Car Shipping Company from Qatar to Belgium 0552803439 | RoRo & Private Containers from Hamad Port to Antwerp and Zeebrugge

If you are looking for a car shipping company from Qatar to Belgium, this is what Home Safe offers in short: collection from your address in Doha, a sailing from Hamad Port to Antwerp or Zeebrugge, and the key handed over in Brussels, Ghent or any Belgian city. The sea journey takes 32 to 45 days door to door, and the air journey from Hamad International Airport 3 to 6 days. The price is set on request once the car and the method are known; for comparison, RoRo on our line from Jeddah port to European ports starts from SAR 2,800. To book: 0552803439.

In this guide45ShowHide

1. Who ships a car from Qatar to Belgium?
2. Will your car get into Belgium? Three routes that settle it
3. Services of a car shipping company from Qatar to Belgium and its role in the journey
4. The vessel’s route and the transit time from Qatar to Belgium
5. RoRo car shipping from Hamad Port in Qatar to Antwerp and Zeebrugge
6. Car shipping prices from Qatar to Belgium
7. How we serve shipping from Qatar, and what is particular to this origin
8. RoRo or container: which is for your car?
9. Shipping luxury and sports cars from Qatar to Belgium in a private container
10. Types of cars we ship and how each type is shipped
11. Preparing the car before loading in Doha
12. Qatari traffic papers: exit permit or export certificate?
13. Belgian customs on the car: duty, tax and a worked example
14. Temporary admission and transfer-of-residence relief: how does the car enter without duty?
15. Registering a Gulf-specification car in Belgium
16. Documents for shipping a car from Qatar to Belgium and what is not accepted
17. Insuring the car and tracking it until delivery
18. Delivering cars from Qatar in Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent
19. The three shipping methods: sea and air, and where does land stand?
20. Air freight for cars from Qatar to Belgium
21. Collecting cars from Doha and the cities of Qatar
22. Steps for shipping your car from Qatar to Belgium
23. Car shipping from Belgium to Qatar
24. Home Safe tips before shipping your car from Qatar to Belgium
25. How do you choose a car shipping company from Qatar to Belgium?
26. Common mistakes when shipping cars from Qatar to Belgium
27. Why is Home Safe the best car shipping company from Qatar to Belgium for you?
28. Related articles and pages
29. Tags
30. Frequently asked questions about car shipping from Qatar to Belgium
31. What is the best way to ship a car from Qatar to Belgium?
32. What is the cheapest way to ship a car from Qatar to Belgium?
33. How much does it cost to ship a small car from Qatar to Belgium?
34. How many days does a car take from Doha to Brussels?
35. Which port will my car arrive at: Antwerp or Zeebrugge?
36. I am taking my car for the summer only. Do I pay customs in Belgium?
37. What is the difference between a vehicle exit permit and an export certificate in Qatar?
38. How much are customs duty and tax on a car in Belgium?
39. Am I exempt if I am moving from Doha to live in Belgium?
40. Can a Gulf-specification car be registered in Belgium?
41. Can my car enter central Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent on Qatari plates?
42. Can I leave suitcases or belongings inside the car?
43. My car is financed by a bank in Qatar. Can it be shipped?
44. How do I follow my car after it leaves Doha?
45. Do you bring the car back from Belgium to Qatar at the end of the summer?

Route: Doha → Hamad Port → Strait of Hormuz → Red Sea → Suez Canal → Mediterranean → North Sea → Antwerp or Zeebrugge · Methods: RoRo, container, air · Time: 32–45 days by sea, 3–6 days by air.

Who ships a car from Qatar to Belgium?

Brussels is the capital of the European institutions, and Antwerp is the diamond market and one of the continent’s largest ports. That brings four kinds of customer to this route who have nothing in common: a diplomat or mission employee moving from Doha to Brussels, a Qatari family spending the summer in Europe and using Belgium as the starting point for driving to Paris, Amsterdam and Cologne, a European resident whose contract in Qatar has ended, and a dealer or enthusiast selling a car to a buyer there. Each of them starts from a different paper:

Owner	What is shipped	Best method	Customs position in Belgium
Qatari family summering in Europe	The family car or a sports car	Air, or a container sent six weeks ahead of travel	Temporary admission on Qatari plates
Employee or diplomat moving to Brussels	A private car	RoRo, or a 40ft container with personal effects	Transfer-of-residence relief or diplomatic exemption
European resident returning from Doha	A car used for years	RoRo to Zeebrugge	Transfer-of-residence relief on its conditions
Enthusiast or seller of a rare car	Luxury or classic	Private container or air	Import with duty and tax

Will your car get into Belgium? Three routes that settle it

Before talking about the ship and the price we need to know in what capacity the car will enter. Belgium applies European Union rules, and it sets no age limit on an imported car as some other countries do, but it asks two questions: is the car staying or returning, and is its owner moving residence or not. The answer puts you on one of three routes, and the cost of each differs greatly from the others.

Route	For whom	What is paid to the Belgian treasury	What is required
Temporary admission	A resident of Qatar visiting Europe with his car	No duty and no tax	Private use, and the car leaves within six months
Transfer of residence	Someone moving his normal home to Belgium	No duty and no VAT; the registration tax remains	12 months outside the Union, and a car owned for 6 months
Ordinary import	A car sold or bought to be registered there	10% duty then 21% VAT, then the registration tax	Individual approval and a roadworthiness test before the plates

These are the rules applied, and we confirm the ones in force before shipping.

Services of a car shipping company from Qatar to Belgium and its role in the journey

On this journey the car deals with the Qatari traffic department and customs, then with a shipping line or an airline, then with Belgian customs and the vehicle registration office. Its owner usually knows only the first of these. The company’s role is to be the party that knows them all and puts their papers in the right sequence, so that the car does not reach the quay while its paper is still in Doha. This is what our service covers:

• Advice before booking: which customs route suits you, which shipping method suits the car, and how much you can expect to pay in Belgium.
• Collection in Qatar: a recovery truck from the house, tower or showroom, with a signed condition report and photographs.
• Exit papers: following up the exit permit or the export certificate, and the Qatari customs declaration at the port or airport.
• Shipping: booking RoRo, a private or shared container from Hamad Port, or the air pallet from Hamad International Airport.
• Clearance in Belgium: the temporary admission declaration, the relief file or the import declaration, and payment of what is due at its actual amount.
• Delivery: a car transporter from the port to your address, an inspection, and handover of the key and the papers.

The details differ with the customer. An individual wants a date that fits his travel, a company a contract, an invoice and a list of chassis numbers, and a government body commitment to the date and documented correspondence. An embassy or mission has an exemption route that passes through the protocol department of the Belgian foreign ministry, so its notes are prepared before the car sails, with the discretion its details call for. The general description of the service is on the car shipping page.

The vessel’s route and the transit time from Qatar to Belgium

A ship leaving Hamad Port crosses the Arabian Gulf to the Strait of Hormuz, then rounds the south of the Arabian Peninsula to Bab al-Mandab and sails up the Red Sea to the Suez Canal. After that it crosses the whole Mediterranean, leaves through Gibraltar into the Atlantic, and heads north to the English Channel and the North Sea. The sailing alone normally takes 22 to 32 days, depending on the number of ports the ship calls at and whether the cargo is transhipped at a hub port.

Stage	What happens	Approximate time
Collection and traffic papers in Qatar	Condition report, and exit permit or export certificate	2–5 days
Hamad Port before sailing	Customs declaration, and registering the car at the gate or sealing the container	2–4 days
Sailing to the Belgian coast	Direct, or with a change of vessel on the way	About 22–32 days
Discharge and customs at Antwerp or Zeebrugge	Inspection, then release according to the customs route	3–6 days
Haulage to the address	Car transporter to the door	1–2 days

The method changes the time as much as the sea does. A private container moves on the first container ship, and there are many from Hamad Port. RoRo is tied to fewer ships, and its car may pass through a collection port in the Gulf before heading for Europe.

Method	Arrives at	Door to door	When it moves
RoRo	Mostly Zeebrugge, sometimes Antwerp	34–45 days	According to the car carriers’ schedule
Private 20ft container	Antwerp	32–42 days	First ship after the papers are complete
Shared 40ft container	Antwerp	36–45 days and possibly more	When the car finds its partner
Air freight	Brussels or Liège	3–6 days	After the space on the aircraft is confirmed

What lengthens the time?

• A traffic fine that shows up in Metrash on the day the permit is requested, or a lien that has not been released.
• The shipping line diverting to the Cape of Good Hope instead of the Suez Canal, which adds about two weeks and which we tell you about before booking.

Times for the other routes are on the transit times page.

RoRo car shipping from Hamad Port in Qatar to Antwerp and Zeebrugge

Hamad Port has a vehicle terminal separate from the container terminals, and it lies about 30 km south of Doha near Mesaieed. The car reaches the terminal gate, where its chassis number is matched against its papers, it is registered in the port system and the voyage label is stuck on it. It then waits in the yard until loading day, when a port driver takes it up the stern ramp into the ship. It goes in uncovered, and its wheels are lashed to the deck.

At the other end is the largest car-handling cluster in Europe. Zeebrugge is a sea harbour belonging to the city of Bruges through which millions of cars pass every year, and Antwerp on the River Scheldt is the port for containers and general cargo; the two have merged into one authority. Car carriers returning from the Gulf to Europe call at one of them or at both.

• What is accepted: a car that runs, drives and holds on its brakes, with no visible leak.
• What is not accepted: belongings in the cabin or boot, a fabric cover on the car, and a full tank.
• The key: handed over with the car and travelling with it, because the ship’s crew may move it.
• On arrival: it is driven to a fenced yard and does not leave it before customs release.

The RoRo schedule from Hamad Port to northern Europe is not a fixed weekly one, so we confirm the vessel date before you ask the traffic department for any paper. The method is explained on the RoRo car shipping page, and the ports we work through on the ports and gateways page.

Car shipping prices from Qatar to Belgium

We do not post a fixed figure for this route. The vessel rate from the Gulf to the North Sea is affected by the shipping route, the fuel price and the summer season, and the figure changes several times a year. So the price is set on request, and we send it itemised: collection in Qatar, Hamad Port charges, sea or air freight, Belgian port charges, clearance and delivery. What is paid to the Belgian treasury is written on a separate line at its actual amount.

Car and shipping method	Price	Note
Saloon or hatchback by RoRo	Set on request	To the quay at Zeebrugge or Antwerp
4×4 or van by RoRo	Set on request	Calculated on length, width and height
Car in a private 20ft container	Set on request	For luxury, sports and classic cars
Place in a shared 40ft container	Set on request	Roughly half the container rate
Motorcycle in a wooden crate	Set on request	By sea or by air
Air freight for the car	Set on request	By weight, dimensions and fuel type
For comparison: saloon by RoRo from Jeddah port to a European port	Starts from SAR 2,800	Our rate from Saudi Arabia, a reference for the sea leg and not a price for this route

Prices in circulation in the market: few publish a figure for this route. What circulates is that shipping a family car by sea starts from about USD 2,500, that a company or fleet car starts from about USD 3,500 each, that a shared container for a small car is USD 2,500 to 3,500, and that air is USD 8,000 to 10,500, with optional clearance and insurance fees starting from USD 150 per service. On the same route in the opposite direction, RoRo ocean freight is published at USD 1,875 to 3,590, with local charges on arrival of USD 1,500 to 2,500 added to it. So the difference between two offers may lie entirely in what the figure includes, not in the figure itself.

Factor	Effect on the price
Size of the car	RoRo is charged per cubic metre, and a tall 4×4 pays more than a saloon
Method	RoRo is lowest, then the shared container, then the private one, and air is several times those
Season	From May to July demand from the Gulf to Europe rises
Shipping route	Sailing round Africa raises both the rate and the time
One way or both ways	Booking the outward and return trips together lowers each of them

How do you cut the cost?

• Send the car by sea six weeks before you travel instead of flying it at the last moment.
• Remove the roof rack and roof box before measuring, as height counts in RoRo.
• Share a 40ft container with someone sending a car to Belgium or the Netherlands in the same week.

The pricing items are explained on the pricing factors page.

How we serve shipping from Qatar, and what is particular to this origin

We say it as it is: Home Safe is a Saudi establishment registered in Jeddah, and we have neither an office nor a yard in Qatar. Shipments on this route are carried out through partner shipping and clearing agents of ours in Doha, who collect the car and complete the port formalities, while our team runs the file: the booking, the document check, coordination with the Belgian partner, and answering you from one number. These points concern a car leaving Qatar:

• Distances are short: every Qatari city is under two hours from Hamad Port and Hamad International Airport, so collection and delivery to the port take one day.
• A new car: under a circular of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the rule applied is that a new car is not exported before a year from its local registration; it is addressed to agencies and showrooms. We check whether it applies to your car before booking.

RoRo or container: which is for your car?

Both methods reach the same coast, and the choice between them follows the car, not the destination. Ask yourself: does it bother me that four drivers I do not know will drive my car at two ports? If the answer is no, RoRo is enough and saves money. If the car is one where every scratch counts, or you are shipping belongings with it, the container is the answer.

Point of comparison	RoRo	Private 20ft container	Shared 40ft container
Loading	Driven up the ramp	Driven in, secured, then sealed	Two cars one behind the other with a partition
Belongings with the car	No	Yes, with a list	By agreement
A car that does not run	Not accepted	Winched in	Winched in
Port of arrival	Zeebrugge or Antwerp	Antwerp	Antwerp
Cost	Lowest	Highest by sea	In between

Anyone moving house combines the two in a 40ft container: the car at the far end, a timber bulkhead, then the furniture. Internal container dimensions are on the container sizes page, and what concerns furniture is in the shipping to Belgium article.

Shipping luxury and sports cars from Qatar to Belgium in a private container

The streets of Doha hold more luxury and sports cars than you find in cities ten times its size, and many of them travel to Europe in the summer. These cars are not sent by RoRo. A 20ft container is booked for them that nothing else shares, and they are loaded in the agent’s yard, not on the quay, so that the team can take its time. The car climbs two long ramps that ease the entry angle, so the front bumper does not touch the container sill.

• Wooden chocks: fixed to the container floor in front of and behind each wheel, preventing any movement forwards or backwards.
• Soft straps: four wide webbing straps that go round the tyres alone, one per wheel, tightened to the container rings. No chain and no hook on the body or the rims.
• Seal: the lashing is photographed from both sides, and the door is closed with a numbered seal whose number reaches you at once.

The timber of the chocks is heat-treated and stamped ISPM 15, a European requirement for all raw wood entering with goods. More detail is on the container car shipping and packing and lashing pages.

Types of cars we ship and how each type is shipped

We do not refuse any kind of registered vehicle, but each kind has what suits it and what to watch for. We always ask about the year of manufacture and the fuel type, because Belgium ties the registration tax and access to city centres to the emissions level.

Vehicle	Usual method	What we watch for
Saloon and family car	RoRo	Whether its value justifies the duty and tax if there is no relief
Large 4×4	RoRo, or a high-cube container	Height, and the registration tax on a large engine
Luxury and sports	Private container or air	Ground clearance, and insurance at an agreed value
Classic	Private container	Proof of its age and originality for customs classification
Electric and hybrid	Mostly by sea	The carrier’s battery conditions, and the European charging plug
Motorcycles	Wooden crate	Draining the fuel and disconnecting the battery

Preparing the car before loading in Doha

Preparation is the owner’s responsibility, and half an hour spent on it saves days at the port. The car will be inspected in Qatar and inspected in Belgium, and an inspection is useless on a dusty car. This is the list of what we ask for before the recovery truck arrives:

• Washing: outside and underneath, since sand and clinging mud may be stopped by plant-health control in Europe.
• Fuel: a quarter of a tank for RoRo, and less than that for the container and air.
• Belongings: the whole car is emptied, including parking cards, personal trackers and perfumes.
• Check: a battery that turns the engine, inflated tyres and a working handbrake.
• Photographs: the four sides, the roof, the rims, the cabin and the odometer, dated the same day.

The details are in the car shipping guide.

Qatari traffic papers: exit permit or export certificate?

Every vehicle registered in Qatar needs permission from the General Directorate of Traffic before it leaves for a country outside the Gulf Cooperation Council. The permission is of two kinds, according to its owner’s intention. The vehicle exit permit is requested in the Metrash app under traffic services, stating the destination and who accompanies the car or is authorised for it, and the car must return before it expires or it is renewed. The export certificate takes the car off the register for good. The services available online change, so the table shows the rules applied and we confirm the ones in force before shipping.

Item	Exit permit for a returning car	Export certificate for a car not returning
Fines	All paid before the request	All paid before the request
Finance	No-objection letter from the bank	Lien released from the vehicle record
Plates	Stay on the car	Handed in, and temporary export plates issued
Registration card	Valid throughout the absence	Cancelled; a copy is kept to prove the registration date
Insurance	A policy valid in Belgium	Short cover with the export plates
Timing	Days before entering the port	After the vessel is confirmed, as its validity is short

After the traffic department, the Qatari customs declaration is lodged at the port or airport, which our agent in Doha handles. Anyone intending to claim transfer-of-residence relief in Belgium needs proof of the date the car was registered in his name, so he does not hand in the registration card before taking a certified copy of it.

Belgian customs on the car: duty, tax and a worked example

A car imported in the ordinary way pays in Belgium the duty it would pay in any European Union country, plus Belgian value added tax. The 10% duty is calculated on the value of the car plus freight and insurance to the port. Then 21% VAT is calculated on all of that plus the duty. The value is taken from a recent purchase invoice, and if there is none, customs assesses it at market prices.

Example: a car valued with freight and insurance at the equivalent of EUR 30,000, whose owner has no relief.

Item	Calculation	Amount
Value with freight and insurance	Basis of calculation	EUR 30,000
Customs duty 10%	30,000 × 10%	EUR 3,000
Value added tax 21%	(30,000 + 3,000) × 21%	EUR 6,930
Total before registration tax	3,000 + 6,930	EUR 9,930

That is about a third of the value, and far more than the freight itself. This is why we do not send the freight price alone to someone importing in the ordinary way, and we put this calculation beside it. The rates are reviewed by the Belgian and European authorities, so we confirm them on the day of booking. The procedure is explained on the customs clearance page.

Temporary admission and transfer-of-residence relief: how does the car enter without duty?

Most cars on this route pay neither duty nor tax, because they fall under one of two exceptions. The first is for the visitor and the second for the person moving. Both are applied for and not granted automatically, so the file must be ready before the ship arrives.

Temporary admission for a summer car: the rule applied is that a person living outside the European Union may use in it a car registered in his own country for private purposes for six months in any twelve. The car is not sold or hired out there, and a resident of the Union does not drive it except in limited cases. Because it arrives shipped and not driven, a declaration is lodged for it at the port, and the customs office may ask for a guarantee refunded on exit or accept a customs carnet. We ask the office what is required before sailing, and the carnet is explained on the carnet page.

Transfer-of-residence relief: for someone moving his normal home to Belgium, and the request for the car is submitted by appointment to the regional customs centre. The conditions applied are:

• That you have lived outside the European Union for at least 12 continuous months, proved by the Qatari residence permit and the employment contract.
• That the car has been owned and used by you for at least 6 months before your move, by the date on the registration card and the insurance.
• That the car enters within 12 months of your settling in Belgium.
• That you do not sell, hire out, lend or pledge it for 12 months after clearance.

The relief does not cover the registration tax and does not waive the technical approval. A car bought in Doha weeks before travel does not meet the six-month condition.

Registering a Gulf-specification car in Belgium

This section is for someone whose car will stay; a summer car does not go through it. A car sold in Qatar was built for the Gulf market: stronger cooling, dust filters, and sometimes without some of the emissions equipment required in Europe. It does not carry the European certificate of conformity with which cars there are registered directly. So it goes through an individual approval in the region where it will be registered, and Belgium has three regions, each with its own body.

Stage	Body	What is required of a Gulf car
Individual approval	The approval body in Flanders, Wallonia or Brussels	The manufacturer’s technical data, and a check of lighting, brakes, noise and emissions
Possible modifications	A workshop chosen by the owner	European-specification headlamps, a rear fog lamp, and removal of tint from the windscreen
Roadworthiness test	An approved test centre	The test for an imported used car before first registration
Insurance and plates	An insurer, then the vehicle registration office	Third-party liability cover, then the plate arrives by post
Taxes	The region	A one-off registration tax and an annual road tax

The registration tax differs between the regions: Flanders bases it on emissions, fuel and age, while Wallonia and Brussels base it mainly on engine power and age, and the formulas are revised periodically. Send the model, the engine size and the home address so that we can estimate it with you before booking.

Documents for shipping a car from Qatar to Belgium and what is not accepted

We collect the file as photographs on WhatsApp before we book, and we go through it paper by paper. An Arabic document is accompanied by an English, French or Dutch translation. The originals are not put in the car, and they travel with the owner or by courier.

Document	Issued by	Where it is required
Vehicle registration card	Qatari traffic department	Booking, and customs in both countries
Exit permit or export certificate	General Directorate of Traffic	Hamad Port or Hamad International Airport
Qatari ID card and passport	The owner	Every stage
Purchase invoice or valuation	The seller or an appraiser	Belgian customs and insurance
Bank letter	The lender	Qatari traffic department, for a financed car
Proof of residence in Belgium	The municipality or a tenancy contract	The relief file and registration
Bill of lading or air waybill	The shipping line or the airline	Collecting the car on arrival

These cases prevent loading until they are dealt with:

• Outstanding traffic fines or a lien that has not been released.
• A fuel or oil leak visible on the ground under the car.
• Personal belongings in a RoRo car, or belongings without a list in the container.
• Food, plants and soil, or weapons, ammunition and fireworks.

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

Insuring the car and tracking it until delivery

There are two kinds of insurance and neither replaces the other. The first is cargo insurance, which protects the value of the car while it is cargo on a ship or an aircraft. The second is motor insurance, which is needed the day the car goes onto the road in Belgium. The Qatari motor policy does not normally stand in for either.

• Cargo insurance: optional and recommended, at the agreed value of the car, covering loss and damage at sea, in the air and during handling.
• Basis of a claim: the condition report signed in Doha and the loading photographs, then whatever is written on the delivery note in Belgium.
• Motor insurance: for a summer car, a frontier or short-term European policy bought before arrival; for a car that is staying, a Belgian policy before the plates.
• Tracking by sea: by the vessel name and the bill of lading or container number, with messages from us at every stage.

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

Delivering cars from Qatar in Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent

No Belgian city is far from the sea. The furthest major city is under three hours by truck from one of the two ports, and Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent all lie within a circle roughly a hundred kilometres across. After release the car is loaded at the port onto a car transporter to your address. The driver unloads it, you walk round it with him and compare it with the Doha photographs and the condition report, then you sign and take the key.

City	From Zeebrugge	From Antwerp	What concerns delivery there
Brussels	About 110 km	About 45 km	Embassy and European-institution districts, with unloading by appointment outside rush hours
Antwerp	About 100 km	In the city	The fastest delivery, usually on the day of release
Ghent	About 60 km	About 60 km	Its centre is closed to most cars, so the car is unloaded at its edge
Bruges	About 15 km	About 95 km	Next door to the RoRo quay, with narrow old streets
Liège	About 210 km	About 130 km	Near the cargo airport, where a car arriving by air is delivered directly

Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent have low emission zones. The rule applied is that a car with a foreign plate is registered online with the city before it enters the zone, and that it meets the environmental standard required. So anyone living in the centre of one of them on Qatari plates completes this registration before delivery day. A car exported for good arrives without valid plates, so it stays on the truck to the garage door or the test centre. The delivery service is on the door to door page.

The three shipping methods: sea and air, and where does land stand?

There are only two practical ways to Belgium: sea and air. Sea is economical and suits large cars, group shipments and anyone who plans early. Air is fast and costly and suits a valuable car and a near date. Land we do not offer to Europe: the theoretical road crosses Saudi Arabia and Jordan or Iraq, then Turkey and the Balkans, which means thousands of kilometres and many borders, and car transporters do not use it regularly.

The real place for land is inside the Gulf. Car transporters cross the Abu Samra border post to Salwa in Saudi Arabia, and from there to the cities of the Kingdom, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. Anyone who wants a car in a Gulf country and not in Europe will find the land route in the car shipping between Saudi Arabia and Qatar article. The comparison of methods is on the shipping methods comparison page.

Air freight for cars from Qatar to Belgium

There are regular cargo flights between Doha and Belgium, which makes air easier on this route than on many others. The car enters the cargo area at Hamad International Airport, is driven onto a flat metal pallet and lashed to it by the tyres, then the pallet is lifted into the aircraft. It lands at Brussels Airport or Liège Airport, one of the largest air cargo hubs in Europe. After airport customs it is loaded into an enclosed truck and delivered in Brussels, Antwerp or wherever you live. The whole takes 3 to 6 days.

• Who it suits: a luxury or sports car, a show or race car with a date, and someone who has arrived before his car and does not want to wait a month for it.
• Dangerous goods: this is how aviation classes every vehicle with fuel and a battery, so a special declaration is prepared for it by a certified specialist.
• Fuel and battery: the tank is near empty at the level the carrier sets, and the battery terminals are secured. Electric and hybrid cars have additional conditions.
• Papers: the same traffic papers, with an air waybill in place of the sea bill.
• Price: set on request by the weight and dimensions of the car and the flight date, and it is several times sea freight.

Air services for anything other than cars are on the air freight page.

Collecting cars from Doha and the cities of Qatar

Collection is by a recovery truck sent by our agent in Doha at an hour we agree with you. The driver writes the condition report at your door and photographs the car, you both sign it, and then it goes to the lashing yard or straight to the port.

Area	Districts and towns	Collection note
Coastal Doha	West Bay, The Pearl, Dafna, Katara	Parking under towers; the car is brought out to an entrance the truck can reach
Al Rayyan	Al Gharrafa, Al Waab, Muaither, Education City	Villas and residential compounds with entrances wide enough for the truck
Lusail and the near north	Lusail, Al Kheesa, Umm Salal, Al Kharaitiyat	Walled compounds that need an entry pass for the driver
Al Wakrah and the south	Al Wakrah, Al Wukair, Mesaieed	Minutes from Hamad Port
Al Khor and the north	Al Khor, Al Thakhira, Al Shamal, and Dukhan to the west	The appointment is fixed a day ahead because of the distance

Steps for shipping your car from Qatar to Belgium

Eight steps, and their order is deliberate: the paper comes before the car, and the calculation before the payment.

1. You message us on 0552803439 with the model, the year of manufacture, a photograph of the registration card, your address in Belgium and your travel date.
2. We settle the customs route with you: temporary admission, transfer of residence or ordinary import, and work out what you can expect to pay.
3. You choose the method, and we send the itemised price and the vessel or flight date.
4. The fines are paid and the bank letter prepared, and the exit permit or export certificate is requested at a time that fits the booking.
5. The agent collects the car from your address with a report and photographs.
6. It is registered at the vehicle terminal gate and driven aboard, or secured in its container and sealed, or handed to the air cargo area.
7. The file is submitted to Belgian customs before it arrives, then the car is released.
8. The truck reaches your address, you inspect the car, sign and receive the key and the papers.

Car shipping from Belgium to Qatar

The opposite direction is busy, as Antwerp and Zeebrugge are among the main exit doors for European cars to the Gulf. Demand for it comes in two cases. The first is the return of a summer car, which is booked with the outward trip and enters Qatar on its plates without import as long as its permit is valid. The second is a car bought in Europe to be registered in Qatar. Its Belgian registration is cancelled, it sails to Hamad Port, and it is subject to the Qatari import conditions. The rule applied is 5% customs duty on the value, that a light vehicle is no more than five years old from the year of manufacture with an exception for classics, that it is left-hand drive, and that it passes the technical inspection. We check these conditions against the car before you pay for it. The destination page is shipping to Qatar.

Home Safe tips before shipping your car from Qatar to Belgium

Short notes from experience of this route, all of them carried out before the car leaves its place:

• Clean the car well before handover, as the condition report records what can be seen.
• Leave nothing personal in it, since that causes both loss and customs delay.
• Complete the documents before booking, not after: the registration card, the passport and whatever Belgium requires for your route.
• Choose between sea and air according to your date and budget, and discuss it with us before you decide.
• For summer visitors: book the return with the outward trip, as late-August places fill early.

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

Experience, safety and transparency are words everyone writes. What reveals the truth behind them is specific questions that you ask, watching how they are answered:

What you ask about	A reassuring answer	A worrying answer
Experience of the route	Tells Zeebrugge from Antwerp and knows which ship berths where	“We ship to all of Europe” with no port named
Protection	Describes lashing by the wheels, the condition report and insurance	General talk of “full wrapping”
Price	Items showing what the figure includes and excludes	One figure without the Belgian port charges
Customs	Asks whether the car is returning and whether you are moving residence	“No customs” without a single question

Common mistakes when shipping cars from Qatar to Belgium

Seven mistakes recur on this route, and most of them start with a hasty decision:

• Exporting a summer car for good, then importing it into Qatar again on return.
• Relying on the Qatari insurance in Belgium and standing without a policy at the first checkpoint.
• Entering central Antwerp or Brussels on Qatari plates before registering the car for the emission zone.
• Buying a car a month before the move and expecting the residence relief to cover it.
• Comparing two offers, one to the quay and the other to the door, as though they were the same thing.
• Leaving belongings in a RoRo car, or in the container without a list.
• Putting off the bank letter until after the vessel is booked.

Why is Home Safe the best car shipping company from Qatar to Belgium for you?

Because we do not sell you a place on a ship; we start with you from the customs question that decides the real cost of the journey.

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 Qatar to France
• Car shipping company from Qatar to the UK
• Car shipping company from Qatar to Switzerland
• Car shipping from the Gulf states
• Sea freight

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Frequently asked questions about car shipping from Qatar to Belgium

What is the best way to ship a car from Qatar to Belgium?

For a running family car: RoRo from Hamad Port to Zeebrugge or Antwerp, which costs least and involves the least handling. For luxury, sports and classic cars: a private container locked in Doha and opened in Antwerp. For anyone who cannot wait a month: air from Hamad International Airport.

What is the cheapest way to ship a car from Qatar to Belgium?

Always the sea, and within it RoRo, then a place in a 40ft container shared with a second car. Belgium also gives you an advantage an inland country does not: the port is close to every city, so no long haulage is added after the quay.

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

The price on this route is set on request, because vessel rates from the Gulf to northern Europe change from month to month. The figures in circulation for a small car by sea are USD 2,500 to 3,500, and for air USD 8,000 to 10,500. To give you an idea of the sea leg: RoRo on our line from Jeddah port to European ports starts from SAR 2,800.

How many days does a car take from Doha to Brussels?

By sea, 32 to 45 days from the day it is collected in Doha until it comes off the truck at your address, of which about 22 to 32 days are sailing. By air, 3 to 6 days including clearance at both airports.

Which port will my car arrive at: Antwerp or Zeebrugge?

A RoRo car mostly comes off at Zeebrugge, the car harbour on the North Sea, and some ships berth at Antwerp. A car inside a container comes off at Antwerp because that is the container port.

I am taking my car for the summer only. Do I pay customs in Belgium?

The rule applied in the European Union is that a person living outside it may bring in a car registered in his own country temporarily for private use, for up to six months in any twelve, with no duty and no tax. The car keeps its Qatari plates and returns with them. What is required is an exit permit from the Qatari traffic department and insurance valid in Belgium.

What is the difference between a vehicle exit permit and an export certificate in Qatar?

The exit permit is for a car that will return: its plates and registration stay, and it is requested from the General Directorate of Traffic through Metrash for every vehicle leaving for a country outside the Gulf Cooperation Council. The export certificate is for a car that will not return: its plates are handed in, export plates are issued and it leaves the Qatari register.

How much are customs duty and tax on a car in Belgium?

The rule applied is 10% customs duty on the value of the car plus freight and insurance, then 21% value added tax on the total. After clearance comes a registration tax that differs between Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels.

Am I exempt if I am moving from Doha to live in Belgium?

Yes, if the conditions applied are met: at least 12 continuous months of residence outside the European Union, a car owned and used by you for 6 months before the move, its entry within 12 months of your settling, and no sale or lending of it for a year after clearance.

Can a Gulf-specification car be registered in Belgium?

It can after an individual approval, because cars made for the Gulf market are not issued with the European certificate of conformity. An approved centre in the region where you will live inspects it, and changes to the headlamps, a rear fog lamp and proof of the emissions level may be required.

Can my car enter central Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent on Qatari plates?

All three cities have low emission zones. The rule applied is that a foreign-plated car is registered online with the city before it enters the zone, and that it meets the environmental standard required there. Recent cars normally enter without trouble, while an old diesel may be refused.

Can I leave suitcases or belongings inside the car?

On RoRo nothing stays in it except the spare wheel and the jack, since it is driven at more than one port and nobody answers for what goes missing. In a private container belongings go beside the car, not inside it, with a list submitted to Belgian customs.

My car is financed by a bank in Qatar. Can it be shipped?

Only after the bank agrees. The lien is recorded against the vehicle at the traffic department, so no export certificate is issued before it is released. For a summer car that will return, a no-objection letter from the lender is normally required before the exit permit.

How do I follow my car after it leaves Doha?

With the bill of lading number and the vessel name on the shipping line’s website, or with the container number if it is in a container. We send you a message at five points: entry to Hamad Port, sailing, the Suez Canal transit, arrival on the Belgian coast and customs release.

Do you bring the car back from Belgium to Qatar at the end of the summer?

Yes, and it is better to book both directions in one order. Our partner collects it from your address in Belgium, and it sails from Antwerp or Zeebrugge to Hamad Port, or flies from Brussels to Doha. As long as it left on a temporary permit and came back before it expired, it returns to its Qatari record without a fresh import.