Permits for international road transport
A permit is a document that gives a cargo vehicle the right to enter the territory of or transit through a foreign country during international transport. It is the carrier's area of responsibility, but having the right permit determines whether a trip on a specific route can be carried out. That is why, when arranging road freight from Europe, we select transport with suitable permits.
What a permit is and why it is needed
Countries regulate foreign carriers' access to their roads through a system of permits and quotas. Without the required permit a truck cannot legally carry out an international trip — it is a key clearance alongside the shipping documents.
Types of permits
| Type | What it allows |
|---|---|
| Bilateral | Transport between two countries (of departure and destination) |
| Transit | Passage in transit through a country |
| To third countries | Transport to/from a third country |
| CEMT | Multilateral — many trips between member countries |
The CEMT permit
The CEMT permit is a multilateral permit of the European Conference of Ministers of Transport. It allows an unlimited number of trips between member countries and transit through them for the validity period of the document, so it is convenient for regular European routes.
Vehicle requirements and quotas
For a CEMT permit the truck must meet the Euro-3 environmental standard or higher. The number of documents is limited by quotas distributed among carriers; bilateral and transit permits are also subject to quotas. So on some routes the availability of a permit affects the availability of transport.
How permits are issued
Permits are issued to the carrier or the driver — by application or through an electronic form. The cargo customer does not need to arrange the permit separately — the carrier does that, and we select the carrier for the route.
What it means for the customer
For you as the customer, the permit is a matter of selecting the right carrier and vehicle for the specific route. We take this on: we select transport with valid permits so the trip is not delayed at the border.
Questions and answers
Who arranges the permit — the customer or the carrier?
What is CEMT?
Can a trip be delayed because of a permit?
Are permits related to the commercial documents?
Road transport with permits and Trans-Hope
Trans-Hope has worked in foreign trade since 2009 and takes on the arrangement of road transport for legal entities turnkey: we select a carrier with the required permits, prepare the documents for international road transport and carry out customs clearance of road cargo in Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv and Dnipro. Send the route and cargo parameters for a quote.
