What is TIR in the international delivery system
The TIR (Transports Internationaux Routiers) sign on a vehicle indicates that it is involved in international road transportation. The presence of a TIR label suggests that the cargo is being transported legally and vehicles with this label often encounter fewer inspections.
Vehicles with TIR certification can cross borders of countries that are part of the international customs agreement without needing to declare transit customs or pay additional deposits.
Key Aspects of TIR Transport
The TIR system covers not only road transport, but also combined transportation involving rail, river and maritime shipping. Benefits of TIR transports include:
- reduced customs requirements compared to national transit;
- decreased time and resource costs due to reduced inspections;
- faster delivery times and minimized transportation expenses.
Since the Customs Convention on the International Transport of Goods in 1975, the TIR Carnet was introduced. It allows vehicles to cross borders without paying customs duties at each point, reducing paperwork.
What is a TIR Carnet?
A TIR Carnet is a customs document issued for a single international shipment to expedite customs clearance. It is a booklet, with formats of 4, 6, 14 or 20 sheets. Each sheet is removed as the vehicle passes through successive customs points. The TIR Carnet number consists of two letters and seven digits and is valid for a single trip until the goods reach the destination point and are unloaded.
In Ukraine, a TIR Carnet can be obtained from the Association of International Road Carriers of Ukraine (AsIRC), which is part of the International Road Transport Union (IRU).
Required Information in a TIR Carnet:
- country of origin and destination;
- customs offices at the points of departure and receipt;
- sequence of customs points;
- details about the cargo: name, HS code, gross and net weight, quantity;
- customs destination points and quantity of packages;
- accompanying documents and their numbers;
- registered vehicle number;
- seal and mark numbers, customs marks.
The TIR Carnet is not universally accepted for international transportation. Since July 1, 2010, a customs fee limit of up to €60,000 was established for TIR transports. If customs fees exceed this limit, the TIR system does not apply and additional guarantees are needed.
Although the TIR system facilitates border crossing procedures, it does not guarantee that a driver will bypass all document checks, as customs checks still occur to prevent smuggling, drug trafficking and arms trade.