What is the TIR Carnet / TIR system ?
Acronym TIR Carnet (French: Transports Internationaux Routiers) means the International transport of goods. This international road transport system facilitates transport of goods between the contracting parties under the Geneva Convention for TIR from 14th November 1975, which was put into effect in 1978.
The TIR system offers benefits for all participants in the international freight transit chain, both for carriers and the customs system and for transport and trade in general.
Contracting Parties to the TIR Convention
Benefits for the carrier:
– Reduced documentation for the transport of goods,
– Reduced delays and transportation costs,
– There are no deposits at the borders of transit countries,
– Significantly reduced transit time of goods across borders.
Customs system benefits:
– Only verified carriers are allowed to use TIR Carnets, which increases the security of the system,
– Customs control is easier and faster, as well as the verification of supporting documents,
– Guaranteed payment of customs and tax revenue in case of abuse (up to $ 50,000).
Advantages for transport and trade in general:
– Facilitates transportation and trade due to the use of standardized documentation,
– Reduces transportation costs and delays in transit,
– Encourages the development of international trade.
A person wishing to use the TIR system is obliged to contact the Serbian Chamber of Commerce – the Association for Transport and Telecommunications with the necessary documentation. The Association shall complete and certify the approval and forward it to the Customs Administration of Serbia, if it approves the application.
Vehicles and containers must meet certain conditions in order to transport goods in international transport with the tag TIR. All parts of the vehicle must be accessible for customs inspection and must not contain concealed storage space for goods. Given the fact that the customs seals are placed easily, the vehicle must be such that any entry or exit of goods is not possible without visible traces of attempts or damage to the seals affixed.
Containers for the transport of goods bearing the TIR tag must be reusable, fully or partially sealed and must be easy to be filled and emptied.
What is TIR carnet?
In order to make international customs control as simple and efficient as possible, an international customs transit document, called the TIR Carnet, has been designed.
The holder of a TIR carnet is obliged to provide the customs in advance with information on the goods being transported. This significantly facilitates the crossing of borders and controls of foreign trade, tax and customs policies and simplifies formalities regarding payment of duties and taxes. Also, TIR carnet helps to avoid excessive congestion at border crossings.
The TIR Carnet is designed to facilitate the movement of goods to the maximum and to guarantee to transit countries the coverage of customs duties and taxes in the event of misuse and smuggling. At the same time, it provides the safest system for securing goods in transport.
Types of guarantee in transit
Legal Guarantee – A more secure liability chain is established from the carrier to the consignee.
Physical Guarantee – Sealing of vehicles is mandatory to avoid the risk of seizure of goods in transit. There are two types of seals: on the vehicle or on the unit (packaging, cardboard box, pallet, etc.).
Financial Guarantee – The financial guarantee must cover the amount of customs duties and taxes associated with the transit.
TIR Carnet Form
The TIR carnet is printed in French. The exception is the front page and the commodity manifest, which are printed in both English and French.
This form contains:
– Front Page (in yellow color),
– Commodity Manifest in yellow color (not used for customs purposes),
– Sets (4, 6, 14 or 20) of vouchers and control white and green vouchers,
– Form for submission of an official report and
– Last sheath is a yellow color carnet with an identification card.
The TIR Carnet must be filled in legibly and sufficiently to make the indigo text outline, so that it is legible on all pages, and deletion and text writing are not allowed. If there are any changes to the data, each change must be accompanied by the signature of the person making them, as well as by the customs authorities.