How to Fill In a CMR Note: A Box-by-Box Guide

The legal basis of the CMR

The CMR is based on the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (the CMR Convention), signed in Geneva on 19 May 1956. It applies to every contract for the carriage of goods by road for reward where the place of taking over and the place of delivery are in two different countries, at least one of which is a party to the Convention. Turkiye is a party to the Convention (acceded on 2 August 1995).

The Convention defines which information the note must contain; it does not define which box number each item goes in. That is why box numbers differ between CMR forms printed by different suppliers. This guide follows the widely used 2007 model form of the IRU (International Road Transport Union).

Information the CMR must contain

Under Article 6 of the CMR Convention, the note must contain the following:

• The place and date of issue
• The name and address of the sender
• The name and address of the carrier
• The place and date of taking over the goods and the place designated for delivery
• The name and address of the consignee
• The description of the nature of the goods and the method of packing (for dangerous goods, the generally recognised description)
• The number of packages and their special marks and numbers
• The gross weight of the goods or their quantity otherwise expressed
• The charges relating to the carriage
• The instructions required for customs and other formalities
• A statement that the carriage is subject to the CMR Convention notwithstanding any clause to the contrary

Where applicable, further particulars must be added: a prohibition of transhipment, the charges the sender undertakes to pay, the cash on delivery amount, the declared value of the goods, the sender's instructions for insurance, and the agreed time limit for completing the carriage. The parties may add any other particulars they consider useful.

The 24 boxes of the CMR form

The table below summarises what each box of the IRU 2007 model contains and who completes it.

The bottom of the form also has a "non-contractual part reserved for the carrier". The carrier may use it for internal records (customs office, distance covered, and so on); this part is not part of the contract.

Who completes the CMR?

According to the note printed on the form itself, the sender is responsible for boxes 1-5, 9-16, 18 and 22. The boxes framed with heavy lines (6, 7, 8, 17, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24) are completed by the carrier. In practice the note is often prepared by a single party (usually the carrier or the freight forwarder); in that case the party preparing the note is responsible for the accuracy of the information.

How many copies of the CMR are issued?

Under Article 5 of the CMR Convention, the note is made out in at least three original copies, signed by the sender and the carrier (the signature may be printed or replaced by a stamp where national law allows):

• The first copy is handed to the sender
• The second copy accompanies the goods
• The third copy is retained by the carrier

The IRU practical model adds a fourth copy for administrative records. The copies are usually distinguished by colour: red for the sender, blue for the consignee, green for the carrier, black for the administrative record. This fourth copy is a common practice but is not required by the Convention.

Six common mistakes

1. Putting the vehicle plate in the wrong box

The official form has no dedicated box for the vehicle plate. The tractor and trailer plate, the seal number and the TIR carnet number go in box 18. The plate is not written in the carrier's signature area in box 23.

2. Confusing box 3 and box 4

Box 3 is the place and date where the goods were taken over (loaded). Box 4 is the place where the goods are to be delivered. On some older local forms these two boxes are swapped; always read the box heading.

3. Leaving the customs instructions blank

For carriage subject to customs, box 5 must state the instructions required for customs formalities (warehouse name, customs office code, and so on). If this information is missing, the vehicle may be held at the border.

4. Leaving signatures and stamps incomplete

Box 22 (sender) and box 23 (carrier) must be completed with a signature and stamp. Box 24 is signed by the consignee on delivery; it is usually left blank when the note is first issued.

5. Recording a reservation unilaterally

The carrier may note reservations in box 8, such as "packaging damaged", "not counted" or "vehicle received sealed". According to the IRU guide, these reservations are only binding if they are also agreed by the sender.

6. Not following up cash on delivery

If a cash on delivery (COD) amount is entered in box 19 and the carrier delivers the goods without collecting it, the carrier is liable to the sender for that amount.

Cash on delivery (COD) and the carrier's liability

Under Article 21 of the CMR Convention, if a "cash on delivery" charge is to be collected when the goods are delivered to the consignee and the carrier delivers the goods without collecting it, the carrier is liable to compensate the sender up to that amount. The carrier keeps its right of recourse against the consignee. Box 19 should therefore be completed carefully and the delivery instruction passed clearly to the driver.

CMR processes with Dealti Logistics

Dealti Logistics handles the follow-up of transit (T1 / TIR) and CMR processes on international road transport between Turkiye and Central Asia. For the routes we serve and our transport solutions, see the destinations page or use the quote form.

To prepare a CMR note online box by box using this guide and download it as a print-ready PDF, use our CMR generator tool.