EU licence for cross-border transportation – Basic knowledgeRegulations for the transport of goods within the European Union are governed by EU law. Transport companies wishing to carry out international road haulage must be in possession of an EU licence. An EU licence must be applied for from the competent transport authority for cabotage transports. The validity of the document is at least ten years.
Extension of the EU licence – The changes Until now, the licence requirement only applied to vehicles whose gross vehicle weight exceeds 3.5 tons. On May 21, 2022, a far-reaching amendment to the “Market Access” Regulation (No. 1072/2009) and the “Professional Access” Regulation (No. 1071/2009) will come into force. According to this, an EU licence is now also required for transports with vehicles of 2.5 tons or more. An exception initially applied from February 21, 2022 for companies that carry out their transports exclusively with vehicles whose permissible total weight exceeds 2.5 tons, but not 3.5 tons. The corresponding transitional regulation has also ended on May 21, 2022, so that thereafter an valid EU licence must be presented for all vehicles weighing 2.5 tons or more for cross-border road transport.
EU licence application – These proofs are necessary The EU licence is issued by the respective competent transportation authority. The cost of a licence is between EUR 120.00 and 700.00. Transport companies wishing to apply for an EU licence must meet the following requirements:
Proof of own subsidiary Facilities that allow the competent authority to inspect and review key company documents The documents (e.g. transport contracts, employment contracts, accounting documents or also documents on cabotage and driving and rest periods) must be available in electronic or other form Proof of financial capacity Liquidity is determined on the basis of the following assessment base: EUR 9,000 for the first vehicle used, EUR 5,000 for each additional vehicle with a total mass of more than 3.5 tons, EUR 900 for each additional vehicle with a total mass of more than 2.5 tons but less than 3.5 tons. For companies that perform road transport exclusively with vehicles between 2.5 and 3.5 tons, the following regulation applies: EUR 1,800 for the first vehicle used, EUR 900 for each additional vehicle used Proof of capital shall be provided by means of the annual financial statements Proof of professional suitability At least one person in the company must have the professional qualification to run a commercial road transportation business
Proof is provided by professional qualification examination Anyone who has managed a company of the same type for ten years is exempt from the obligation to provide evidence of a professional qualification examination, provided that the professional activity is recognized by the respective competent chamber of commerce Proof of personal reliability Neither the company itself nor the person appointed to manage the road transportation business (transport manager) may have registered criminal offenses or infringements of Union regulations Proof of personal reliability is provided in the form of a certificate of good conduct and information from the central commercial register (not older than three months).
