Road Haulage Permits & Quotas

If operating vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating above 3.5 tonnes on international journeys, several licences and permits are required.

A  vehicle operator licence is necessary  to carry goods, both in the UK and on international journeys.

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

EU Community Licences

An  EU Community Licence is required to make international journeys for hire or reward within the 27 EU countries and 5 other countries.

It is still possible to apply for the licences, even though the UK has left the EU.

The licences may be used 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.

EU Community Licences also allow cabotage (loading and unloading of goods for hire or reward between 2 points in a country by a vehicle that is not registered in that country.).

Eligibility

Holders of a  standard international vehicle operator licence for Great Britain or a standard international vehicle operator licence for Northern Ireland may apply for an EU Community Licence.

Apply for licences

To obtain a licence it is necessary to call the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and provide the vehicle operator licence number.

DVSA customer service centre

Telephone: 0300 123 9000
Monday to Friday, 7:30 am to 6 pm
Find out about call charges

EU Community Licences and UK Licences for the Community are valid until the 5-yearly renewal date of an operator’s licence.

Fees

There is no fee for EU Community Licences or UK Licences for the Community if the operator holds a standard international vehicle operator licence.

Rules for using the licences

A licence may only be used by the operator it has been issued to. It cannot be transferred to another operator or company.

The licence includes:

an office copy which must be kept at the main office so that it can be inspected by enforcement agencies
certified copies for each of the vehicles authorised by the standard international vehicle operator licence

Certified copies of the licences are not specific to any one vehicle.

What to do when you make journeys

Drivers must carry a certified copy of the EU Community Licence or UK Licence for the Community in the vehicle when transporting goods in or through the EU and must show it to any enforcement officer when asked to.
It is illegal to not carry the certified copy or show it to enforcement officers when asked to.

Check what other vehicle documents and driver documents the driver needs to carry on international journeys.

Lost, damaged or stolen licences

The  DVSA must be notified  if documents are lost, damaged or stolen.

ECMT international road haulage permits

It is possible to apply for the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) international road haulage permits for journeys between 43 ECMT member 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, North Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the UK.

More information about ECMT Permits, is available at :
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ecmt-international-road-haulage-permits

ECMT international removal permits

Permits for laden or empty journeys are available if the business is a specialist removal company and moves household goods and business possessions between or across the 43 ECMT countries:

More information about ECMT International Removal Permits is available at :
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/international-road-haulage-removal-permits

Bilateral road haulage permits for some non-EU countries

It is possible to apply for bilateral road haulage permits for some non-EU countries the UK has agreements with:

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

Permits are only required for journeys to or through Turkey when continuing on to a third country.

Guidance on how to apply for bilateral international road haulage permits and the rules to be followed are available at:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/international-road-haulage-permits-for-some-non-eu-countries

Countries the UK does not have arrangements with

It is necessary to apply for licences from countries that the UK does not have a special arrangement or agreement with.

Advice from foreign embassies is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-embassies-in-the-uk