BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 11. The expansion of digital transit along the Middle Corridor could make cross-border freight transport faster, less costly and more secure, as eTIR links countries along the route and opens the way for wider regional integration.
The International Road Transport Union’s (IRU) TIR and Transit System Director, Tatiana Rey-Bellet, said this in an exclusive interview with Trend, during which she described the implementation of eTIR across the Middle Corridor, its practical benefits for transport operators and businesses, and prospects for extending digital transit along the China-Europe route.
"An important bottleneck along the Middle Corridor between China and Europe is set to be eased with fully digital TIR operations across the Caspian Sea between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan and on to Uzbekistan," she said.
According to Rey-Bellet, the development also creates circumstances for extending digital transit to the full length of the Middle Corridor.
"With this piece in place, the conditions are now set for the extension of digital transit to the full length of the corridor connecting China and Europe," Rey-Bellet said.
The transition to eTIR is expected to eliminate the need for paper transit documentation for goods moving through the corridor. Rey-Bellet said this could reduce delays and opportunities for document loss or fraud, while making border crossings faster and more predictable for transit countries along the route.
"With eTIR, the goods moving through the corridor will no longer require paper transit documentation. This means fewer delays, fewer opportunities of document loss or fraud, and faster, more predictable border crossings for all transit countries en route," she noted.
"The TIR system harmonises and significantly improves the efficiency and security of trade. eTIR extends these benefits even further," Rey-Bellet said.
One of the main advantages of eTIR is faster border processing, as the system replaces physical paperwork with real-time data exchange. This allows customs authorities to process shipments before trucks arrive at the border, potentially making crossings faster for transport operators.
The digital format also reduces costs for operators by eliminating the need to print, physically handle or mail paper TIR carnets.
At the same time, eTIR is designed to strengthen the security of transit operations through direct and secure communication between national customs systems. According to Rey-Bellet, this helps prevent fraud, false declarations and cargo tampering.
Another benefit is the ability to conduct transit procedures with fewer physical interactions between drivers and customs officers. Rey-Bellet said this contactless approach can help keep both groups safe during transit and in emergency situations.
"Already today, South-East Asian countries are considering TIR to build intermodal connections to Europe via the Middle Corridor as an alternative to purely maritime routes," she said.
According to Rey-Bellet, the potential of eTIR extends beyond the Middle Corridor, with digital transit able to link trade partners through combinations of road, sea and rail transport.
"Beyond the Middle Corridor, eTIR has great potential to link trade partners through an efficient combination of road, sea and rail transport," she said.
Rey-Bellet said the successful use of eTIR on a multimodal route combining road and maritime transport demonstrates that digital transit can operate across different modes and borders within a single framework.
"The successful use of eTIR across a multimodal route combining road and maritime transport demonstrates that digital transit can work seamlessly across different modes and borders under one trusted framework," she said.
According to her, countries can benefit from eTIR through the eTIR National Application developed by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), which can be used either as a standalone solution or integrated into national systems.
"To enable countries to benefit from eTIR without delay, UNECE has developed the eTIR National Application, a UN open-source tool that allows customs authorities to use eTIR easily and quickly – either as a standalone solution or integrated into national systems," Rey-Bellet said.
According to her, the application provides customs administrations with a cost-free and practical way to begin implementing digital transit procedures.
"Furthermore, with the transition to eTIR, the intermodal nature of the TIR Convention opens new opportunities for all actors across the supply chain," Rey-Bellet added.
"This year, the ambition is to extend the use of eTIR to Türkiye, Georgia and Kazakhstan, on the one hand, and to promote greater participation of transport operators through awareness-raising, capacity-building and practical training, on the other," she said.
According to Rey-Bellet, the next priority for countries and corridors where eTIR is already operational is to scale up its use and make it standard practice.
"For eTIR operational countries and corridors, the next priority is scaling up eTIR operations and making them standard practice," she said.
She observed that eTIR is increasingly linking national systems into regional transport corridors.
"Recent developments demonstrate that eTIR is evolving from individual national implementations towards interconnected regional transport corridors, delivering tangible benefits in terms of efficiency, security and transparency for international transit operations," Rey-Bellet said.
Building on the first successful eTIR operations, IRU will continue working with the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) to support customs administrations in expanding the operational eTIR network, she said.
"We are glad, together with UNECE, to continue supporting countries in selecting the implementation approach best suited to their national circumstances, whether through the deployment of the eTIR National Application or through direct integration of national customs systems with the international eTIR system," Rey-Bellet noted.
She added that the expansion of eTIR could bring operational benefits as more countries become part of the system.
"As more countries become eTIR operational, the system is expected to contribute to faster border crossing procedures, improved transparency, strengthened risk management, reduced administrative burden and enhanced competitiveness of international transport corridors, including the Middle Corridor," Rey-Bellet said.
"The digitalisation of transit is a critical first step. eTIR is now available to all countries in the region and along the corridor," she said.
She noted that the digitalization of consignment notes is also advancing, with countries in the region preparing for bilateral and multilateral pilot operations involving eCMR, the global standard for electronic consignment notes.
"Digitalisation of other transport and commercial documents – including e-CIM/SMGS, e-permits, e-visas, etc.– should follow suit," she added.
Turning to the Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan eTIR pilot, Rey-Bellet said that "pilot operations are very important to identify and address potential technical irregularities."
According to Rey-Bellet, the key indicators for the pilot are the smooth operation of the system and effective information exchange among all participants, alongside clear benefits for customs and logistics operators.
"Key indicators are smooth operations and information exchange among all players involved, with clear benefits for customs and logistics operators. As a result, without costly investments, eTIR allows customs and transport companies to significantly improve the security and efficiency of operations," Rey-Bellet concluded.
For reference, the International Road Transport Union (IRU) is the World Road Transport Organisation, representing the interests of the road transport sector and working on trade facilitation, transit, customs procedures and the digitalisation of international road transport.
IRU is closely associated with the TIR system, an international customs transit system established under the UN TIR Convention. Its electronic counterpart, eTIR, enables customs authorities to exchange transit data electronically, including guarantee information, while supporting advance cargo information and real-time data exchange.
The latest development marks another step in the gradual expansion of eTIR across Central Asia. In particular, in July 2026, eTIR operations were carried out for the first time across the Caspian Sea - between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, and onward to Uzbekistan - linking all three countries through a single digital transit procedure, while the first eTIR transport operation between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan had been carried out back in December 2022.
The development forms part of wider efforts to digitalise transport along the Middle Corridor, which links China and Central Asia across the Caspian Sea with the South Caucasus, Türkiye and Europe. IRU has previously called for accelerated digitalisation of transport and trade in Central Asia as transit volumes along the region's international corridors continue to grow.
