Cars from Belgium: where to look and what import costs
A car from Belgium in 2026 is an ordinary EU purchase: no customs duty, €206 for CSDD registration and €100–180 for the first year of OCTA — €306–386 of Latvian paperwork. Transport is extra and this page will not invent it: carriers publish German routes, not Belgian ones. What Belgium adds is the Car-Pass, a mileage-history document every seller must hand over.
The short answer, in figures
€110 tax + €41.88 plates + €19.25 unit-number check + €35 first test (csdd.lv).
By car, driver and insurer; band re-measured 2026-09-12.
Incl. VAT, seller pays; free below four readings (car-pass.be).
German routes are published (€550–800); no Belgian price list exists.
Where to look for a car in Belgium
Three sites carry the market in 2026: AutoScout24.be, 2dehands.be (2ememain.be in French) and Gocar.be, with ads in Dutch or French. In the price, "BTW" or "TVA" means VAT is excluded and the ad targets a business — a private buyer adds 21%. A "marge" car has the VAT inside and unreclaimable.
| Site | Who sells | Language | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| AutoScout24.be | Dealers and returned lease cars | NL / FR / EN | The widest choice, familiar filters |
| 2dehands.be / 2ememain.be | Private sellers, small traders | NL / FR | Lower prices, thin descriptions |
| Gocar.be | Dealer stock and editorial | NL / FR | The local price level of a model |
If you would rather not travel and search, cars already priced for Latvia are here: Cars from Germany priced for Latvia.
How the Belgian market differs from Germany
Belgium is a company-car market: 89% of the 145,170 electric cars registered in 2025 went onto company books (European Alternative Fuels Observatory, 2026-01-20), and those lease cars reach the used market three or four years later with a full service history. Mileage is public too — the state-mandated register issued 855,169 Car-Pass documents in 2025.
Car-Pass — the mileage-history document
A Car-Pass costs €11.10 incl. VAT and is valid for 2 months at most. Under the Belgian law of 11 June 2004 the seller hands it to every buyer who is not a car dealer, and the readings come from garages and tyre centres, which must report them. With no Car-Pass the buyer can have the sale annulled and the seller faces up to €10,000.
- VIN, make and model — compare with the car
- Every recorded odometer reading, with dates
- Euro emission class and CO₂ figure
- Open recalls and post-accident inspections
- The date of first registration in Belgium
- Since 2024 — maintenance records behind a QR code
The Belgian inspection in 2026
From 1 September 2026 Flanders inspects cars over four years old every two years and no longer checks the insurance certificate, while Wallonia and Brussels keep the one-year certificate (VRT NWS, 2026-08-28). Flanders is also dropping the pre-sale inspection for domestic deals, so expect no fresh sale report — an imported car is tested again in Latvia anyway. Use the Car-Pass for mileage, our free VIN check for history and an independent Belgian garage for condition.
What it costs to bring the car over
The Latvian side is fixed: €206 at CSDD plus €100–180 of OCTA, €306–386 in total. Transport is not: carriers publish German routes (€550–800) but no Belgian price, so take two or three quotes from carriers that insure the load and run the import cost calculator.
Registering in Latvia: taxes and papers
No duty inside the EU, and Latvian VAT of 21% applies only if the car is new under the VAT act — under 6 months or 6,000 km. Show the car to CSDD for the unit-number comparison within five days of bringing it in.
What to take from the Belgian seller
- The Belgian registration document (inschrijvingsbewijs / certificat d’immatriculation)
- The original certificate of conformity (COC)
- A sale-purchase contract with the VIN and price
- A Car-Pass issued within the last two months
- Service records kept outside the Car-Pass
Frequently asked questions
Is there customs duty on a car from Belgium?
No — Belgium is in the EU. Latvian VAT of 21% only arises if the car counts as new under the VAT act: under 6 months old or under 6,000 km. An ordinary used car leaves €206 at CSDD and €100–180 of OCTA.
What does it cost to bring a car from Belgium to Latvia?
The Latvian paperwork is €306–386. No carrier publishes a Belgian-route price, so this page states none; the published German-route price is €550–800. Put your own route into the import cost calculator.
Can I ask for the Car-Pass before travelling?
Yes. It costs €11.10, is valid for up to two months, and the seller owes it to every buyer who is not a car dealer — a refusal is a warning sign.
Is the Belgian inspection certificate valid in Latvia?
No. An imported car takes the Latvian test again, and that €35 is already inside the €206 CSDD figure.
Which papers must the seller give me?
The Belgian registration document, the certificate of conformity (COC), a contract with the VIN and price, and a fresh Car-Pass. Without the COC and the registration document CSDD will not register the car.
Sources
Every figure here comes from a named source; the Latvian cost bands come from the module the import calculator uses.
- Car-Pass — What a Car-Pass holds, its price and validity, the duty to hand it over and the 2025 statistics; law of 11 June 2004. (2026-09-21)
- VRT NWS — The inspection rules that change in Flanders on 1 September 2026; nothing changes in Wallonia and Brussels. (2026-09-21)
- European Alternative Fuels Observatory — Belgium’s 2025 registration figures and the company-car share (published 2026-01-20). (2026-09-21)
- CSDD — The list of documents first registration in Latvia needs, including the COC and the foreign registration document. (2026-09-21)
- FOD Financiën (Belgium) — Belgium's standard VAT rate is 21% — it is added to an ad price marked "BTW" or "TVA". (2026-09-21)
- CSDD — The CSDD price list the registration figure above is built from: fees and the natural-resources tax. (2026-09-21)
Where to go next
Browse matching cars
Related Guides
Cars from Germany
Import, risks & tips
Cars from the Netherlands
APK, the market and delivery
Cars from Sweden
Where to look and what import costs
Car Delivery from Germany
Prices, times and carriers
Car Import Costs
Full cost calculation
CSDD Registration
Registration process & docs
Odometer Fraud
How to detect & protect