Serwis informacyjno-usługowy dla przedsiębiorcy

Providing cabotage transport in the territory of the Member States of the European Union and EFTA by a carrier established in Poland.

Each carrier engaged in commercial carriage of goods by road, being established in Poland, holding an EU license (potentially if the driver employed by the carrier is a national of a third country, then he must have a driver's certificate) is entitled to carry out cabotage operations within the territory of the Member States of the European Union (or EFTA). 

Cabotage transport is defined as commercial carriage conducted temporarily with a motor vehicle within the territory of a hosting Member State. The mentioned above carrier has the right, after delivery of goods to a Member State within incoming international traffic, to conduct up to three cabotage operations. 

The last unloading of goods in the course of a cabotage operation should take place within seven days from the last unloading in the host country of imported goods within the incoming international carriage. It should be emphasized that the cabotage operations can be performed only by the motor vehicle, from which the total or part of the goods imported from abroad have been unloaded in the territory of the host Member State.

In the case of an empty entry into a Member State, the carrier has the right to perform one single cabotage operation within three days from the date of entry into a Member State. All cabotage operations when entering empty in the various countries in cross-border traffic, should close within 7 days from the date of the last unloading in the country, which held the international carriage (host country).

Unless EU regulations provide otherwise, cabotage transport shall be subject to the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the host Member State in the following areas:

  • provisions governing the transport contract,
  • weights and dimensions of road vehicles,
  • requirements concerning the carriage of hazardous goods, food and livestock,
  • driving time and rest periods of the driver,
  • value added tax (VAT) on haulage services.

Note that in the case of repeated violations of the rules on cabotage carriage, the Chief Inspector of Road Transport may issue, by means of a decision, a ban on cabotage operations within the territory of the Republic of Poland, for a period of two years from the date the decision becomes final.

 

DEFINITIONS

The host Member State - the Member State in which the carrier operates carriage, other than the Member State where the carrier is established.

Cabotage operations: commercial transport carried out temporarily in the host Member State (in accordance with the above described conditions).

 

More information on cabotage can be found in the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council (EC) No 1072/2009 of October 21st, 2009 on common rules for access to the international road haulage market.

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