Transporting imported goods

Published by:

Netherlands Chamber of Commerce, KVK

Statistics Netherlands, CBS

2 min read

Do you import goods? You can have your supplier arrange the transport of goods from abroad. Or you can arrange it yourself. For example, through a forwarding agent. You will have to deal with transport documents, delivery conditions, rules concerning safety and packaging requirements etc. Read here about arranging the transport of goods from abroad.

Arrange transport yourself or have it done

There are several differnt ways of arranging transportation:

If you let a forwarding company (Fenex, in Dutch) arrange the transport, they will arrange everything for you: transport documents, insurance and customs procedures.

You choose a mode of transport and find a carrier (transporter) to transport your products for you. The carrier then provides the transportation documents. Carriers also have the permits needed to transport goods. You arrange your own transport insurance if it is needed. Are you importing from outside the EU? Ask if the carrier can also take care of customs matters for you.

You will have to arrange everything yourself.

You must have a trip authorisation (in Dutch) for some countries. And you must be able to prove that the goods you are transporting belong to you.
You must buy or rent your own means of transportation. This means it can be more expensive to transport goods yourself than to have them transported.
If you are importing goods from outside the EU, you must declare the goods to customs yourself. Or you can enlist the help of a customs broker.

Check the rules for safety, health, economy and environment

When you are transporting imported goods you have to observe the rules and regulations concerning safety, health, economy, and environment (VGEM). For example, when you are transporting waste or hazardous substances.

There are also specific rules for transporting the following products:

When you are transporting foodstuffs for human or animal consumption, you must work according to the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP). The HACCP charts the safety risks when dealing with food or drink.

When you import plants or plant-based products from outside the EU, the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) will inspect the shipment. You must have a phytosanitary transport document to transport the goods from the outer border of the EU to the inspection location. You must have a plant passport to transport certain plants and plant-based products within the EU.

In many cases, the transport of live animals requires a carrier’s licence from the NVWA. A veterinary document is required for the import of live animals or animal products.

When transporting protected animal or plant species (or parts thereof), you must comply with the rules specified in CITES. You may need a CITES permit and/or certificate.

In many cases, you cannot import cultural objects, such as antiques or art. You must comply with the exporting country’s rules.

Check the packaging requirements

The transporting or expedition company may have special packaging requirements, depending on the mode of transport. Discuss this beforehand.

Check the requirements for packaging in the Netherlands. Also check the rules applying to wood products such as wooden pallets. As an importer you may also have to deal with rules about packaging waste and the waste management fee.

ICC Incoterms® - international delivery conditions

For international transport, make use of the ICC Incoterms®. These are international standards for goods transport, to cover for instance:

Who arranges the transport from where to where
Who is responsible for transport insurance, licences, documents, and customs procedures
At what point the transport liability transfers from seller to buyer.