Find out which licences and permits you need to operate vehicles with a gross vehicle weight above 3.5 tonnes on international journeys from the UK.
If you operate vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating above 3.5 tonnes on international journeys, you need a number of licences and permits.
You must have a vehicle operator licence to carry your own goods, and other people’s goods, both in the UK and on international journeys.
You must also have goods vehicle operator licence to use vehicles over 2.5 tonnes to transport goods to or through Europe.
A bilateral road haulage permit is now needed to travel to or through Azerbaijan, instead of a European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) international road haulage permit.
Permits are needed for 9 non-EU countries that the UK has agreements with to transport goods to or through those countries. These countries are:
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Russia, Tunisia, Turkey and Ukraine. (Bilateral permits are not currently available for Belarus, Russia and Ukraine because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine)
The other licences and permits you need depend on which countries the vehicle will travel to or through.
Further information: