Customs
Customs and Excise oversee the import and export of certain goods entering and leaving our country. They guard the country against practices that might be harmful for honest trade and the environment and/or might be of a criminal nature.

For travellers this implies principally that the permitted amount of certain imported goods from abroad must not be exceeded, for instance spirits, tobacco, perfume...

Exemption from VAT and excise duty
Since 1 December 2008 a new directive on the exemption from VAT and excise duty applies in the EU.

• If you bring in no more than the allowances, you may use the green channel at the customs exit.
• If you bring in more than the allowance you have to use the red channel.

Imitation goods
Imitation goods are illegal copies of legally protected brand names. In many cases this concerns imitation designer clothes, pirate software for computer games or pirate copies of films and music. Their origin lies mostly in criminal organisations.

Indications that the goods are pirated are often noticeable in the country of purchase. They include an extremely low price and/or unusual sales outlets.

More details are available on www.contrefacon.be (French) or on www.namaak.be (Dutch).

Protected species of plants and animals
Customs also ensures the correct application of the regulations and treaties concerning the import and export of protected species of plants and animals and their derived products, as well as products that are not allowed to be imported because of their danger to the health of the general public and animals.

For more information please surf to www.customs.fgov.be.

If you need specific information you can also contact the Customs office at the airport (on the departures level, just before border control checkpoints towards gates B, on the right). Telephone: +32 2 753 29 10 (between 7:00 am and 8:00 pm).

Police
The Federal Police operate two separate services at the airport: the aviation police and the federal judicial police.

The aviation police are responsible among other things for the border control and the general policing of the airport complex. They also man the main call centre. The agents usually wear uniforms.
The federal judicial police at the airport - often in plain clothes - specialise in judicial investigations, mainly in the area of organised cross-border crime.

The police services at the airport are permanently available on central telephone number: +32 2 709 66 66

Location