TIR Goes Live In Qatar Boosting Middle East Trade

With Qatar set to host a series of major international events in the coming years, including the 2022 FIFA World Cup, TIR will help speed up supply chains, ensuring the secure and timely delivery of goods to and from the state.

TIR, the only global transit system, allows goods to be shipped from one country to another in sealed load compartments that are controlled by customs via a multilateral, mutually recognised and UN-backed system. 

With Qatar, five out of six Gulf Cooperation Council member states are now running TIR. Transport operators, shippers and business users will benefit from faster, less expensive and more secure trade routes between Qatar and its trading partners in the region and beyond. In addition to moving goods by road, TIR is proven to be an excellent trade facilitation tool for multimodal transports including roll-on roll-off, container shipments and rail. 

IRU worked in close collaboration with Qatar’s Ministry of Transport and Communications, General Authority of Customs and IRU member the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to implement the TIR system in the country.

Minister of Transport and Communications HE Jassim Saif Ahmed Al-Sulaiti, said: 
“Deploying the TIR system in Qatar is a step forward for linking Qatar’s transport system regionally and globally with a view to increasing trade exchange and supporting economic exchange between countries and this will back our work on developing a sustainable land transportation in addition to cementing the relations between Qatar and UN organisations in the field of transport.

“Putting the TIR Convention in motion will support the Ministry’s plans for making Qatar a vital transit point consistent with its strategic location, and in such a way that contributes to supporting the localisation and development of the national industry in the area of logistics services. Transport with the TIR system is one of the most important investment attraction factors in the area of logistics services and all other relevant industries.

“The TIR system supports developing a multimodal transport sector and streamlines the transit of goods, in addition to other preferential features related to facilitating trade, reducing costs and time of freight to and from Qatar. All these are fundamental factors for achieving the Qatar National Vision 2030.”

IRU Secretary General Umberto de Pretto said: 
“IRU congratulates Qatar for achieving this important trade milestone. We are proud to support Qatar in reaching its 2030 National Vision for sustainable trade as well as driving economic and social development. TIR will help drive a successful FIFA World Cup next year. IRU will continue working closely with the Qatari authorities and all TIR users to keep driving trade in the Middle East and beyond.” 

HE Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Jamal, Chairman of the General Authority of Customs, said:
“The activation of international road transport under TIR in the State of Qatar comes within the framework of the importance of developing and strengthening cooperation links between member states in the field of international road transport, and removing restrictions and obstacles in this field, as it aims to facilitate the movement of goods by road to the fullest extent possible, and at the same time maintain security and customs duties for the countries through which the goods transported under this system pass.

“This cooperation between neighbouring countries is conducive to reducing the cost of exports and lowering the price of goods in Qatar, as well as decreasing the time of arrival of imports by up to 92%, and ensuring that goods reach their final destination with the highest security standards. 

“The General Authority of Customs works together with the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, being the TIR guarantor within the State of Qatar, which is responsible for issuing TIR carnets as a guarantee for customs duties and taxes on goods exported from the State of Qatar, as well as a guarantee for customs duties and taxes for goods in transit until their exit from the state’s territory, in accordance with the provisions of the guarantee agreement signed between the two parties in Geneva in 2019. 

“The General Authority of Customs has organised a training programme in cooperation with IRU, within the framework of preparing to activate the TIR Convention in Qatar with the aim to train the agencies involved in handling TIR. 

“The programme included training courses to prepare trainers at the General Authority of Customs, as well as training the employees of FAHES, the company in charge of approving TIR vehicles and issuing certificates of vehicles approval.” 

HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al Thani, Chairman of the Qatar Chamber of Commerce & Industry, said:
“The activation of the TIR system in the State of Qatar will streamline the movement of trade and minimise transport and shipping costs for traders, and facilitate transport of goods and commodities.

“The Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry is the TIR national guaranteeing and issuing association in Qatar and it has worked to raise the awareness of the Qatari private sector about the importance of this system in reducing the cost of exports, ensuring the delivery of goods to final destinations with highest security standards, decreasing the time spent on the delivery of imports, stressing that these benefits will contribute to reducing commodity prices in Qatar.”