International Transit Cargo (TIR)

‘’The freedom of transit defined by Article V of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), Article 11 of the TFA, and the RKC ensures that trade in transit is free from the import Customs duties, and those transit-related fees and charges are reasonable and refer to the actual cost of the services rendered.’’

The TIR transit system started soon after the Second World War in order to contribute to the facilitation of international transport initially between a small number of European countries.

The success of this limited scheme led to the negotiation of the TIR Convention which was adopted in 1959 by governments and entered into force in 1960. The practical experience, the technical advances and changing customs and transport requirements and the emergence of new transport techniques standardization of the transit procedure in the whole region, and the adoption of transparent and predictable rules for control. The maritime and inland containers, led to a complete revision in 1975 which aimed at rendering the TIR Convention more efficient, less complex, more secure and adapted to intermodal transport.

Today, the TIR Convention of 1975 has been ratified by 70 countries from all around the world and is currently operational in 58 of the Contracting Parties.

The United Nations, as a universal organization, is the depositary of the TIR Convention and provides the framework and the services to administer and, where necessary, adapt the TIR Convention to changing requirements.

There are relevant international agreements and standards governing-TIR:

WTO TFA,AND RKC General Annex 5

Comprehensive guarantees: Whereas individual guarantees covering a single transit operation could be sufficient for transit operators who do not perform transit operations frequently, for other operators depositing guarantees on a regular basis individual guarantees cause a serious financial burden. Both the TFA and the RKC provide for the acceptance of a comprehensive guarantee which may cover several transit operations.

TIR Convention-types of International/regional guarantee systems: International guarantees are the widely-used system of TIR carnets in Europe and Asia that is based on an international convention: the UN Customs Convention on the International Transport of Goods under Cover of TIR Carnets (1975) (TIR Convention).
Anyone who has ever travelled on European roads will recognize the familiar blue and white TIR plate, borne by thousands of trucks and semi-trailers using the TIR customs transit system. For the driver, the transport operator and the shipper, this plate stands for fast and efficient international road transport.

Regional Customs Transit Guarantee in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA): The RCTG Agreement was signed and ratified by thirteen (13) COMESA member and non-Member States, namely: Burundi, Djibouti, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe

End of procedure and discharge of guarantee: The transit procedure ends and the obligations of the principal (holder) are met when the goods in transit and the required documents are presented at the office of destination. When the Customs administrations of both the office of departure and the office of destination are able to conclude that the transit operation has ended correctly, the guarantee covering this transit operation stand discharged immediately.

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