Tajikistan has approved a draft agreement introducing a single electronic transit permit for road freight carriers operating across member states of the TRACECA transport corridor. The system is intended to simplify transit procedures and reduce paperwork, but its implementation will depend on the agreement’s signing and ratification by participating countries.
President Emomali Rahmon signed Decree No. 625 on September 8, 2026, approving the draft agreement on the TRACECA Single Transit Permit (STP). The document has been published in the Ministry of Justice’s official legal information database.
Under the decree, Tajikistan’s transport minister is authorized to sign the agreement on behalf of the government. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been instructed to coordinate with Central Asian countries on the date and venue for the signing.
How will the single permit work?
The proposed system would allow international road freight carriers to transit through several participating countries using one electronic permit instead of obtaining separate national transit permits for each country along their route.
The permit would apply to transit journeys through at least two member states, or through one member state involving maritime transport. Regular bilateral transport and shipments to third countries would continue to require the relevant permits unless international agreements provide otherwise.
According to the draft agreement, permits would be issued exclusively in electronic form through a dedicated information system. Carriers would apply to the competent authority in the country where their vehicles are registered.
Once approved, each permit would receive a unique number and barcode and include details of the vehicle, route and validity period.
A permit would cover a single trip, including both the outward and return journeys. A vehicle could enter the territory of each participating country no more than twice during that trip.
Permits could be used from January 1 of the relevant year until January 31 of the following year. Participating countries would also establish permit quotas, with equal numbers allocated to each party.
Border authorities and other relevant agencies would be able to verify permits through a shared electronic system.
However, the single permit would not exempt carriers from mandatory fees or compliance with the customs and transport regulations of the countries they cross.
When will the system take effect?
Approval of the draft agreement by Tajikistan does not mean the new system will be introduced immediately.
Under the agreement, it will enter into force 30 days after Azerbaijan, acting as the depositary, receives the fourth notification that a signatory country has completed the necessary domestic procedures.
For countries completing these procedures later, the agreement will take effect 30 days after their respective notifications are received.
The start of practical implementation will therefore depend on the signing of the agreement and the completion of the required procedures by participating states.
What is TRACECA?
TRACECA, or Transport Corridor Europe–Caucasus–Asia, is an international program established in 1993 on the initiative of the European Union to develop transport links and trade between Europe and Asia. Tajikistan was among the eight countries involved in its establishment.
In 1998, participating countries signed the Basic Multilateral Agreement on International Transport for Development of the Europe–Caucasus–Asia Corridor in Baku.
According to the program’s official website, its transport network covers 14 countries: Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, Iran, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania and Bulgaria.
TRACECA promotes the development of road, rail and maritime transport and the simplification of international transport procedures.