The BE-GATE customs platform has been launched in Belgium by stakeholders to accelerate and increase efficiency of customs clearance for cross-border e-commerce.
The platform was developed on the initiative of the Belgian Customs and Excise Department and is supported by the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge, and Brussels Airport and Liege Airport (pictured above) – the country’s two busiest air cargo hubs.
BE-GATE is designed to process large amounts of data and guarantees rapid clearance of customs applications, with a high number of arrival notifications being transmitted simultaneously via an official customs approved form.
For shipments of less than €22, the form serves as a declaration of release for consumption, and for all other shipments a declaration in the Belgian customs software paperless solution is required. Retailers automatically receive information for shipments that have been selected for customs control, and all other shipments are released immediately.
Belgium Customs and Excise head of marketing, Werner Rens said BE-GATE is an e-commerce tool that prevents delays in the supply chain due to “lack of transparency and communication”.
Liege Airport vice president of commercial, Steven Verhasselt said the express expertise at Liege is now fully deployed to accommodate large e-commerce flows and the airport expect’s BE-GATE to further optimise flows.
Brussels Airport director of cargo anf logistics, Steven Polmans said with the ongoing expansion and new warehouses under construction in Brussels, the airport is ready for the growing business of e-commerce. “BE-GATE will help us to be an even more attractive entry point for e-commerce thanks to its facilitation and transparency,” he added.
