The international road transport convention TIR (transports internationaux routiers - TIR) permits the international transport of goods in sealed load compartments with a minimum of customs formalities and without the need to deposit a guarantee covering the duties and taxes at transit borders.

Luxembourg businesses may request their TIR carnets from the Royal Federation of Belgian Transporters (Fédération Royale Belge des transporteurs et des prestataires de services logistiques - FEBETRA).

Who is concerned

Transport operators who transport goods through third countries, signatories of the TIR convention, benefit from the TIR system in each transit country.

Preliminary steps

The transport vehicle must be approved for use by the customs administration of the country where the vehicle is registered for a maximum duration of 2 years. Following approval, TIR plates can be mounted on the vehicle.

In Luxembourg, the transporter will seek assistance from the Customs and Excise Agency's Technical support department.

The transport business must have an EORI number.

How to proceed

TIR guarantees and approval

Luxembourg transport companies must:

• provide a bank guarantee from a bank of EUR 100,000 (maximum amount of guarantee per TIR carnet) in favour of FEBETRA; the bank guarantee template can be obtained from FEBETRA at:info@febetra.be;
• submit the following to FEBETRA:
  • the bank guarantee;
  • the banks full contact details and the contact person at the bank;
  • an overview of the last available audited balance sheet.

The transport operator then receives a handbook for TIR carnet holders and 2 copies of the Declaration of engagement.

The operator must fill in the declaration of engagement, initial every page, sign and stamp the last page.

Signatures must be authenticated by the communal administration.

When the approval has been granted and after payment of a single admission fee of EUR 250, the business will receive its TIR approval number by standard mail.

Purchase and use of TIR carnets

Once the approval has been obtained, the transport operator may purchase TIR carnets directly from FEBETRA (EUR 72 for a 4 page carnet and EUR 95 for a 14 page carnet).

Each individual carnet can be used for only one TIR transport. If a single convoy is made up of several trucks, the transport operator must use a separate carnet for each truck.

Before departing, the transport operator must fill in all pages in the carnet. It is recommended to use the company stamp, indicating the company name and address, the TIR approval number and the EORI number.

The customs authorities of each transit country will ask for the TIR carnet and take out one voucher upon entry and one upon exit.

When the goods arrive at destination, the transporter must present the TIR carnet to the customs authorities who will conclude the TIR transport. The transporter delivers the goods to the recipient and sends back the TIR carnet to FEBETRA.

Who to contact