Guidance on planning your route before moving goods using transit

Before you start planning your route

Check whether you can use transit to move goods to common and EU transit countries.

You should also make sure you have got your business ready to move goods to common and EU transit countries.

Plan your route

You need to plan the route your goods will take and choose the:

• office of departure or authorised consignor where your transit movement will start
• offices of transit where your goods will enter into any other customs areas
• office of destination or authorised consignee where your goods will end their transit

Find out where you can start your movement

When you move goods under transit the movement must be started at either:

• an office of departure
• the premises of an authorised consignor (your own or an agent’s premises)

If you or your agent are not able to start the movement at your own premises, then you will either need to take the goods to an office of departure to start the movement, or your haulier will need to do this before the goods can leave the UK.

If you are moving goods using Transports Internationaux Routiers (TIR) then you must start your movement at a government office of departure.

Most offices of departure are located at or near border crossings, so you may be able to start your movement at the port or airport where your goods are leaving the UK. However, you will need to check in advance whether the border crossing your haulier intends to use does offer an office of departure which you can use to start the movement.

If they do not, then you will need to start the movement somewhere else before your haulier proceeds to the border.

You will need to declare which office of departure or authorised consignor location you will be starting your movement from when you make your transit declaration.

Find out if you need to go to an office of transit

When you move your goods into a different customs territory, you must present the goods to an office of transit before you can enter the territory.

This means that you will need to check that the border crossing you are using to enter the customs territory offers an office of transit, and whether there are any specific location requirements that you or your haulier will need to follow on entry.

For union and common transit, the different customs territories are:

• the EU and the EU special territories
• the common transit countries
• San Marino
• Andorra

Check the list of offices of transit for each country.

When you make your transit declaration you will need to include the offices of transit based on your planned route. You must tell the haulier to present your goods with all accompanying documents to each office of transit listed on the transit declaration.

If your haulier diverts from the intended route and enters a customs area using an office of transit other than the one included in the declaration, then in most cases the office of transit will still be able to process the movement and allow entry. However, if you set prescribed itinerary restrictions on the original declaration, then the haulier must use the offices of transit that have been declared.

You do not need to go to an office of transit when your goods cross the borders between EU countries.

If your goods are going by road to, or through, a country that is not covered by common and Union transit you may be able to use TIR to move your goods. You can use TIR to send goods by road to or through countries covered by the TIR convention.

If you are moving goods using TIR then you must present your TIR Carnet to customs offices on both entry and exit of each customs area. This means that your TIR carnet must be stamped by customs officials on both sides of the border.

Find out where you can end your movement

When you move goods under transit the movement must be ended at either:

• an office of destination
• the premises of an authorised consignee (your own or an agent’s premises)

If you or your agent are not able to end the movement at your own premises, then you or your haulier will need to take the goods to an office of destination to end the movement before the goods can be released into free circulation or another customs process.

If you are moving goods using TIR, then although you may be able to take your goods to authorised consignee premises, you will still need to present your TIR Carnet at government office of destination within an agreed time limit.

Most offices of destinations are located at or near border crossings, so you may be able to end your movement at the port or airport where your goods enter the UK. However, you will need to check in advance whether the border crossing your haulier intends to use does offer an office of destination which you can use to end the movement. If they do not, then you will need to end the movement somewhere else before you will be able to release your goods.

You will need to declare which office of destination or authorised consignee location you will be ending your movement from when you make your transit declaration.

Get more information

The transit manual and transit manual supplement contain more information on TIR, common and Union transit.

More information on TIR can also be found in the TIR Handbook.

From 1 January 2021

For movements starting in Great Britain

Find out where you can start your movement

If you are starting your transit movement from an office of departure, then you might be asked to go to an inland government site to start your transit movement or to complete other customs processes.

Details of the site locations and when you should use them will be published shortly.

Check when you need to go to an office of transit

You will need to take the goods to an office of transit when you leave Great Britain and move into another customs area or Northern Ireland. This will include any movement going directly from Great Britain to:

• Northern Ireland
• the EU or EU special territories
• any other TIR or common transit countries

Find out where you can end your movement

If you are ending a transit movement in Northern Ireland and are not doing so from an authorised consignor (your own or an agent’s premises) then you must end the movement at an office of destination.

Find out more about the office of destination process in Northern Ireland.

Check if you need to use the Goods Vehicle Movement Service

If you need to go to an office of transit in the UK, you should check how to move goods through ports that use the Goods Vehicle Movement Service.

For movements starting in Northern Ireland

Find out where you can start your movement

If you are starting a transit movement in Northern Ireland and are not doing so from an authorised consignor (your own or an agent’s premises) then you must start the movement at an office of departure.

Find out more about the office of departure process in Northern Ireland.

Check when you need to go to an office of transit

You will need to take the goods to an office of transit when you leave Northern Ireland and move into another customs area or Great Britain. This will include any movement going directly from Northern Ireland to:

• Great Britain
• any other TIR or common transit countries

You do not need to go to an office of transit when your goods cross the border from Northern Ireland into the EU.

Find out where you can end your movement

If you are ending your transit movement at an office of destination in Great Britain, then you might be asked to go to an inland government site to end your transit movement or to complete other customs processes.

Details of the site locations and when you should use them will be published shortly.

Check if you need to use the Goods Vehicle Movement Service

If you need to go to an office of transit in the UK, you should check how to move goods through ports that use the Goods Vehicle Movement Service.

You will also need to take them to an office of transit every time they enter a different customs territory.