Experience Sharing Meeting for the Operationalization of the TIR System in Iraq

Event Details: An experience sharing meeting was held in Ankara on 9 September 2024, followed by a field visit to the Ankara Customs Office and Logistics Base on 10 September 2024. This event was organized at the invitation of the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye to assist Iraqi authorities and private sector stakeholders in implementing the TIR Convention.

Current Status: The Iraqi delegation reported that the authorization agreement between the competent authorities and an association is expected to be signed soon, and the country is mostly ready to implement the TIR Convention. There is also an intention to use vehicle tracking devices for transports under a transit procedure.

Discussions and Recommendations: During the meeting, participants made several presentations on the TIR System, including its overview, roles and responsibilities of competent authorities, the guarantee chain, electronic tools, and trade facilitation solutions. The following recommendations were made to the Iraqi authorities for effective implementation of the TIR System and eTIR:

1. Authorize an association and integrate it into the guarantee chain as soon as possible.
2. Identify and publish a list of customs offices for TIR operations, with a recommendation to authorize as many customs offices as possible and conduct import/export procedures at inland customs offices.
3. Complete the training of customs personnel for TIR procedures and authorization processes.
4. Implement national legislation regarding transit routes, time-limits for TIR operations, and trade facilitation mechanisms.
5. Share and keep up-to-date the list of authorized customs offices, customs stamps and seals, and authorized holders with the TIRExB.
6. Consider interconnecting Iraq's customs systems with the eTIR international system and using the eTIR National Application.
7. Implement electronic control systems as foreseen in Annex 10 of the TIR Convention and encourage the use of other electronic tools such as AskTIRWeb and TIR-EPD.

Field Visit: On the second day, a field visit to the Ankara Customs Office and Logistics Base was conducted to study the organization and demonstrate the accomplishment of TIR procedures and related processes.

List of participants: