Customs4Trade’s status page confirmed early on 14 February that scheduled maintenance on Belgium’s Excise Movement and Control System (EMCS) has been prolonged until 14:00 CET on 16 February. The outage, which began 11 February, forces traders to revert to paper ‘business-continuity procedures’. Although targeted at excise goods, the downtime affects removal companies shipping household alcohol collections—a common issue during expatriate relocations.
Under Belgian rules, relocating employees importing more than 90 litres of wine or 10 litres of spirits as part of their duty-free household effects must pre-lodge an EMCS declaration. With the portal offline, brokers must fax forms to the regional customs office and wait for manual stamps before the goods can leave the port or bonded warehouse.
![Customs IT Maintenance Extended: EMCS Outage Could Disrupt Cross-Border Company Moves]()
For relocation coordinators needing assistance with Belgian customs and residency documentation, VisaHQ can streamline visa and permit applications alongside guidance on excise-linked import formalities. Their Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) centralises requirements, fees, and fast-track options, saving time when unforeseen outages like the EMCS downtime disrupt planned moves.
Global-mobility providers moving containers through Antwerp or Zeebrugge warn that manual processing adds 24-48 hours to clearance. Storage and demurrage fees can quickly exceed €500 per container if paperwork is not in order. Companies planning group household shipments next week should instruct movers to prepare fallback paperwork and budget extra transit time.
The status page indicates authentication errors on the AES/IDMS interface have been resolved, but stakeholders are advised to monitor further updates and keep contingency paperwork on hand until the EMCS portal is confirmed stable.
Under Belgian rules, relocating employees importing more than 90 litres of wine or 10 litres of spirits as part of their duty-free household effects must pre-lodge an EMCS declaration. With the portal offline, brokers must fax forms to the regional customs office and wait for manual stamps before the goods can leave the port or bonded warehouse.
For relocation coordinators needing assistance with Belgian customs and residency documentation, VisaHQ can streamline visa and permit applications alongside guidance on excise-linked import formalities. Their Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) centralises requirements, fees, and fast-track options, saving time when unforeseen outages like the EMCS downtime disrupt planned moves.
Global-mobility providers moving containers through Antwerp or Zeebrugge warn that manual processing adds 24-48 hours to clearance. Storage and demurrage fees can quickly exceed €500 per container if paperwork is not in order. Companies planning group household shipments next week should instruct movers to prepare fallback paperwork and budget extra transit time.
The status page indicates authentication errors on the AES/IDMS interface have been resolved, but stakeholders are advised to monitor further updates and keep contingency paperwork on hand until the EMCS portal is confirmed stable.
