What is a CEMT permit?

A CEMT permit (also called an ECMT permit) is a multilateral licence that lets a haulier carry goods internationally between the member countries of the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (now the International Transport Forum). CEMT stands for Conférence Européenne des Ministres des Transports.

What a CEMT permit allows

The permit covers cross-border transport between member states, including bilateral and third-country (cross-trade) journeys. Cross-trade is capped rather than open: after the first loaded journey out of the country of establishment, a maximum of three loaded journeys that do not involve that country may follow, after which the vehicle must return there, loaded or empty. It does not allow domestic cabotage, and it cannot be used for transport to or from a non-member state. Within the EU an EU Community licence is already sufficient, so the CEMT permit is mainly useful for journeys involving non-EU CEMT members.

Rules and validity

• The annual permit is valid for one calendar year (1 January to 31 December).
• It is company-specific and valid for one vehicle at a time, though it can be moved between vehicles in the fleet.
• Permits are issued by the vehicle's EURO emission class: the quota now favours the cleanest trucks, so Euro VI takes the larger share overall, but the split is set per country and your national allocation of Euro V and Euro VI licences may look quite different.
• Since 1 January 2026, CEMT permits and logbooks are managed through the ECMT Digital System, replacing the former paper licences.

CEMT permits and route planning

For international hauliers, permits are one more constraint to plan around, alongside tolls and truck restrictions. In the Planner Module from IMPARGO you can plan the international HGV route with per-country toll costs and the full tour cost, so a trip is costed before it starts.