If your goods are going by road to, or through, a country that is not covered by common and Union transit you may be able to use Transports Internationaux Routiers (TIR) to move your goods. You can use TIR to send goods by road to or through countries covered by the TIR convention.
Check if you need to complete an export declaration
You’ll need to submit a UK export declaration before completing your transit declaration if your goods are:
- going to an office of destination in a common or TIR country outside the EU
- being exported outside the EU once your transit movement has ended
After you have submitted your export declaration you will need to complete a transit declaration.
Complete your transit declaration
Before you can start your transit movement, you must complete a transit declaration on the New Computerised Transit System (NCTS).
If you are moving multiple items together you may be able to move these together as a single transit movement under one declaration.
To make your declaration you will need to know the status of your goods and to plan your route.
Work out the status of your goods under transit
You’ll need to know what status your goods have under transit.
Your goods are T1 status if they are non-union goods, or do not meet the criteria for T2 or T2F status.
Your goods are T2 status if they are union goods going to:
- an EU member state
- San Marino or Andorra (industrial goods only)
Your goods are T2F status if they are union goods and they are going to EU special territories.
Filling in your transit declaration
To fill in the transit declaration, you’ll need the reference numbers for:
- the office of departure or authorised consignor (your own or an agent’s premises) where your movement will start
- the office of destination or authorised consignee (your own or an agent’s premises) where your movement will end
- all offices of transit your goods will pass through (based on the route your goods are taking)
Find the reference numbers for offices of departure, transit and destination.
If you are using an authorised consignor or consignee they will give you the reference number.
You’ll also need:
- your Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number
- the status of your goods
- your local reference number (a unique number less than 22 characters that you create yourself)
- your guarantee reference number
- estimated time it will take to for your goods to reach the office of destination, this can be no more than 14 days
- the master reference number from either,
- your UK export declaration – if you needed to submit one
- from the previous declaration for the goods – if you have one
If you do not need to submit an export declaration and your goods are moving through a common transit country (apart from just Norway or Switzerland), you will either need to include safety and security data on your transit declaration or you must submit an exit summary declaration.
Submitting your transit declaration
When you have submitted your transit declaration, the system will give you a movement reference number (also known as master reference number) for the transit movement which you should keep a copy of.
If you are an authorised consignor and are able to print barcodes, then you will need to print off the Transit Accompanying Document (TAD) when you start the movement.
If you are not an authorised consignor, or cannot print barcodes yourself, then the office of departure will print it for you.
If you are moving goods using a TIR then you must apply for a TIR Carnet from the IRU.
Start moving your goods
You can start moving your goods under transit from:
- the premises of an authorised consignor (your own or an agent’s premises)
- an office of departure
If you are starting your transit movement at the premises of an authorised consignor, then the consignor can start the movement and issue the Transit Accompanying Document and movement reference number.
If you are starting the transit movement at an office of departure, you must present your goods to the office specified on your transit declaration, along with your local reference number to the office of departure so they can locate your declaration. The office of departure will then start the movement and issue the TAD and movement reference number.
If you are moving goods using TIR then you must start your movement at a government office of departure.
Transit accompanying document (TAD)
The TAD, will be issued by the office of departure or authorised consignor when the transit movement is started. It will show a barcode and the movement reference number that will match your transit declaration. It must accompany your goods under transit from the point they start their journey until the transit journey is ended together with any licences needed.
If your goods are going through an office of transit
You must tell the haulier to present your goods with all accompanying documents to each office of transit listed on the transit declaration.
There may be occasions when your haulier diverts from the intended route. In most cases, if your haulier diverts to different office of transit the office of transit will still be able to process the movement and allow entry. However, if you set a prescribed itinerary restriction on the original declaration, then the alternative office of transit may refuse to allow the movement to cross the frontier and direct it back to the declared office of transit or destination.
If you are moving goods using TIR then you must present your TIR Carnet to customs offices on both entry and exit of each customs area. This means that your TIR carnet must be stamped by customs officials on both sides of the border.
When your goods reach the country they’re moving to
The haulier must present your goods with all accompanying documents, at either:
- an office of destination (a customs office)
- the premises of an authorised consignee (your own or an agent’s premises)
Even if your goods have been presented to an office of transit at the border in the country of destination, the haulier must still go to an office of destination or premises of an authorised consignee.
Your guarantee will be released when customs end the transit movement.
Guidance issued 29 December 2020
