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Capsule houses for campsites in Europe: sizes, prices and rules

A capsule house is a compact, heavily glazed unit, finished in the factory and set in place on its pitch, ready to let. This guide covers what a campsite operator in France, Belgium, Luxembourg or Sweden should check before ordering one: size, price, permits, import, transport and the documents to ask for.

What is a capsule house?

The name describes a self-supporting, cabin-like unit delivered ready to use. On the models we offer, the frame is hot-dip galvanised steel and the insulation polyurethane foam; windows and doors are thermally broken aluminium with toughened insulating glass.

The unit arrives finished:

• sleeping area;
• shower room with shower and WC;
• kitchenette as an option;
• 230 V electrics, with the wiring diagram.

It has no wheels and no towbar. That matters for the rules in each country, below.

Which size for which use?

The two-person capsule suits short stays and premium pitches. Above about 25 m², you can house a family. If you want two bedrooms on a tight budget, an expandable container house does the job: it travels folded, 2.2 m wide, and is expanded on site.

How much does a capsule house cost?

It depends on what the price includes. On 24 October 2026, prices published online by sellers of two-person capsules in France and elsewhere in Europe ranged from €29,900 to €44,000 for the unit alone, without transport or installation, with or without VAT depending on the seller. Transport to the campsite, the crane, installation, connections and, for a unit made outside the European Union, customs duty come on top.

Our prices are turnkey: the unit delivered to your pitch, customs duty, and installation and connection by the partner installer named in your quote. Only VAT is added. They differ by country because transport, installation and taxes do:

Each price is for a standard pitch: serviced, accessible to the truck and the crane. The exact price is confirmed in your written quote, line by line, after we have studied the access and the pitch. Unit prices are lower from two units.

Which permit do you need?

The rules are national, and in Belgium regional. A summary, with a link to the detail:

• France. A capsule without wheels is a light leisure dwelling (habitation légère de loisirs, HLL). On a duly authorised campsite, up to 35 m² of floor area, it needs no planning formality outside protected areas; above that, a prior declaration. The number of HLLs per campsite is capped. Detail: new mobile home or HLL and rules in France.
• Belgium, Flanders. On a campsite or holiday park registered with Toerisme Vlaanderen, movable accommodation is exempt from an environmental permit, unless a local plan rules it out; a chalet or bungalow is not movable and needs a permit. Your municipality decides whether a unit without wheels counts as movable: get it in writing before you sign. Detail: chalet or capsule on a Flemish campsite.
• Belgium, Wallonia. Our units have neither wheels nor a towbar, so planning permission (permis d'urbanisme) is likely; ask your municipality for its written opinion before you order. Detail: new accommodation on a Walloon campsite.
• Luxembourg. There is no HLL status and no 35 m² threshold. Adding units is notified to the Labour and Mines Inspectorate (ITM), which states within 25 days whether a new authorisation is needed, and your municipality decides on its own authorisation. In a green zone or a flood zone, prior approval is required. Detail: rules in Luxembourg.
• Sweden. A unit on a campsite is a building: a building permit (bygglov) is required as a rule for every cabin, even on plinths without a foundation, and the units may not be let before the final notice (slutbesked). The municipality has ten weeks to decide, extendable once by ten weeks. Detail: building permits for campsite cabins in Sweden.

In every country, ask the authority for its written position before you sign the quote.

Import from China: duty, VAT and the EU operator

The European Union has one customs tariff: the duty on prefabricated buildings of Chinese origin is 2.7%, whichever country the unit is cleared in. You are the importer: the customs declaration is made in your name, with your EORI number. Import VAT follows the rules of your country:

• France: reverse charge (autoliquidation), declared and deducted on the same return, with no cash outlay, for a business registered for VAT;
• Belgium: 21%, deferred to your VAT return with an E.T. 14.000 authorisation, otherwise paid on import and then deducted;
• Luxembourg: the unit lands at Antwerp and travels under customs transit; Luxembourg import VAT is deducted in your VAT return;
• Sweden: 25%, reported and deducted in your VAT return if you are registered for VAT; otherwise collected by Swedish Customs.

We require the manufacturer to name the economic operator established in the European Union that it has appointed, on the rating plate and in the documents (Regulations (EU) 2019/1020 and 2023/988). Without that operator, the goods may be held at customs.

Which documents should you ask for before ordering?

• An asbestos test report from an accredited laboratory, material by material. Products containing asbestos may not be placed on the EU market: we require this report before any order.
• The EU declarations of conformity of the CE-marked electrical components, and the wiring diagram.
• The U-values and the build-up of the walls, floor and roof.
• The name and address of the EU economic operator.
• An independent inspection report before shipping, with photos.

Each of them is listed in your quote. The inspection report, with photos, reaches you before the unit leaves the factory and before you pay the balance.

Transport: why width matters

Before delivery, you check and confirm in writing the access for the truck and the crane: clear width and turning, ground bearing capacity, slope, headroom under trees and power lines, and the ground of the crane area.

How long does it take?

For a first order of a model, allow five to seven months from order to delivery for a capsule, four to six months for an expandable container house: three to six weeks of approvals (drawings, component lists, reference sample), 11 to 12 weeks of production for capsules or five to seven weeks for an expandable container house, then inspection, loading, sea freight, customs clearance and delivery. For a spring opening, start in the autumn, while the permit is being examined.

How do you pay, and who installs?

By bank transfer only, in two payments: 40% with the order, then the balance on receipt of the independent inspection report, before the unit leaves the factory. A defect found at inspection is corrected before departure. Our bank details appear only on our pro forma invoice: never pay to bank details sent any other way.

The partner installer named in your quote, an independent and insured company, unloads the unit by crane, sets it on adjustable, non-anchored supports, connects it to the pitch's electricity, water and drainage, and commissions it. Its price is included in our turnkey price, and it invoices you directly for this work.

Frequently asked questions

Guide published on 30 October 2026. General information, to be confirmed for your project with the authority that issues your permit.