Logistics Glossary

A trader authorised to begin the transit procedure at its own premises without presenting the goods at the customs office of departure.

Customs authorities grant authorised consignor status to traders that meet set conditions concerning premises, record keeping and guarantees. The authorised consignor opens the transit declaration at its own site, from which the goods depart directly.

A trader authorised to receive goods moving under transit at its own premises and to end the procedure there.

Goods arriving at a facility with authorised consignee status are received there without being presented at the customs office of destination. The transit declaration is closed at the consignee's premises, after which the goods are ready for their next customs procedure.

The declaration that places goods under the transit procedure, allowing them to move under customs supervision.

A transit declaration enables goods to travel from one customs point to another without duties and taxes being paid on the way. The declaration is opened at departure and closed at destination, and a guarantee covers the potential duties in the meantime.

The transit declaration type used for non-Union goods under the common or Union transit procedure.

A T1 declaration is issued for goods on which duties have not yet been paid and which move between the EU and the other parties to the Common Transit Convention. Türkiye has been a party to the convention since 2012, and Union goods travel under a T2 declaration instead.

The New Computerised Transit System, through which transit declarations are submitted, tracked and closed electronically.

NCTS is operated by the customs administrations of the EU and the Common Transit Convention countries. Transit declarations are opened in the system, monitored during the journey and discharged at the end, and Türkiye also processes transit declarations through NCTS.

The Geneva Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road, and the consignment note issued under it.

Signed in 1956, the CMR Convention sets out rules on carrier liability, transport documents and claims. The CMR note records the sender, carrier and consignee, a description of the goods and the place of delivery, and accompanies the load on international road journeys.

A mode of transport in which a whole vehicle is used for a single shipper's goods.

Under FTL, the vehicle travels directly from the loading point to the delivery point and carries no other shipper's goods. It is generally preferred when a load fills most of the vehicle by volume or weight.

A mode of transport in which a load occupies only part of a vehicle, with the remaining capacity shared with other shippers.

Under LTL, the shipper pays only for the space or weight it uses, and the arrangement is used for loads that do not fill a whole vehicle. In Turkish the term used is parsiyel.

The carriage of an urgent shipment in a vehicle reserved for it, usually a minivan or panel van.

In express transport the vehicle carries only the shipment concerned and travels directly from collection to delivery. It is used for small, urgent loads such as spare parts, samples and documents.

A guarantee covering the duties and other charges that may arise on goods moving under transit.

As the goods travel without duties being paid, customs requires a guarantee covering that amount. The holder of the procedure may provide it in cash, through a bank guarantee or through a guarantor company, and the guarantee is released once the transit declaration is closed.

The document submitted to customs to place goods under a customs procedure, containing the information that procedure requires.

A customs declaration states the description, tariff classification, value and origin of the goods and the procedure under which they are placed. Import, export and transit operations all begin with a declaration, the majority of which are now submitted electronically.

Rules published by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) defining how delivery, costs and risk are divided between buyer and seller.

Each Incoterms rule is expressed by a three-letter code such as EXW, FCA, CIF or DAP and determines the point at which transport costs and the risk of loss pass from seller to buyer. The current edition is Incoterms 2020.