New Rules for Light Goods Vehicle Operators in Europe

On 21 May 2022, new EU rules came into force requiring users of vans and other light goods vehicles weighing between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes and which transport goods for hire or reward from the UK into, or through the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, to hold an International Operators’ Licence.

If you do not possess this licence, you may now find your business disrupted. You could also face enforcement action, including fines, impounding or being asked to return to the UK, depending on the country that you are stopped in.

Although the rules are now in force, if you need to travel to the EU for hire or reward, you can still apply. To reduce any possible disruption, you should select the interim licence option.

If you already hold an International Operators' Licence for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) you can add extra LGVs to your existing operator licence.

Visit GOV.UK for further information on the new EU rules and what to do next.

You may also need to make posting declarations for journeys to the EU. If you’re transporting goods between two points in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway for commercial purposes, (known as cabotage or cross trade), you must now make a “posting declaration”, which means registering the operator, driver, driver employment details, dates of travel, and the vehicle used. You can access the EU Portal and FAQs now.

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This site contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0
Source - Department for Transport (DfT)

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