Clothing Manufacturer for Belgian Brands

Duties, VAT and origin for imports into Belgium

Last verified: 21 September 2026, against the official sources listed under Sources below.

Belgium applies the EU's common rules: a garment cut and sewn on our floor enters duty-free under Everything But Arms on a single-transformation origin rule, and Regulation (EU) 2026/1395 keeps that access for three years after Bangladesh graduates from LDC status. The Belgian part is the tax: Royal Decree No. 20 of 20 July 1970 sets the standard rate at 21%, as the Royal Decree of 27 April 2021 published in the Moniteur belge restates ("le taux normal de 21 p.c."); clothing is not on the 6% or 12% lists. The FPS Finance rates page was not machine-readable when we checked, so we cite the decree itself.

On 500 tees at a US$6.00 customs value, US$3,000 in total, that is US$630 of import VAT and no duty, inside our DDP price. A VAT-registered importer recovers it through the periodic return.

Confirm the live position for your commodity code with your broker before pricing a range; we will state it for your order in writing, and the landed-cost calculator runs the arithmetic for any quantity.

Compliance and labelling for the Belgian market

Last verified: 21 September 2026, against the official sources listed under Sources below.

Fibre composition follows Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011: every fibre by generic name and percentage in descending order on a durable, legible label. Article 16(3) lets each member state require its own official language on garments sold there. Belgium has three official languages, and Article VI.8 §1 of the Code de droit économique requires mandatory labelling to be worded at least in a language the average consumer understands given the linguistic region where the goods are offered: Dutch in Flanders, French in Wallonia, both in Brussels, German in the East Cantons. We sew labels to your artwork, in more languages if you sell across the Union. Country of origin is not required by that regulation, though the customs declaration states it and any origin claim you print must be true. The article is in the Act of 21 December 2013 inserting Book VI into the Code.

Since 13 December 2024 the General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988 requires an EU-established responsible economic operator, the manufacturer's name and postal and electronic address on the product or packaging, a risk analysis and technical documentation kept for ten years; a company importing from us in Belgian is that operator, and GOTS certificate RSC 9687 supplies the fibre, chemistry and traceability evidence behind the file. REACH Annex XVII entry 43 bans azo dyes that release listed aromatic amines above 30 mg/kg in textiles worn against the skin, and EN 14682 governs cords and drawstrings on children's clothing; the GPSR guide walks through the file.

Looking ahead, the Commission plans the ESPR textile delegated act carrying the Digital Product Passport for apparel for adoption in late 2027 with at least 18 months' transition, so the passport is not a 2026 obligation.

Shipping, Incoterms, time zones and the Amsterdam office

We quote DDP, delivered duty paid, to any Belgian address: freight, the customs entry at Antwerp or Brussels, the import VAT and delivery inside one landed price, with the commercial invoice, packing list and statement on origin sent to you before the goods move. In our experience sea freight to northern European ports takes roughly four to five weeks from Chattogram and air freight five to eight days door to door.

Bangladesh Standard Time is UTC+6 with no daylight saving, four to five hours ahead of Belgium. Our floor works Sunday to Thursday, 09:00 to 18:00, so your morning overlaps our afternoon, and our Amsterdam office, in your time zone and a couple of hours away by train, covers the rest of the day for design conversations, samples and compliance paperwork, in Dutch, French or English.

LDC graduation: the verified position

Last verified: 21 September 2026, against the official sources listed under Sources below.

Bangladesh is scheduled to graduate from UN Least Developed Country status on 24 November 2026. In February 2026 it asked for an extension; the UN Committee for Development Policy said one would be appropriate provided reforms continue, and in July 2026 the Economic and Social Council referred the request to the General Assembly (UN LDC portal). No General Assembly decision had been published when we checked on 21 September 2026, and the 2029 date in press reports is the requested date, not a decided one.

For a Belgian order the consequence is bounded: Regulation (EU) 2026/1395 keeps Everything But Arms for three years after whichever graduation date lands, so duty-free access runs to at least the end of 2029 on the current timetable. Import VAT is unaffected by any of it. What follows that window depends on whether Bangladesh qualifies for GSP+, which is genuinely unresolved; our LDC graduation guide sets out the scenarios.