Being a goods vehicle operator

If you operate vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating above 3.5 tonnes on international journeys, you need a number of licences and permits.

You must have a vehicle operator licence to carry your own goods, and other people’s goods, both in the UK and on international journeys.

Find out more about:

• being a goods vehicle operator in Great Britain
• being a goods vehicle operator in Northern Ireland

The other licences and permits you need depend on which countries the vehicle will travel to or through.

EU countries,Community Liechtenstein, Norway and SwitzerlandLicences

You needcan aapply UK Licence for theEU Community Licences if you make international journeys for hire or reward within the 28 EU, Liechtenstein,countries Norway and Switzerland.

4 other countries. You can use the licences in:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

If the UK leaves the EU without a limiteddeal numberon of31 haulageOctober jobs2019

You insidecan ancontinue to use your EU countryCommunity (calledLicence ‘cabotage’)until or31 betweenDecember 22019. You would not need any extra permits to transport goods in EU countries (calleduntil ‘cross-trade’).1 January 2020.

Find out how to apply for aEU UK Licence for the Community Licences and the rules you have to follow.

Albania,

ECMT Bosniainternational androad Herzegovina,haulage Moldova,permits

You Montenegro,can Northapply Macedonia,for Serbia,European TurkeyConference andof Ukraine

YouMinisters doof notTransport usually(ECMT) needinternational anyroad haulage permits tofor transportjourneys goodsbetween to,43 throughECMT ormember from countries:

Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, NorthNetherlands, Macedonia,Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, TurkeySlovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and Ukraine.the UK.

However,

If youthe needUK toleaves getthe EU without a bilateraldeal roadon haulage31 October 2019

You would need an ECMT permit ifto you’retransport travelling:

• goods through TurkeyEU toor anotherEuropean country
• inEconomic UkraineArea using(EEA) acountries Euroto IIInon-EU or EuroEEA IVcountries vehicle

who are ECMT members.

Belarus,

Find Georgia,out Kazakhstan,how Morocco,to Russiaapply orfor TunisiaECMT permits and the rules you have to follow

ECMT international removal permits

You can apply for bilaterala roadpermit haulagefor permitsladen foror someempty non-EUjourneys countriesif theyou’re UKa hasspecialist agreementsremoval with.company Theseand countriesyou are:move household goods and business possessions between or across the 43 ECMT countries:

Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Kazakhstan,Germany, Morocco,Greece, RussiaHungary, orIreland, TunisiaItaly, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the UK.

Find out how to apply for bilateral international roadremoval haulage permits and the rules you have to follow.

Armenia

Bilateral orroad Azerbaijanhaulage permits for some non-EU countries

YouThe mustUK gethas signed transport agreements with Switzerland and Norway. The agreements make sure that UK hauliers can continue to drive in Switzerland and Norway using a EuropeanCommunity ConferenceLicence ofafter Ministersthe ofUK Transportleaves (ECMTthe EU).

If internationalthere roadis haulageno permitEU ifExit yourdeal, journeyyou involveswill Armenianeed an ECMT permit for journeys through EU or Azerbaijan.EEA countries to Switzerland.

IfYou yourcan journeyapply alsofor includesbilateral road haulage permits for some non-EU countries the UK has agreements with:

Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Russia, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey orand Ukraine,Ukraine.

Find out how to apply for ECMTbilateral international road haulage permits and the rules you have to follow.

Countries the UK does not have arrangements with

You need to apply for licences from countries that the UK does not have a special arrangement or agreement with.

Get advice from the embassies of the countries you need to travel through or to.

Permits

Own account traffic

‘Own account’ is where either:

• your vehicle is only carrying goods in connection with your own business
• your delivery contents are not for hire or reward

When you do own account work, you do not need:

• permits in some countries
• an EU Community Licence in the EU

However, you may still need to carry outan 3‘own cross-tradeaccount’ jobspermit and document.

Own account traffic in ECMTthe EU countries

if the UK leaves without a deal

You can usedo own account journeys in most ECMT permitsmember tocountries carry(including outIreland) upwithout toan 3ECMT cross-tradepermit.

Check jobschapter (moving2 goods(‘Liberalised betweentransport’) 2of the ECMT countries).

Finduser guide to find out howif toyou applyneed foran ECMT permitspermit andfor theown rulesaccount youjourneys.

Permits

Sign up for road freight email alerts and DVSA email alerts to carrystay goodsup forto yourdate ownwith businesschanges orto notthe forrules.

Non-EU hirecountries andwhere rewardyou (‘ownneed account’)

permits for own account traffic

‘OwnYou account’must iscarry wherea either:permit on the vehicle for journeys to:

• yourBelarus
• Morocco
• Russia
• Tunisia
• Turkey

Non-EU vehiclecountries iswhere onlyyou carryingdo goodsnot inneed connectionpermits withfor your own business

youraccount deliverytraffic

You contentsdo are not forneed hirea orpermit rewardfor journeys through:

• Georgia
• Ukraine

Own

Special rules apply to own account journeys inbetween:

• the UK and Hungary
• the EUUK and Cyprus

How the own account permit works

You do not need aan UKEU Community Licence forto thecarry Communitygoods foron own‘own accountaccount’ journeys between theEU UKcountries and EUthe UK if the following conditions apply:

• the goods you’recarried carrying are yourthe property,property of the business or must have been sold, bought, let out on hire or hired, produced, extracted, processed or repaired by youthe business
• the journey’s purpose of the journey is to carry the goods to or from yourthe premisesbusiness or to move themthem, either within the business or outside, for yourits own requirementsneeds
• you employ the drivers,vehicles orused they’reare putdriven atby youremployees disposalof forthe your own requirementsbusiness
• you either own the vehicles carryingare owned by the goods,business or have been bought themby it on deferred terms,terms or havehired, hiredproviding them
• transportingthat the goodsconditions isof onlyCouncil toDirective support84/647/EEC yourare mainmet business(this activityprovision -does transportingnot goodsapply cannotto bethe youruse mainof businessa activity

Own-accountreplacement operatorsvehicle whofollowing are carrying goods for a commercialbreakdown purposeof willthe stillvehicle bethat subjectis tonormally cabotageused)

haulage andis cross-tradenot rulesthe whenmajor operatingactivity inof the EU.

business

Extra

Operations documentsbetween forthe UK and Cyprus or Hungary

ForYou do not need a special licence for own account journeysoperations between the UK and Cyprus or Hungary,Hungary.

However, youthe mustvehicle needs to carry documentsa indocument containing the vehiclefollowing that show:information:

• the name and address of the operator
• the operator’s trade or business
• the nature of the goods being carried
• loading and unloading points
• registration number of the vehicle being used
• the route the haulage takes

You may be asked to provide evidence of the ownership of the goods.

Own

Cabotage accountand journeyscross-trade

Cabotage inis non-EUthe countries

Youloading mustand haveunloading aof bilateralgoods internationalfor roadhire haulageor permitreward forbetween own2 accountpoints journeysin toa somecountry non-EUby countriesa thevehicle UKthat hasis agreementsnot with.registered in that country.

CheckCross-trade whichis non-the haulage of goods for hire or reward between 2 EU countries youby needa thevehicle permitsregistered for.

Permitsin fora specialistdifferent removalEU companies

country.

YouIf canyou’ve applydelivered foran ainternational permitload forto ladenan orEU emptycountry, journeysand ifyou you’rehold aan specialistEU removalCommunity companyLicence, and you movecan householdcarry goodsout andcabotage businessjobs possessionsin betweenthat orstate.

Albania,

How Armenia,many Austria,cabotage Azerbaijan,and Belarus,cross-trade Belgium,jobs Bosniayou andcan Herzegovina,do

The Bulgaria,number Croatia,of Czechcabotage Republic,jobs Denmark,you Estonia,can Finland,carry France,out Georgia,is Germany,limited Greece,by Hungary,EU Ireland,rules.

You Italy,can Latvia,currently Liechtenstein,carry Lithuania,out Luxembourg,3 Northcabotage Macedonia,jobs Malta,which Moldova,must Montenegro,take Netherlands,place Norway,within Poland,7 Portugal,days Romania,of Russia,when Serbia,you Slovakia,dropped Slovenia,off Spain,the Sweden,load Switzerland,that Turkey,you Ukrainebrought andinto the UK.country.

FindYou can carry out howfurther tocabotage applyjobs forin internationalother removalEU permitsmember andstates the(except rulesCroatia) youon haveyour tohome follow.journey if:

Get

• your helpvehicle withenters internationalthe roadcountry haulageempty
• you permits

Contactdo thenot DVSAgo Internationalover Roadthe Haulage3 Permitsjobs Officein to7 getdays helplimit

If withthe permits.

DVSAUK Internationalleaves Roadthe HaulageEU Permitswithout Office
irhp@dvsa.gov.uk
Telephone:a 0330deal

The 678rules 1117
Mondaywill tochange Thursday,if 9amthe toUK 5pm
Friday,leaves 9amthe toEU 4:30pm
Findwithout outa aboutdeal callon charges31 October 2019.