Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) Businesses with Belgian customers can send their goods there in a variety of ways. One of the simplest – and most tried-and-tested – methods available is to palletise commercial goods. This way, they can be handled by numerous operators en route with ease. Even if you opt for a single logistical operator to convey your pallet to Belgium, it will be easier for your customer to unload it at their goods-in area and place it into storage. Please note that although Euro pallets are the norm in Belgium, most of the other common pallet varieties won’t cause an issue in terms of goods handling. What else do you need to know about commercial shipments of pallets to Belgium?
Send a Pallet to Belgium With an Express Courier Service
Because Belgium isn’t that far away and it remains an important trading partner for the UK despite Brexit, Belgian clients still tend to expect their orders to arrive promptly from British exporters. As such, a door-to-door courier service is often the best option when shipping one, two or even three pallets to any of the Low countries.
Typically, an express pallet to Belgium will be sent by road to Dover and, from there, Dunkirk or Calais. It only takes half an hour to get to a town like Veurne in Belgium from Dunkirk. Ghent is about 90 minutes via the E40 while Brussels would take a little over two hours with favourable traffic.
Cost-Effective Ways to Despatch a Pallet to Belgium
If your pallet doesn’t need to arrive immediately, then a groupage shipment will be best. According to a freight forwarding firm that organises both groupage shipments and express deliveries from the UK, Barrington Freight, getting a pallet to Belgium from any corner of the UK is just as reliable when it is sent with others bound for similar destinations in the country.
You still get a delivery that will be to your customer’s address so they won’t have to pick it up from a distribution centre. However, the fuel and driver costs are shared between your firm and others that export to Belgium, thereby slashing the delivery costs.
Make Sure Your Exportation Declarations Are in Order
If you are new to exporting, then it is worth noting that despatching a pallet to Belgium with either method outlined above will still involve customs checks at the border. Typically, EU and UK border officials won’t delay your shipment for long whether it enters the customs union through France or Belgium directly via Zeebrugge. However, this won’t be the case if you haven’t made the proper online declarations with the correct EORI reference number.
Equally, if your paperwork doesn’t match what you have submitted online, then it can lead to delays and increased expense to sort out. Unless you already have extensive customs clearance experience, it is often better to hire a professional who can help. Customs clearance agents can offer great value for money if they prevent problems from occurring with accurate export submissions in the first place.