International road haulage permits

‘Own account’ is where either:

• your vehicle is only carrying goods in connection with your own business
• your delivery contents are not for hire or reward

Own account journeys in the EU

You do not need a UK Licence for the Community for own account journeys between the United Kingdom and the European Union if the following conditions apply:

• the goods you’re carrying are your property, or have been sold, bought, let out on hire or hired, produced, extracted, processed or repaired by you
• the journey’s purpose is to carry the goods to or from your premises or to move them for your own requirements
• you employ the drivers, or they’re put at your disposal for your own requirements
• you either own the vehicles carrying the goods, have bought them on deferred terms, or have hired them
• transporting the goods is only to support your main business activity - transporting goods cannot be your main business activity

Own-account operators who are carrying goods for a commercial purpose will still be subject to cabotage and cross-trade rules when operating in the EU.

Extra documents for Cyprus or Hungary

For own account journeys between the UK and Cyprus or Hungary, you must carry documents in the vehicle that show:

• the name and address of the operator
• the operator’s trade or business
• the nature of the goods being carried
• loading and unloading points
• registration number of the vehicle being used
• the route the haulage takes

You may be asked to provide evidence of the ownership of the goods.

Own account journeys in non-EU countries

You must have a bilateral international road haulage permit for own account journeys to some non-EU countries the UK has agreements with - check which non-EU countries you need the permit for.