Ukraine and Norway agree on “transport visa-free regime”

Following the results of the Mixed Commission, the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine signed a protocol with the Ministry of Transport of Norway on the “transport visa-free regime”, which provides for permit-free freight transport. It will apply to trucks of Euro 5 standard and higher.

The simplified regime will enter into force on 1 September and will apply to both bilateral and transit traffic.

“We continue to create favourable conditions for our carriers. We are expanding the list of countries with which we have an effective ‘transport visa-free regime’ – currently 35 countries. Previously, Ukrainian carriers could only travel to Norway with a permit, regardless of the environmental class of their vehicles. Now trucks with Euro 5 and higher emission standards can travel without a permit. The liberalisation of freight transport will last until at least 30 June 2024,” said Serhiy Derkach, Deputy Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development.

In order to use the regime, a carrier must have a certificate confirming the environmental class of the truck.

At the same time, vehicles of a lower environmental class will still be able to carry out transportation. During the meeting of the Ukrainian-Norwegian Joint Commission, the parties agreed on the permits for next year.

Ukrainian carriers will be able to obtain 250 universal permits and 50 permits to/from third countries.

As a reminder, in June this year, Ukraine agreed on a “transport visa-free regime” with North Macedonia. It also reached an agreement with Azerbaijan on a quota of international freight transport permits for 2024.

Background

The European Union and Ukraine have an Agreement on the Carriage of Freight by Road, which provides for bilateral and transit traffic without permits. This means that it is possible to carry out permit-free transport to 27 EU countries.

IC UAC according to the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine