TIR Convention as a tool for both transport

TIR Convention as a tool for both transport and Customs Agenda Item 1 Poul Hansen TIR Secretary, UNECE Economic Commission for Europe TIR Executive Board (TIREx. B) UNECE TIR Secretariat Regional TIR Seminar (Moscow; 2 and 3 October 2003) UNITED NATIONS

TIR Convention OBJECTIVES Customs Authorities l Efficient Customs procedures for transit traffic l Provision of an international guarantee Transport Sector l Simplification and harmonization of Customs formalities l Reduced transport costs 2 UNITED NATIONS ECE Regional TIR seminar - Moscow - Agenda item 1

TIR Convention ADVANTAGES For Customs Authorities l No physical inspection of goods in transit (in principle) l No national system of individual guarantees l No additional national Customs documentation l Elaborated regulations on Customs secure vehicles and containers l Cooperation with Customs authorities of other countries l Access to ITDB and Safe. TIR 3 UNITED NATIONS ECE Regional TIR seminar - Moscow - Agenda item 1

TIR Convention ADVANTAGES For Transport/Trade l Minimum of procedures at border crossings l Significant reduction of transport costs (reduced export and import costs) l No restriction in the modes of transport used 4 UNITED NATIONS ECE Regional TIR seminar - Moscow - Agenda item 1

TIR Convention MAIN REQUIREMENTS FOR CUSTOMS TRANSIT l Identification of goods: l Physical inspection l Customs sealing l Customs document (transit declaration) l Financial guarantee and its proof l Possibility of additional control measures as Customs escorts 5 UNITED NATIONS ECE Regional TIR seminar - Moscow - Agenda item 1

TIR Convention PARTICULAR CASE OF TIR PROCEDURE l Identification of goods: l l l Physical inspection is performed at the Customs office of departure Vehicles and containers to comply with the standards set out in the TIR Convention Customs sealing 6 UNITED NATIONS ECE Regional TIR seminar - Moscow - Agenda item 1

TIR Convention PARTICULAR CASE OF TIR PROCEDURE Customs document (transit declaration): l TIR Carnet with sets of vouchers No. 1 and No. 2 to be used in the course of a TIR transport l Financial guarantee and its proof: l Flat-rate (US$ 50, 000) TIR guarantee is provided by the national guaranteeing association(s) l TIR Carnet is a proof of the TIR guarantee l 7 UNITED NATIONS ECE Regional TIR seminar - Moscow - Agenda item 1

TIR Convention PARTICULAR CASE OF TIR PROCEDURE l Possibility of additional control measures: l Prescribing an itinerary l Fixing a time-limit for transit l Customs escorts (in exceptional cases) l Spot checks (in exceptional cases) 8 UNITED NATIONS ECE Regional TIR seminar - Moscow - Agenda item 1

TIR Convention SPECIFIC FEATURES OF TIR PROCEDURE COMPARED TO OTHER NATIONAL TRANSIT SYSTEMS l Authorized access to the TIR procedure for transport operators (Annex 9, part. II) l Cooperation between Customs authorities, mutual recognition of Customs controls l Centralized guarantee system 9 UNITED NATIONS ECE Regional TIR seminar - Moscow - Agenda item 1

The five pillars of the TIR system 10 UNITED NATIONS ECE Regional TIR seminar - Moscow - Agenda item 1