At a Glance
- Contracting states
- Over 75 countries
- Document
- TIR carnet (paper or eTIR)
- Guarantee
- National TIR association (Germany: BGL)
How the TIR system works
An approved carrier obtains a TIR carnet – a guarantee document issued by national TIR associations (in Germany, the BGL). The carnet covers a transport route through several transit countries. At each border the carnet is stamped, but the vehicle is generally not fully inspected. The national TIR association provides the customs guarantee.
Which countries does TIR matter for?
The TIR agreement has more than 75 contracting states, including all EU members, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, the Central Asian countries and North Africa. For purely intra-EU transports TIR is not needed (a single customs territory). TIR is used above all for transports to Turkey, Russia and the CIS, North Africa and the Middle East.
eTIR: digitalising the TIR procedure
UNECE is developing eTIR as an electronic TIR system. Instead of paper carnets, digital guarantees and data are exchanged. Pilot projects are running in Turkey, Iran and other countries. eTIR is intended to speed up customs handling and reduce fraud.
