Iran to use electronic consignment note: e-CMR

The additional protocol to the UN Convention concerning the digital consignment note will enter into force in Iran on 6 February 2018, paving the way for easier and more efficient shipment of goods, facilitating trade and preparing for fully digital logistics operations.

IRU’s Chief Operating Officer, Boris Blanche, said

“We are enthusiastic that the momentum for the adoption of digitalised transport tools is growing fast and this latest development will encourage other countries to follow suit. The more countries using e-CMR, the more appealing the system becomes and the greater the common benefit.”

Iran is the thirteenth country to accede to e-CMR, which is the document containing information about goods in transit to transporting and receiving parties. Having also initiated a digital TIR pilot operation with Turkey last year, the country shows strong leadership in the digital drive.

Kazem Asayesh, Senior Adviser on TIR and Trade Facilitation, commented,

“Iran is committed to digitalising the global transport and transit sector and this latest development is an indication of its work to improve trade facilitation for the region and beyond via the use of the modernised, streamlined and more transparent procedures that digital logistics tools like TIR and e-CMR offer.”

Rules for transporting goods internationally are covered by the United Nations Convention for the carriage of goods, the CMR (Convention relative au contrat de transport international de Marchandises par Route). Transport operators, drivers and those receiving shipments use a CMR consignment note, which until recently, was only issued in paper form.

The e-CMR protocol entered into force on 5 June 2011, and to date thirteen countries have acceded including: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Iran, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland.