TIR Convention
TIR Convention is the UN customs transit treaty, first concluded in 1959 and revised in 1975, that lets sealed road vehicles and containers cross multiple borders under one guarantee without full inspection at each border.
What it requires
Transport operators must be authorized by national customs, use approved sealable vehicles or containers and carry a TIR Carnet, on paper or electronically through eTIR, issued by a national association. An international guarantee chain managed by the IRU covers duties and taxes at risk, typically up to about USD 100,000 per carnet, and customs at transit borders generally check seals rather than cargo. About 79 contracting parties, including the EU and China, apply it; Brazil joined in 2026, with effect from July 30, 2026.
Why it matters
TIR makes long overland routes practical, such as China to Europe by truck or Turkey to Central Asia, by avoiding repeated customs clearance at every frontier. A forwarder moving e-commerce goods from a Turkish warehouse to Georgia or Kazakhstan can travel under a single TIR transit with seals checked at borders instead of full declarations. Within the EU, the Union transit system usually replaces TIR, but carnets remain important on routes involving Turkey, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Events
Related laws
Sources
- UNECE: TIR unece.org
Not legal advice.