What documents are needed for international cargo transportation?

Going from the factory to the warehouse, each carrier takes with him certain documents accompanying the cargo and giving the employee the right to move along a certain route. Some of them, in particular, regulate cooperation between a product supplier and a trucking company.

A Russian driver transporting goods outside his country must have documents that legitimize his activity within the framework of Belarusian legislation. When carrying out international road transport, you must comply with a set of requirements relating to technical equipment, characteristics of the cargo, the legal status of the driver and the carrier company. If you are traveling from Russia to Belarus, you will need the following documents:

international consignment note (CMR);
waybill (waybill);
license for the transportation of dangerous goods;
waybill;
contract for the provision of transportation services;
commodity certificates.

Ukrainian law also obliges the owner of the vehicle to carry the papers mentioned above. In addition, the road carrier must move the goods in accordance with the contract concluded with the customer. Mutual cooperation involves signing a document on the carriage of goods. This procedure is necessary to confirm the right to deliver products to their destination.

It is noteworthy that the parliament of Ukraine canceled the waybill in 2011. For more than 3 years, traffic police officers have not had the authority to demand this document from the driver. However, the tax authorities have the right to request it, if necessary.

Main and additional acts

It is worth considering that signing a consignment note (BW) is not a sufficient basis for entrepreneurship. The document is valid only within the framework of its intended purpose and, accordingly, does not extend the validity period of the expired transportation agreement.

Transportation of paid cargo is formalized by a charter agreement. Filling out each column of the TTN-1 invoice is carried out in sequential order. The list of information goes according to its number. The person writes down details that reveal information about the participants in the cooperation: the consignor, the consignee and the customer of the transportation (payer).

Waybill is the main document reflecting business activities. It contains a medical examination and a technical condition inspection seal. The route, information about the car and the driver are indicated in the TTN by the consignor. This document is created in four copies, certified with original seals and distributed as follows among employees:

the first sample - to the consignee;
the second - to the shipper;
the third and fourth - to the driver.

There are several types of waybills. The main one is the standard intersectoral form No. 1-T. It applies to most Russian goods. There are other specialized TTN forms that help perform operations related to the sending and receiving of grain, animal, dairy and fruit and berry products. All these documents were approved by Decree of the State Statistics Committee of the Russian Federation dated September 29, 1997 No. 68.

Cargo movement across the CIS and EU

An important condition for international communications in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus is CMR insurance. This function implies the responsibility of the carrier company located in a country that has acceded to the Convention on Contracts for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR).

Transportation within the CIS regions is carried out on the basis of TIR and TIR (transportinternationalroad). The TIR and TIR acts have been operating in our countries for almost 40 years and are the most popular international transport agreements. By the way, the contents of the papers subsequently led to the development of other transit systems operating today outside of Eurasia.

Each country has its own transportation rules. In particular, in the European Union zone, the driver has the right to transport cargo without TIR. If the truck leaves the EU, the carrier must issue a TIR and CMR. Delivery of cargo to the CIS is accompanied by papers that contain various information:

cost of cargo;
customs code TNVD;
Name of product;
itinerary.

Organization of international transportation of groupage cargo involves the preparation of shipping documents, export declarations (EX1) and transit guarantees (T-1, TIR Carnet). Fast delivery of goods by road from the European Union to Ukraine, Belarus and Russia is carried out thanks to a flexible automated system, which makes it possible to find out about the time of dispatch and delivery of products.

Documents for international transportation

In this section, we will tell you what basic documents are used in the process of international transportation. Which of them are with the driver and which are the responsibility of the customer. We will also briefly describe each of the documents listed below, and show some visually.

Carrier documents held by the driver:

CMR kit.
Registration certificate
Driver's license
TIR
Permissions
CEMT or ECMT
Certificate of sealing
ADR permit (for transportation of dangerous goods)
CMR insurance.

Documents that are the responsibility of the customer and are issued by the sender to the driver:

Invoice
Packing list
Certificate of origin
CMR (issued by the sender)
TIR (issued by the sender)

Other documents for cargo transportation to and from the European Union.

Transit declaration T-1
Declaration EX-1

Documents that we provide in original after transportation:

Agreement
Application for transportation
Certificate of completion
Invoice (INVOICE)
Certificate of residence (for foreign partners, if necessary)
Certificate of transportation expenses (If necessary)
Invoice (for residents of the Republic of Moldova)

CMR – International goods bill of lading, it indicates the characteristics of the cargo, the number of pieces, the cost of the cargo, the details of the sender, recipient and carrier, the place of departure and the place of delivery. CMR is the most important document that accompanies the cargo and is kept by the driver throughout the entire cargo transportation; all data must be carefully filled out and reliable. One copy of the CMR remains with the sender, one with the recipient and one with the carrier.

Technical passport is a document containing information about the main technical characteristics of the vehicle, identification data of the main units, information about the owner, make, model, name and category of the vehicle, year of manufacture, model and engine number, chassis and body numbers, body color, power and engine displacement and type, permissible maximum weight, unladen weight.

A driver's license is a document confirming the right to drive the relevant categories of vehicles.

TIR – (TIR Carnet) is a customs transit document giving the right to transport goods across state borders in customs-sealed car bodies or containers with simplified customs procedures. The document is applied in the field of road and multimodal cargo transportation between states that have recognized the “Customs Convention on the International Transport of Goods using the International Road Transport (TIR) Carnet” of 1959 and 1975. In essence, the TIR system is an international transit customs system that simplifies crossing the borders of transit states and exempts from payment of financial guarantees, customs duties and duties, without mandatory full checks, which take a lot of time, at intermediate borders.

Permit is a document authorizing the transportation of goods in vehicles of foreign carriers. In other words, this is a document allowing carriers to travel through the territory of foreign states. A new permit is required for each shipment. Each country at the ministerial level annually exchanges such permits, which are then issued by the local carrier, authorized bodies, for example in the Republic of Moldova - the National Auto Transport Agency (ANTA), in Russia - ASMAP. These same permits are then distributed among carriers in their own country. Transit permits are available in two-way and three-way formats. Bilateral agreements give the right to transport cargo to carriers from the first country to the second, by carriers of the country of the sender or recipient. That is, using bilateral permits, only Moldovan or Russian carriers can transport goods from Moldova to Russia. Trilateral permits give the right to transport goods from the first country to the second by a carrier from a third country. For example, if a Moldovan carrier has a Ukrainian tripartite permit, he can transport goods from Ukraine to third countries.

CEMT or ECMT is a multilateral permit issued to a carrier, allowing him to freely operate and travel among member countries of the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (Conférence Européenne des Ministers des Transports). The permit is valid for the period of time specified in it and allows for an unlimited number of cargo transportation between ECMT member countries and in transit through the territory of one or more ECMT member countries using vehicles registered in the ECMT member country. ECMT member countries: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland , Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Great Britain and Ukraine.

Certificate of sealing - Certificate of approval of a vehicle for the carriage of goods under customs seals.

ADR permit - Special permit for international road transport of dangerous goods / ADR.

Invoice - in the practice of international transportation, this is a document that reflects the transaction between the buyer and the seller, which must indicate the document number and date, data of the seller and buyer, contract number and date, specifications, delivery conditions, list of goods, their quantity and cost, HS codes, weight and number of pieces of each product. The issuance of an invoice indicates that (except for cases when delivery is carried out on an advance payment basis), the buyer has an obligation to pay for the goods in accordance with the specified conditions. This is one of the most important documents for international transport.

A packing list is a document that, in addition to information about the sender and recipient of the cargo, indicates the weight characteristics of the cargo and packages, the number of pieces, the number of pieces in each piece, their dimensions and volume, net and gross weight, with and without packaging, HS codes .

Certificate of origin of goods - confirms that the product for which the certificate (certificate) is issued was completely produced or underwent significant processing (processing) in the state where this document was issued. A certificate (Certificate) of the origin of goods is presented in cases where customs clearance of goods requires documentary confirmation of the country of origin. Usually issued to the supplier of the goods by the chamber of commerce and industry of the country of origin. Several types of certificates of origin are used, the main ones being:

Certificate form "ST-1" - required for goods exported to states that are members of the CIS (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine).

Form “A” certificate - required for all types of goods exported to the countries of the European Union.

General form certificate - required for goods exported to those countries that are not covered by certificates of origin forms “A” and “ST-1”.

Transit declaration T-1 is a document that is a customs (financial) guarantee of customs transit on the territory of the European Union countries and is used for goods crossing the territory of the EU (European Union) in transit or to guarantee the delivery of goods from the EU border to a customs warehouse or internal customs or vice versa. T-1 is an alternative to the TIR customs transit system on the territory of EU countries.

Export declaration EX-1 - issued in the EU by an authorized agent of the supplier or agent of the carrier for goods of European origin produced and sold from EU countries to third countries that travel outside the EEC. EX-1 is an international document that confirms the export of goods. When leaving the EEC, customs authorities make a note in the EU electronic database. This fact allows the seller of goods to avoid paying internal European VAT (VAT).

What documents are needed for international transportation of goods?

Correctly executed documents for international transportation of goods help to transport cargo across the border quickly and without unnecessary payments. The list of such documentation and the specifics of the entered data will be discussed in our article.

Main groups of transport documents for international logistics

The following groups of such documents can be distinguished:

describing the cargo;
describing the method of cargo transportation;
permits, confirming and certifying, issued by authorized government agencies.

Transport documents for international transport, prepared by the sender (seller)

The seller (sender) is responsible for the proper execution of the following documents:

Invoice (Commercial Invoice, invoice)

Appears at the stage after payment and before shipment from the sender's warehouse. Necessary for identifying the transported goods during the customs clearance procedure. Includes the following cargo information:

Name;
quantitative data;
cost per unit and total;
details of the buyer and seller.

Created in 5 copies in English. The date and number must be indicated. This is one of those documents that customs authorities pay especially close attention to.

Packing List

Contains information that complements the invoice information regarding the physical data of the cargo, in particular:

number of units and weight of each;
gross weight;
net weight, etc.

The information essentially duplicates the invoice data, representing an expanded version. The main difference is that the price is not indicated. However, this document does not have a strictly established form with permanent information. Packing List allows you to control the quantity and safety of cargo during loading and unloading operations.

Certificate of quality

Necessary to confirm the chemical characteristics of the cargo.

Certificate of origin

Certifies that a product belongs to a certain category, certifying its authenticity and declaring its country of origin. Issued by the chambers of commerce and industry of the sending country. The form of Certificate of origin will be determined depending on the country where the goods are exported.

Transport documents for international transport, issued by the carrier

Based on the chosen method of cargo transportation, the creation of the following types of invoices is required:

aviation (Air Waybill, AWB): confirms the existence of an agreement between the shipper and the carrier regarding the shipment of goods by the carrier’s airlines, without being a document of title;
railway (Railway Bill, RWB): similar to Air Waybill, for rail transportation;
international commodity transport (CMR): the main document of international cargo transportation, although not recognized in all countries. Confirms the fact of concluding a contract of carriage, fixing the responsibility of the sending company, recipient and carrier. It is distinguished by its information content - it provides complete information about the transportation, reflecting the data of all other accompanying documentation. Both the sender and the carrier have the right to fill out a CMR. Created in at least 3 copies. During the transit of cargo, many marks are placed on this document, which can be very useful in the event of any proceedings;
Bill of lading: currently this document is used not only for international maritime transport, but also for other types of cargo transportation. By means of a bill of lading, the owner of the goods' ownership of the shipped goods is certified - a kind of receipt from the carrier;
Carnet TIR or TIR Carnet allows you to transport cargo under a simplified customs procedure - sealed containers are not opened at customs. TIR guarantees compliance with road transportation standards and customs duties. One of the most important documents for international road transport of cargo. Valid in the territory of states that have ratified the relevant convention. In Russia, it is issued (purchased) by ASMAP and is registered. Can only be used for road transport of cargo worth up to 60 thousand euros.

In addition, a carrier carrying out transnational transportation of cargo must have a so-called “Permit” - a document legalizing the loading, unloading and/or transit of cargo into a specific country (bilateral permit) or between third countries (tripartite permit). The permit can be universal - issued by the ECMT, valid for countries included in the list of ECMT states. For example, if a Russian carrier is transporting cargo to Germany, then he must have a Permit from Germany, which he can obtain from the Russian Ministry of Transport.

What documents are required to move goods to/from EU countries?

It will be necessary to ensure proper execution of the following types of documents:

T1 (transit declaration)

Accompanies cargo in case of transit through an EU country. Performs the function of financial support, ensuring that all necessary customs payments will be made. Such a guarantee is issued by a “trusted” person from the EU point of view, who will be obliged to replenish the EU budget in an amount equal to the cost of the customs clearance procedure if the carrier violates the agreement and does not deliver the cargo to customs. T1 can be used as an alternative to Carnet TIR.

EX1 (export declaration)

Created for products whose manufacturing or selling country is an EU member state. Allows you to confirm the customs value when importing into the Russian Federation. This declaration must be completed by the seller or carrier. As soon as the goods cross the border, the seller gets rid of paying tax - VAT.

The entire set of documents issued for international transportation must contain mutually agreed information: given that each document to one degree or another contains tautological information, it is necessary that in each case this information completely coincides. Otherwise, customs officers will definitely have questions about what will entail cargo demurrage and additional costs, direct and indirect.

List of documents for international transportation of goods

For international cargo transportation, the most important factor is fast border crossing. You also need to minimize unnecessary costs, and this can be done in two ways:

Completing documents yourself is a labor-intensive process, for which you will be responsible for all errors.
A customs representative in Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo or other points, who will prepare all the documents independently and will be responsible for all errors independently.

Therefore, competently prepared and executed accompanying documents can guarantee comfortable delivery of goods. All the necessary documentation and all the nuances associated with the information provided can be found in this article.

There are 3 main types of transport documents that are necessary for international cargo transportation:

accompanying documentation with a full description of the cargo;
documentation describing methods of cargo delivery;
certifying and permitting documentation certified by the relevant government agencies.

List of transport documents provided by the seller (sender)

Two parties (seller and buyer) confirm any transaction by signing the relevant documentation. For international transportation, the sender undertakes to properly prepare and execute a certain package of documents.

Commercial Invoice, Invoice - invoice

This is a commercial document indicating the conclusion of a transaction. It is prepared immediately before shipment and always after payment for the transported cargo. The invoice contains the following information:

complete information about the buyer and seller (details, number and date of signing the contract);
list of goods, their quantity and weight;
unit price and the total amount to be paid.

The document is prepared in English and usually has 5 copies. The document is important for identifying the product. The time it takes for the goods to pass through customs often depends on the detailed information recorded in the Invoice.

Packing List - packing list

This document essentially duplicates the Invoice and provides extended information about the goods being transported:

the weight of each unit of goods;
gross and net weight;
product characteristics;
packaging characteristics;
dimensions and volume of cargo, with and without packaging.

The main distinguishing feature of the document from the Invoice is the absence of data on the cost of the goods. The packing list is an important document for the carrier. It is used to verify the goods during unloading and loading, and also to monitor the integrity of the transported cargo.

Certificate of quality

A document certifying the quality of the product. In particular, its chemical characteristics.

Certificate of origin – certificate of origin of the cargo

The document contains the characteristics of the cargo and confirms that the goods were either produced or substantially processed in the state that issued this certificate. Provided by the country's chambers of commerce and industry. The form of the document depends on the exporting country.

List of transport documents provided by the carrier

Depending on the transportation route, different types of invoices are issued:

Railway Bill - a waybill indicates the fact of an agreement between the carrier and the consignor regarding the shipment of cargo by the carrier's rail transport.
Air Waybill – created similarly to a railway waybill. Both invoices cannot be administrative acts.
International Commodity Transport (CMR). It is a fundamental document when transporting cargo. Evidence of the existence of a transportation agreement and determines the responsibility of each participant in the transaction (carrier, sender and recipient). At least 3 copies of invoices are required, which can be filled out by both the carrier and the addressee. The document contains 100% information about the transportation of goods, duplicating the content of all accompanying acts. During the transportation of goods, a large number of marks appear on this consignment note (numbers of seals, declarations, unloading dates, arrival date, etc.) It is important to understand and read the document correctly - this can be useful in the event of conflicting circumstances.
TIR Carnet, TIR, Carnet TIR is also the most important document in international cargo transportation. It is designed to simplify and speed up the transportation of cargo across borders. The presence of Carnet TIR means that containers, for example, will not be opened. For customs officers, TIR is an assurance that the duty will be paid and the cargo will be transported in compliance with all necessary rules. In the Russian Federation it is registered and issued by ASMAP. The document can be used to transport cargo whose value does not exceed 60 thousand euros.
Bill of lading – a few years ago it was relevant only for sea cargo transportation. Now it is used in other types of transportation of goods. The bill of lading confirms the rights of the owner of the cargo to the shipped goods. The document is prepared in at least 3 copies.

The carrier also needs a “Permission” - an act that allows the transportation of goods to a certain country (bilateral permission), or between 3 countries (tripartite “permission”). Let's say a carrier is traveling with cargo to the Netherlands. This means there must be “permission” from Holland, it is issued by the Russian Ministry of Transport.

List of documents for cargo transportation by EU countries

The following types of documents should be prepared:

Transit declaration – T 1

It is a mandatory accompanying document when moving goods within the EU. T 1 is an alternative to Carnet TIR. The document guarantees timely payment of customs duties to the budget of the European Union.

Export declaration – EX 1

If the goods are produced in the territory of an EU country or the sale is made by a member state of the same EU, then the creation of such a declaration is mandatory. When crossing the border, the seller is exempt from paying VAT.

It should be taken into account that the documents largely duplicate each other. Therefore, it is very important to avoid mistakes when filling out. Otherwise, this may lead to unplanned financial costs.

Documents for international transport

The majority of all cargo is delivered by road transport. Speed, mobility and security have made them a popular method of delivering goods. To avoid misunderstandings and delays when crossing the border, it is necessary to correctly fill out the unified documents for international road transport.

The CMR consignment note is the main document for international road transport. It confirms the contract concluded by the sender, recipient and carrier. The invoice is drawn up in triplicate and contains basic information: date of shipment and date of receipt, name of the goods, data of the carrier and recipient. In addition, stamps and marks are placed during transportation. The document must bear the signature of the carrier and the sender.

For the CMR consignment note to be valid, it is sufficient that one of the countries making the delivery has adopted the CMR Convention.

The TIR Carnet is a document that simplifies the customs clearance procedure thanks to the TIR system. It is accepted in 57 countries and makes it possible to transport goods across borders in sealed containers without fully checking and breaking the seals of the sender’s country. The TIR Convention is enforced by an international system of duty payment guarantees. It is enough to present the TIR Carnet accompanying the cargo. The book has an individual code and expiration date. It is filled out according to the number of borders crossed and customs, with one sheet for each.

Basic documents for international road transport from Europe include T-1 and EX-1 declarations.

The T-1 transit declaration accompanies the cargo during transit through the EU to the border or customs warehouse. The document is a customs guarantee and is issued by the supplier's agent.

Declaration EX-1 – used for goods produced in the EU and sold outside its borders. It is processed by the agent of the supplier or carrier. When crossing the border, the declaration is canceled, this avoids paying VAT within the EU.

Basic list of documents for international transport

Packing List includes complete information about the product and its packaging. The packing list includes information about the sender and recipient, the weight of the cargo and packaging, and information about the container.
Invoice - a document containing commercial information about the product, its quantity and cost for the buyer. The Invoice indicates all items of goods with the price per piece and the total cost.
Dozvol or Zezwolenie - the permit system was developed for countries that are not members of the EU. Bilateral authorization allows carriers to deliver cargo between countries that have entered into an agreement. Each document is designed for one transportation. There is an option for trilateral permission, which involves a third country in transportation.
Certificate of origin of goods - a document containing a description of the product and confirms the country where it was manufactured. Available upon request from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The certificate determines the amount of customs duty and benefits.

Certificates to confirm the country of origin are issued in three types:

form “ST-1” - for CIS countries;
Form “A” - for the EU;
the general form is for other states.

Documents for international transportation of goods must be filled out responsibly; the data in the CMR, TIR and Invoice must be identical. Particular attention should be paid to the correct recording of the addresses of the sender and recipient, the number and weight of items. It is important to check the HS codes and the presence of stamps and signatures. All accompanying documents must be kept by the driver. In addition to them, you need a vehicle registration certificate and a driver’s license.

International rail transportation of goods is regulated by the international convention COTIF. According to its position, a single consignment note C1M is filled out for transportation. This document allows you to receive the cargo after its arrival, even in case of debt for the goods. The sender is responsible for preparing the invoice. It includes information about the sender and recipient, route, description and characteristics of the goods, destination station, transportation tariff and method of departure.

The list of documents for international railway transportation consists of 5 documents:

Original invoice.
Duplicate invoice (returned to sender).
Waybill (remains with the cargo until the destination station).
Certificate of receipt (should accompany the shipment).
Certificate of dispatch (received by the sender).

Sending goods from Russia and the CIS countries is carried out through the mediation of countries included in COTIF. Export goods arrive at the border station with an SMGS consignment note, here the data from it is transferred to C1M. Cargo re-registration is carried out in: the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania.