Here is a description of the provided amendments to the TIR Convention 1975:
This document contains amendments to the Customs Convention on the International Transport of Goods under Cover of TIR Carnets, commonly known as the TIR Convention 1975. The TIR system facilitates international road transport by allowing goods to move across borders with minimal customs checks en route, under a sealed vehicle and a single guarantee document (the TIR Carnet). These specific amendments introduce new rules regarding dispute resolution within the guarantee chain, clarify the terms for terminating agreements between the international organization and national associations, and modify the validity period and usage rules for the vehicle approval certificate.
The text presents four distinct amendments to the Convention’s Explanatory Notes and Annexes. The first amendment adds a new Explanatory Note 8.10 (e), establishing a procedure for parties involved in disputes potentially impacting the guarantee chain to inform each other, negotiate, and seek assistance from the TIR Executive Board. The second amendment modifies Explanatory Note 0.6.2 bis-1 to explicitly state that agreements between the international organization and national associations can be terminated with at least six months’ notice, unless authorizations are revoked earlier. The third amendment, split into two parts (a and b), changes the validity period for the certificate of approval of a road vehicle from two years to three years in both Annex 3 and Annex 4. Finally, the fourth amendment adds a new paragraph 6 to Annex 4, stipulating that if a TIR transport begins on or before the certificate’s expiry date, the certificate remains valid until the transport concludes at the final customs office. These points represent direct changes to the existing text of the Convention’s supplementary materials.
For those involved in international road transport under the TIR system, several provisions are particularly important. The introduction of a formal dispute resolution mechanism (Explanatory Note 8.10 (e)) is significant for maintaining the stability and reliability of the guarantee system. The clarification on agreement termination (Explanatory Note 0.6.2 bis-1) provides certainty regarding the operational framework between the international body and national associations. Most notably for transport operators, the extension of the vehicle approval certificate’s validity from two to three years (Amendment 3) reduces administrative burden. Furthermore, the new rule allowing the certificate to remain valid until the end of a transport that started before its expiry (Amendment 4) is a practical change that prevents issues with certificates expiring mid-journey. : As the TIR system is widely used for transport involving Ukraine, these changes directly impact Ukrainian carriers and the movement of goods to and from Ukraine.
