pay at Zeebrugge both hang on the answer. Home Safe is a registered establishment that runs this route through an approved agent in Kuwait and a customs broker in Belgium, and stays with you on one number, 0552803439, from the first call to the handover of the key.

How much does it cost to ship a car from Kuwait to Belgium?

We do not set a fixed figure for this route; the price is set on request once the dimensions of the car, the method and the Belgian city are known. What circulates in the market for RoRo starts at about KWD 350 for a small car, and for a private container between KWD 390 and 620. For comparison, our line from Kuwait to Morocco starts from SAR 4,900 for a saloon, and our RoRo line from Jeddah port to European ports from SAR 2,800.

How long does a car take to travel from Kuwait to Belgium?

By sea, 35 to 50 days from the day it is collected in Kuwait until it is set down at your address, of which about three to four weeks are at sea and the rest is paperwork, clearance and inland haulage. By air, 4 to 7 days. The time we commit to is the one written on the actual vessel booking, because some lines move the car to another ship at an intermediate port.

Do RoRo ships sail from Shuwaikh Port or from Shuaiba?

Shuwaikh Port receives RoRo ships and is the nearest to Kuwait City, and our cars are loaded there as a rule. Some shipping lines, however, berth at Shuaiba Port in the south of the country, and it is the line, not the shipper, that decides the quay. So we write the name of the port on the booking and tell you before the car leaves your house.

Do I pay customs in Belgium on my Kuwaiti car?

It depends on your case. A car entering temporarily on its Kuwaiti plates, for an owner living outside the European Union, pays nothing as long as it leaves within its period. A person transferring residence is exempt under conditions. Anyone else pays the rule in force: 10% customs duty and then 21% value added tax on the value with freight and duty, and we confirm the current rates before booking.

For how many months may I drive my car on Kuwaiti plates in Belgium?

The rule in force in the European Union is six months in any twelve, for a private car registered outside the Union and driven by an owner who lives outside it. During that time it may not be lent to a resident of Europe or sold. It needs insurance that covers Belgium, as a Kuwaiti policy does not normally extend there. We go through the current conditions with you before sailing.

Can a Gulf-specification car be registered in Belgium?

Yes, but after an individual approval from the conformity body of the region you will live in, because Gulf cars carry no European certificate of conformity. A change of headlights, the addition of a rear fog lamp and an emissions measurement may be required. Send the model, the year of manufacture and the engine size before shipping so we can estimate what will be asked for and what it will cost.

What papers are needed to export a car from Kuwait?

They are completed at the General Traffic Department in your governorate. The rule in force is that fines are paid, the car passes a technical inspection, and an export insurance document is submitted with the civil ID and the registration book; the Kuwaiti plates are then handed in and export plates issued. A financed car needs the consent of the lender first. We confirm the current requirements on the day of your request.

Is RoRo safe for my car on a voyage this long?

It is safe for an ordinary running car. It stands inside an enclosed hold, not on an open deck, and its four wheels are strapped to rings fixed in the floor of the ship. What RoRo does not offer is privacy: the car is driven at both ports and its key stays with the crew. That is why we recommend a container for a luxury or classic car.

Can I put belongings inside the car?

Not on RoRo: the car is handed over empty and the line takes no responsibility for anything left in it. In a private container personal effects can be shipped alongside the car with a detailed list presented to Belgian customs. Anything hidden in the boot without a declaration holds up the release of the whole car.

Do you ship electric and hybrid cars from Kuwait?

Yes, by sea as a rule, once the shipping line has approved the type of battery. The battery is charged to a medium level set by the line, and the car is handed over with no visible electrical faults. Air freight for an electric car is possible under stricter conditions decided by the air carrier, so we ask the carrier before promising you a date.

Can the car be shipped by air from Kuwait International Airport?

Yes. The car is secured on an air cargo pallet at Kuwait International Airport and arrives at Brussels Airport or Liège Airport on a direct flight or through an intermediate airport, depending on what is available, and is then delivered in Brussels or elsewhere within 4 to 7 days. Its price is set on request on the weight, dimensions and fuel type of the car.

My car has instalments or a debt on it. Can it be shipped?

It is not shipped before the lender agrees. A final export needs the debt settled or a letter allowing the car to be taken out, and a temporary exit normally needs written consent as well. Ask for the letter before booking the ship, as it is the paper that is delayed more than any other.

How do I follow my car after it leaves Kuwait?

With the bill of lading number on the shipping line’s website, and with messages from us at each stage: entry to the port, sailing, passage through the Suez Canal, berthing at Zeebrugge or Antwerp, customs release, and the delivery appointment. We answer calls and WhatsApp from 7 am to 11 pm.

Do you bring the car back from Belgium to Kuwait?

Yes. A Kuwaiti car that left temporarily returns to its registration after the summer, and we book the outward and return trips together. As for a car bought in Belgium to be registered in Kuwait, the rule in force is that it is no more than five years old from the year of manufacture, that it is left-hand drive, and that its customs duty is 5%.