The TIR System
The TIR letters stand for the French words "Transports Internationaux Routiers"
The TIR System was designed to speed up border - crossing. It is based on an international treaty, the TIR Convention of 1975, which was drawn up under the auspices of the United Nations.
The TIR System is an international transit system for goods carried by road. At least one part of the transport operation must be carried out by road, which means that multimodal transport can be included.
The TIR System applies to the transport of goods between a customs office of departure in one country and the office of destination in another country. The countries involved should be contracting parties to the TIR convention.
The system has now 68 contracting parties, mostly in Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia. It is the only transit system with a world wide vocation . The TIR Convention is operational today in 57 countries. It is based on five principles :
- Secure vehicles or containers
Goods should travel in secure vehicles or containers
- International Chain of Guarantee
Duties and taxes "at risk" during the journey should be covered by an internationally valid guarantee;
- TIR Carnet
Goods should be accompanied by The TIR carnet taken into use in the country of departure serving as a control document in the countries of departure, transit, and destination.
- Mutual recognition of customs controls
Customs control measures taken in the country of departure should be accepted by the countries of transit and destination.
- Controlled access
Access to the TIR system for national issuing and guaranteeing associations is given by the competent national authorities, and for transport operators, by the national customs authorities and the national association.
The TIR carnet offers the following main benefits:
- For international trade:
It allows the goods forming the subject of the transaction between private entities to be put into tax-free circulation between two or more countries.
- For the transport operation:
It offers the transport operator the possibility of putting the load under customs control within the country of departure and enables him to cross the various frontiers with extremely rapid customs controls (saving time).
- For the Customs authorities:
It offers the guarantee that, if the goods "disappear" on their territory, they can recover from the chain of guarantee the total amount of the Customs duties up to a maximum of US $ 50,000 per TIR Carnet.
In each contracting party, there must be a guarantor called "the Association" which has two roles:
First, it has the responsibility of issuing TIR carnets to the operators who have been authorized to use the TIR System.
Second, it has to guarantee liabilities incurred in its own country irrespective of whether the TIR carnet has been issued by it or by a foreign issuing association, as long as the latter is affiliated to the same international organization (IRU).
The Chamber of Commerce , Industry , and Agriculture of Beirut has been appointed by Lebanese Government as the issuing and guaranteeing body of TIR Carnets in Lebanon and started its operations in January 2000.