UNECE: eTIR expands across the Caspian Sea, enabling the first paperless TIR transport operations between the South Caucasus and Central Asia
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
07 August 2026
Customs authorities of Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan cleared six paperless TIR transport operations in July 2026, applying the eTIR procedure of the United Nations TIR Convention. Five of the six operations were multi-modal transports including a maritime leg, crossing the Caspian Sea between the South Caucasus and Central Asia.
Key figures
07 August 2026
Customs authorities of Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan cleared six paperless TIR transport operations in July 2026, applying the eTIR procedure of the United Nations TIR Convention. Five of the six operations were multi-modal transports including a maritime leg, crossing the Caspian Sea between the South Caucasus and Central Asia.
Key figures
- 4 participating countries
- 6 TIR transport operations under eTIR procedure
- 5 multimodal transports
- 1 crossing of the Caspian Sea
- More than 1200 km under a single digital procedure
The four customs administrations prepared and ran the operations together, with coordination and technical support from UNECE and the International Road Transport Union (IRU), including IRU member associations in the region.
The latest developments reflect the milestones outlined in the SPECA digitalization roadmap, which seeks to enhance data exchange efficiency and facilitate seamless goods movement across borders along the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor.
As a multimodal rail, road and maritime corridor linking Chinese and European markets via Central Asia and the South Caucasus, the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor plays a central role in boosting trade flows and safeguarding global supply chains. The modernization and digitalization of the transport infrastructure along this corridor (i.e. roads, railways, ports and logistic hubs) is expected to reduce freight transit time by 50% and increase trade flows by up to 3 times by 2030.
Uzbekistan and Tajikistan open a digital corridor
The Uzbek Customs handled its first eTIR operation on 7 July 2026, releasing a load of bulk materials arriving from Tajikistan. The two administrations had until then exchanged transit data on paper.
The transport followed a training programme, that the UNECE TIR secretariat and IRU delivered to the State Customs Committee of Uzbekistan, bringing together officers posted at the country's busiest TIR crossing points so that the procedure could be applied consistently at every border.
A single procedure across three territories
Additional five transport operations were completed in the last week of July on a route combining road and sea.
Travelling east, one vehicle loaded with electronic equipment departed on road, then by sea, from Azerbaijan to the port of Turkmenbashi, drove the length of Turkmenistan and was admitted into Uzbekistan at Farap. Its itinerary exceeded 1,200 km. No previous eTIR transport had been covered by one procedure across three territories.
Travelling west, four vehicles carrying cotton, fruit juice, bottled water and confectionery were cleared for departure in Turkmenistan and ferried across the Caspian Sea to Alat, the port serving Baku.
Throughout the six operations using the eTIR procedure, the customs offices exchanged declarations and guarantee data in real time through the eTIR International System, hosted and supported by UNECE. Drivers presented no transit document at any border.
Built on UNECE's open-source solution
Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan carried out every step of the eTIR procedure using the eTIR National Application (eTIR NA), an open-source software developed and maintained by UNECE and supplied at no cost to Contracting Parties to the TIR Convention.
The eTIR National Application allows customs authorities a faster option to implement the digital eTIR procedure. Instead of implementing a direct interconnection between their national customs systems and the eTIR International System, they can deploy the open-source application, begin TIR operations, and address the deeper integration work later on.
Electronic guarantees for the transport operations were issued through the international guarantee chain, with the IRU member associations ABADA in Azerbaijan, THADA in Turkmenistan and ABBAT in Tajikistan.
Note to editors
The eTIR procedure is the digital form of the customs procedure from United Nations TIR Convention, the only global customs transit system. Annex 11 to the Convention, in force since 2020, provides the legal basis for operating the system without paper.
The eTIR International System, managed by UNECE, ensures the secure exchange of data between national customs systems, the authorized transporters (holders), and the guarantee chain for international transit of goods using the eTIR procedure.
Removing paper from the procedure shortens customs formalities at the border, reduces human errors, lowers the cost of a transit operation, and gives customs earlier and better data for control and risk management.
Read the full story (with images and links): https://unece.org/media/trade/uncefact/news/392603
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The latest developments reflect the milestones outlined in the SPECA digitalization roadmap, which seeks to enhance data exchange efficiency and facilitate seamless goods movement across borders along the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor.
As a multimodal rail, road and maritime corridor linking Chinese and European markets via Central Asia and the South Caucasus, the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor plays a central role in boosting trade flows and safeguarding global supply chains. The modernization and digitalization of the transport infrastructure along this corridor (i.e. roads, railways, ports and logistic hubs) is expected to reduce freight transit time by 50% and increase trade flows by up to 3 times by 2030.
Uzbekistan and Tajikistan open a digital corridor
The Uzbek Customs handled its first eTIR operation on 7 July 2026, releasing a load of bulk materials arriving from Tajikistan. The two administrations had until then exchanged transit data on paper.
The transport followed a training programme, that the UNECE TIR secretariat and IRU delivered to the State Customs Committee of Uzbekistan, bringing together officers posted at the country's busiest TIR crossing points so that the procedure could be applied consistently at every border.
A single procedure across three territories
Additional five transport operations were completed in the last week of July on a route combining road and sea.
Travelling east, one vehicle loaded with electronic equipment departed on road, then by sea, from Azerbaijan to the port of Turkmenbashi, drove the length of Turkmenistan and was admitted into Uzbekistan at Farap. Its itinerary exceeded 1,200 km. No previous eTIR transport had been covered by one procedure across three territories.
Travelling west, four vehicles carrying cotton, fruit juice, bottled water and confectionery were cleared for departure in Turkmenistan and ferried across the Caspian Sea to Alat, the port serving Baku.
Throughout the six operations using the eTIR procedure, the customs offices exchanged declarations and guarantee data in real time through the eTIR International System, hosted and supported by UNECE. Drivers presented no transit document at any border.
Built on UNECE's open-source solution
Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan carried out every step of the eTIR procedure using the eTIR National Application (eTIR NA), an open-source software developed and maintained by UNECE and supplied at no cost to Contracting Parties to the TIR Convention.
The eTIR National Application allows customs authorities a faster option to implement the digital eTIR procedure. Instead of implementing a direct interconnection between their national customs systems and the eTIR International System, they can deploy the open-source application, begin TIR operations, and address the deeper integration work later on.
Electronic guarantees for the transport operations were issued through the international guarantee chain, with the IRU member associations ABADA in Azerbaijan, THADA in Turkmenistan and ABBAT in Tajikistan.
Note to editors
The eTIR procedure is the digital form of the customs procedure from United Nations TIR Convention, the only global customs transit system. Annex 11 to the Convention, in force since 2020, provides the legal basis for operating the system without paper.
The eTIR International System, managed by UNECE, ensures the secure exchange of data between national customs systems, the authorized transporters (holders), and the guarantee chain for international transit of goods using the eTIR procedure.
Removing paper from the procedure shortens customs formalities at the border, reduces human errors, lowers the cost of a transit operation, and gives customs earlier and better data for control and risk management.
Read the full story (with images and links): https://unece.org/media/trade/uncefact/news/392603