The TIR system is an international customs transit system that has gained recognition all over the world. It was created to provide the opportunity to transport goods from the country of departure to the country of destination through any number of intermediate countries with a minimum number of customs controls.
The essence of the system is that goods are transported in sealed cargo compartments, which undergo customs control only when loaded in the country of departure and unloaded in the country of destination. At intermediate customs offices, customs control is not carried out, since the TIR system provides the customs administrations of these countries with multilateral guarantees that are mutually recognized by these administrations.
One TIR Carnet (Carnet TIR) is used for one international delivery (movement) of goods. This simple, safe and reliable way of moving goods across several international borders not only saves waiting time at the border, the costs of international carriers, transport operators, but also the burden on customs authorities, simplifying operations at the borders and reducing the administrative burden.
The TIR system was created under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) shortly after the end of World War II. The aim was to reduce the difficulties faced by international carriers. In 1949, several countries signed the first TIR Agreement, which simplified the procedure for transporting goods in international trade while maintaining the necessary level of guarantees and customs security.
The positive experience of the new system led to the adoption of the first version of the TIR Convention by the UNECE Inland Transport Committee in 1959. In 1975, the TIR Convention was revised to take into account technical advances, changes in customs and transport procedures, as well as the experience gained in the process of its use. Today, about 80 countries (countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and Latin America) are contracting parties to the TIR Convention.
Thus, the TIR Convention today already has a global character (covering almost all continents except Australia), while there is a tendency for a constant increase in the number of contracting parties, and in terms of its content and economic effect on an international scale, it has no alternative. The supreme governing body of the TIR Convention, consisting of official representatives of the governments of all Contracting Parties, is the Administrative Committee.
Every year it holds 2 meetings under the auspices of the UNECE, the purpose of which is to discuss and adopt amendments to the Convention, as well as an exchange of views between competent government bodies and international organizations on the problems of the functioning of the TIR system. Current issues are worked out by groups of experts of the participating countries.
The Chairman of the Administrative Committee is currently Mr. Recai Şen (Türkiye). The Republic of Kazakhstan acceded to the TIR Convention in May 1995. The competent authority responsible for the application of the TIR Convention in Kazakhstan is the Ministry of Transport, within the framework of their competence in the work under the Convention are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Union of International Road Carriers of the Republic "KazATO" and the Customs Service of the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The management of the international procedure and all financial activities under the TIR Convention, including the guarantee system, is carried out by the "International Road Transport Union (IRU)" The TIR system applies not only to customs transit by road, but also to other modes of transport (for example, rail, inland waterway and even sea transport), if at least part of the overall route passes by road. To date, about 35,000 international transport operators have received permission from the relevant competent national authorities to access the TIR system, using more than 1.5 million TIR carnets per year.
According to the IRU, the number of TIR operators and vehicles in China alone has increased by more than 400% by 2024 Due to the large blue and white TIR plates that are attached to vehicles using the TIR Convention, the word "TIR" has entered many languages as a neologism, becoming a common name for a large truck. Keeping up with the times, the TIR System is currently undergoing digitalization. The eTIR system ensures compatibility of the TIR system's functionalities with other digital procedures in the multimodal areas of logistics, transport, electronic customs services and other relevant areas. In conclusion, the UTC DGD for SKO offers a brief overview of some facts about the TIR system:
- the TIR system reduces transport times by up to 92% and costs by up to 50%;
- Around 35,000 transport and logistics companies use TIR to move goods across international borders quickly and securely;
- The TIR system uses a single guarantee, allowing operators to move goods en route through any TIR country;
- The TIR system is managed by the IRU under a mandate issued by the UN;
- The international guarantee covers all customs duties and taxes at risk, with a maximum protection of €100,000 per transport operation;
- The TIR system is an effective tool for the implementation of the World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement and the Revised Kyoto Convention;
- The TIR system is in line with the World Customs Organization's SAFE Framework.
With the growth of world trade, its further expansion in geographical scope and the upcoming introduction of electronic TIR (the so-called "eTIR system"), TIR is expected to remain the only truly global customs transit system.