Shipping from Belgium to USA
Airlift USA ships full containers from Belgium to the USA, with LCL on select routings, licensed agent partners handling export at Antwerp and its own New Jersey and Los Angeles offices handling the US side. Antwerp to New York takes 12–18 days port to port, to Norfolk 14–20 and to Houston 20–28 in Airlift’s shipment history. EU goods pay a Section 301 forced-labor duty that brings them to a total of 10% including the normal duty.
Get a Belgium–USA freight quote
Belgium–USA Freight at a Glance
Airlift USA ships cargo from Belgium to the USA as full containers (FCL), with LCL on select routings. Containers sail from Antwerp and take 12–28 days port to port in Airlift’s shipment history: 12–18 days to New York, 14–20 to Norfolk and 20–28 to Houston (P10–P90 ranges). In the carrier schedules Sealanes tracked in September 2026, Antwerp sailings to Norfolk and Houston were direct calls with no transshipment.
Airlift has no office of its own in Belgium: licensed agent partners handle the export side at Antwerp, and Airlift’s own offices in New Jersey and Los Angeles book the shipment, file the ISF, coordinate the US customs entry through licensed customs brokers and arrange delivery. Airlift USA is the trading name of AIRLIFT (U.S.A.), INC., in business since 1999 and an FMC-licensed NVOCC (FMC No. 016162). The lane mainly carries pharmaceuticals, machinery and industrial chemicals.
Quick Facts: Belgium USA
Major Ports (Based on Airlift Shipment Volume)
Antwerp (UN/LOCODE BEANR), part of the merged Port of Antwerp-Bruges, handles effectively all of Airlift’s Belgium–USA volume. Its transatlantic services reach New York, Norfolk and Houston, which is what keeps this lane’s transit short. The Sealanes pages show the sailings currently published for each pair.
Origin port:
Antwerp, which handles effectively all of Airlift’s Belgium–USA volume
Top destination ports:
New York, Norfolk, Houston
Antwerp to US Transit Times (P10–P90, Airlift Shipment History)
From Antwerp
| Destination port | Transit planning range |
|---|---|
| New York | 12–18 days |
| Norfolk | 14–20 days |
| Houston | 20–28 days |
Each range covers the middle 80% (P10–P90) of Airlift’s past shipments from Antwerp, port to port. They are planning ranges, not guaranteed transit times: actual transit varies with vessel routing and carrier schedule, so confirm the sailing when you request a quote.
These ranges are port to port only. The glossary explains what a quoted transit time includes and which origin and destination legs it leaves out.
Shipping from Antwerp to New York, Norfolk or Houston?
Send your cargo details and ready date, and we’ll quote your shipment.Questions about your cargo?
Tell us what you ship and how it is packed, and a specialist will contact you.What Ships from Belgium to the USA
Top 4 by container volume:
- Pharmaceuticals
- Machinery and mechanical parts
- Industrial chemicals
- Plant extracts and agricultural inputs
Also handled:
General cargo and packaged consumer products.
Customs and Compliance: Belgian Export, US Import
Licensed agent partners handle export clearance in Belgium, and the US entry is filed through licensed customs brokers that Airlift coordinates. The duties below are the ones a Belgian or other EU-origin entry carries as of early October 2026; the rate that counts is the one for your HTS code on the day of entry.
At origin – Belgium
- EU export declaration lodged electronically with Belgian Customs before the container is loaded at Antwerp
- Commercial documents whose values and descriptions match the goods’ HS classification and the US entry
- Dangerous-goods (IMDG) documentation for hazardous cargo, which ships only through approved carriers
At destination – USA
- Importer Security Filing (ISF) submitted at least 24 hours before the cargo is loaded at Antwerp
- CBP customs entry, backed by a continuous or single-transaction customs bond
- Entry filed through licensed customs brokers, coordinated by Airlift
- FDA or USDA rules may apply to pharmaceuticals, chemicals and agricultural cargo; TSCA certification applies to chemical substances
Duties on goods from Belgium and the EU (October 2026)
- Column 1 duty: the normal HTS rate for the product. There is no US–EU free-trade agreement.
- Section 301: the Section 301 forced-labor duty (a tariff on products of the listed economies generally, not only on goods made with forced labor; CBP calls it the Section 301 Forced Labor Import Duties), which since July 24, 2026 brings EU goods to a total of 10% including the normal duty. Products listed in U.S. note 52(b) of HTS Chapter 99, which include most finished medicines, and goods under the Section 232 headings listed in 9903.05.90 are exempt.
- Section 232: patented pharmaceuticals pay a Section 232 duty, with a 15% rate for the EU (heading 9903.04.62); generics are not covered. Steel, aluminum and copper articles, vehicles and parts, and some machinery also fall under Section 232 programs, several of them with a 15% EU rate.
- IEEPA tariffs ended on February 24, 2026, and the 10% Section 122 surcharge that replaced them expired on July 24, 2026.
Service Options
- Full container load (FCL) in 20′, 40′ and 40′ high-cube
- Less than container load (LCL) on select routings
- Hazardous cargo through approved carriers, subject to IMDG checks
- Door delivery in the U.S. on request
Why Ship Belgium–USA with Airlift
- Antwerp origin with New York, Norfolk and Houston at destination, 12–28 days port to port
- Experience with pharmaceutical and industrial cargo, this lane’s main freight
- Export handled by licensed agent partners in Belgium; the US side by Airlift’s own New Jersey and Los Angeles offices
- In business since 1999; FMC-licensed NVOCC (FMC No. 016162) and C-TPAT certified
- Shipment visibility through Airlift’s digital platform
Check our licenses before you ship
Each license and membership below links to the public register or directory that lists it, so you can verify who you are dealing with before you send cargo details.
- FMC OTI license 016162 — Licensed and bonded NVOCC and ocean freight forwarder, d/b/a Airlift Container Line. Look it up on the FMC OTI list →
- FMCSA property broker, USDOT 2355713 / MC-798584 — US drayage and trucking arranged as a non-asset broker through contracted motor carriers. FMCSA SAFER company snapshot →
- WCA World member since 2019 — Los Angeles head office and New Jersey branch, both with Gold Medallion financial protection. WCA member profile →
- C-TPAT certified — Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, U.S. Customs and Border Protection. About C-TPAT →
- NCBFAA regular member — National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America. NCBFAA →
- IATA CargoLink listed — IATA-accredited air cargo agent, listed in the CargoLink directory. CargoLink listing →
What to include in your quote request
The more of this you send, the more complete the quote, and the easier it is to compare with others.
- Pickup and delivery locations, preferred ports and inland transport requirements.
- Cargo description, package count, gross weight and packed dimensions, or container size and quantity.
- Cargo-ready date, delivery deadline and handling or storage requirements.
- Which services and charges you want quoted, so every quote you compare covers the same scope.
Get a Belgium–USA freight quote
Your route is already in the notes; edit it if you need to. Then add what you are shipping, when it is ready, pickup and delivery locations, and the services you want quoted.
Tools and guides for this lane
Shipping from a country without a lane guide? See every origin, by region, on shipping to the USA by country of origin.
U.S. import duty on the top goods shipped on this lane
Calculated total duty for the highest-value tariff lines on this lane, from our tariff engine and U.S. Census import values. Each page breaks the duty into its components, shows its history by entry date and works through the landed cost.
Rates are our tariff engine's total for a commercial entry today. Open a page for the duty lines behind a rate and how it changed by entry date, browse all import duty pages, or price your own shipment.
Frequently asked questions
Shipping from Belgium to the USA takes about 12–28 days port to port by ocean from Antwerp: 12–18 days to New York, 14–20 days to Norfolk and 20–28 days to Houston. These are P10–P90 ranges from Airlift USA’s shipment history (8 in 10 shipments arrived inside them), not carrier brochure estimates or guarantees, and they make Belgium the shortest of Airlift’s lanes from Europe into the USA. Allow a few more days at each end for pickup, export clearance and US delivery.
Antwerp (BEANR). On the Belgium to USA lane it handles effectively all of Airlift’s volume, with transatlantic services to New York, Norfolk and Houston. In the carrier schedules Sealanes tracked in September 2026, Antwerp sailings to Norfolk and Houston were direct calls with no transshipment, which is what keeps transit to 12–28 days port to port.
Both. From Belgium to the USA, Airlift ships full containers (20′, 40′ and 40′ high cube, plus reefer where applicable) and offers LCL on select routings for smaller shipments. Hazardous cargo can ship through approved carriers, subject to IMDG dangerous-goods documentation and acceptance checks. As a rule of thumb, below roughly 13 cubic meters LCL usually costs less, and above about 20 a container of your own usually wins.
To ship from Belgium to the USA you need, in Belgium, a commercial invoice, a packing list and the EU export declaration lodged with Belgian Customs, plus dangerous-goods documentation if your commodity requires it. In the USA you need an Importer Security Filing (ISF) at least 24 hours before the cargo is loaded at Antwerp, then the customs entry under a customs bond, plus any FDA filing for pharmaceuticals. Airlift coordinates the US filings through licensed customs brokers.
US duty on goods from Belgium depends on the product’s HTS code and the measures in force on the day of entry, not on the freight. As of early October 2026, a Belgian (EU-origin) entry pays the normal Column 1 rate plus the Section 301 forced-labor duty, which since July 24, 2026 brings EU goods to a total of 10% including the normal duty. Products listed in U.S. note 52(b) of HTS Chapter 99, including most finished medicines, are exempt, as are goods under the Section 232 headings in 9903.05.90, which pay their Section 232 rate instead (often 15% for the EU). IEEPA tariffs ended on February 24, 2026. Check your HTS code in Airlift’s free tariff simulator.
Pharmaceuticals from Belgium enter the USA with an FDA filing alongside the customs entry, and their duty depends on the product. Patented pharmaceuticals pay a Section 232 duty, at a 15% rate for EU goods (heading 9903.04.62); generic medicines are not covered by it. Most finished medicines are listed in U.S. note 52(b) of HTS Chapter 99 and are exempt from the Section 301 forced-labor duty. Confirm the HTS code and the FDA product code before the shipment leaves Antwerp, and ask for reefer equipment if the product needs temperature control.
No. Airlift USA has no office of its own in Belgium. On the Belgium to USA lane, licensed agent partners handle the export side at Antwerp, and Airlift’s own offices in New Jersey and Los Angeles book the shipment, file the ISF, coordinate the US customs entry through licensed customs brokers and arrange delivery. Airlift USA is the trading name of AIRLIFT (U.S.A.), INC., in business since 1999 and an FMC-licensed NVOCC (FMC No. 016162).
Airlift USA doesn’t publish a fixed price for shipping from Belgium to the USA, because ocean rates change and every shipment differs. The main cost drivers are FCL or LCL, the US port (New York, Norfolk or Houston) and inland routing, reefer or hazardous handling, the season and contract or spot pricing. US destination charges (ISF, customs entry, bond, drayage, any detention) and duties come on top. Send your cargo details through the quote form and the team prices the lane directly.
Door-to-door from Belgium to the USA is one Airlift USA booking: pickup and export clearance through Airlift’s licensed agent partners at Antwerp, the ocean leg (12–18 days to New York, 14–20 to Norfolk or 20–28 to Houston), the US customs entry through licensed customs brokers, and delivery to your door arranged by Airlift’s US offices through contracted trucking companies. Check the incoterm and the list of included charges when you compare quotes.
For a Belgium to USA ocean rate, search Airlift USA’s published rates by port pair and container type in the rate search tool; no signup is needed, but coverage varies. For pharmaceutical, chemical, reefer or project cargo, LCL or door delivery, use the quote form on the Belgium to USA lane page and Airlift’s team prices the lane directly.