Polski 
Deutsch 
Español 
Français 
Italiano 
Nederlands 
Čeština 
Română 
Lietuviškai 
Українська 
Permitra • Waste transport in Europe • 2026–2027
Waste transport across Europe: permits, registrations and documents on your route
Hauling a load from Ireland to Germany, from the Czech Republic to the Netherlands or from Belgium to Italy? Whether your business is based in Ireland, the UK or elsewhere in Europe, we explain why there is no single European permit, what EU law covers and what is left to the law of each country on the route.
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1157
- Country overview
- Legal status: 11.11.2026
The short answer
There is no single permit for the whole of Europe
EU law governs the movement of a specific shipment: Annex VII or prior notification and consent. The carrier’s authorisation comes from the law of each country the load passes through, including countries crossed only in transit.
Neither a Polish BDO entry, an Annex VII document nor a permit from one country automatically covers the whole route.
Three levels
What needs to be kept apart
- Waste: Annex VII or notification?
- Carrier: registration or permit in the countries on the route.
- Documents: DIWASS in 2026 and 2027.
Three levels of requirements that apply independently
Regulation (EU) 2024/1157, applicable from 21 May 2026, sets the rules under which a waste shipment may cross a border. It does not give a carrier the right to transport waste in the Member States. That remains a matter of national law.
Waste and procedure
What exactly is being carried, and whether the shipment falls under Annex VII, notification or a prohibition.
Carrier
Registration or permit in the country of loading, transit and unloading, under the law of each of them.
Documents
Annex VII or notification documents, data exchange in DIWASS and documents that match the load.
Two lorries can carry the same waste under the same Annex VII, yet only the carrier holding every national authorisation required on the route performs the transport lawfully.
Annex VII or notification: the waste decides, not the carrier
Under Article 4 of Regulation 2024/1157, the general information requirements (Article 18, Annex VII document) apply to shipments for recovery of more than 20 kg of waste listed in Annex III or IIIB and of certain mixtures listed in Annex IIIA. The procedure of prior written notification and consent applies, among others, to hazardous waste, waste listed in Annex IV, waste not classified under a single entry in the annexes and all shipments for disposal.
| Procedure | Typical situation | Documents |
|---|---|---|
| Art. 18 / Annex VII | Green-listed waste sent for recovery | Annex VII, contract between the person arranging the shipment and the consignee, data exchange under Article 27 |
| Notification | Hazardous waste, Annex IV, mixtures outside Annex IIIA, disposal | Consents of the competent authorities, movement document, contract, financial guarantee |
Code 15 01 02, or the absence of an asterisk next to a code, does not by itself prove that the shipment can travel under Annex VII. What counts is the Basel/OECD entry, the actual composition, contamination, destination and recovery process.
Read more: Green or amber list? Why the EWC code is not enough and Annex VII 2026/2027: the new form.
DIWASS: different dates for notification and for Annex VII
From 21 May 2026, Article 27 of the Regulation provides for electronic exchange of documents through the Commission’s central system (DIWASS) or systems connected to it, both for notification and for Annex VII. For Annex VII, the Polish environmental inspectorate GIOŚ tolerates a transitional period. This is the authority’s position, not a change in the law.
- 21.05.2026
New Regulation
Notifications in DIWASS; new Annex VII and contract templates.
- 01.01.2027
Annex VII in DIWASS
End of the paper handling of Article 18 shipments tolerated by GIOŚ.
- 21.05.2027
Exports outside the EU
Exporters’ obligations, including showing that the facility abroad manages the waste in an environmentally sound manner (Article 46).
A DIWASS account does not replace national carrier registration. It is a system for exchanging documents, not a transport permit. We cover the details in DIWASS from 2027.
Carrier authorisation in individual countries
Each country has its own system: a registration, a notification or a permit, with its own authority and its own scope. In most countries the obligation also covers foreign companies. Below are the countries where we handle the formalities for carriers.
| Country | System for the carrier | More |
|---|---|---|
| Poland | Entry in the BDO register for waste transport | BDO for carriers |
| Germany | Notification under §53 KrWG; for hazardous waste, a permit under §54 KrWG | Germany |
| Austria | Carrier registration in the Austrian EDM system (AWG 2002) | Austria |
| Czech Republic | Notification of carrier activity before it starts (Act No. 541/2020 Sb.) | Czech Republic |
| Netherlands | Entry on the VIHB list kept by NIWO | Netherlands |
| Belgium | Three regions, three systems: Flanders (OVAM), Wallonia (SPW), Brussels (Bruxelles Environnement) | Belgium |
| Luxembourg | Separate regimes for bringing waste into Luxembourg and for collecting it in Luxembourg | Luxembourg |
| Italy | Entry in the Albo Nazionale Gestori Ambientali, for cross-border transport usually category 6 | Italy |
| Denmark | Entry in the Affaldsregistret when transporting waste for third parties | Denmark |
| Sweden | Permit under the avfallsförordningen (SFS 2020:614) | Sweden |
| Finland | Entry in the waste management register (jätelaki 646/2011) | Finland |
| Romania | National requirements for waste carriers | Romania |
| United Kingdom | Waste carrier registration (Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989), separately in England, Wales and Scotland | – |
| Ireland | Waste collection permit (Waste Management (Collection Permit) Regulations 2007) | – |
In England, SI 2026/873 moves waste carriers from the current registration to the environmental permitting regime. The new rules take effect in July 2027, with transitional periods for businesses already registered.
Switzerland does not require waste carriers to register, but a specific shipment may need BAFU consent. We cover this in Waste transport to Switzerland.
Example: Poland → Germany → Netherlands
A carrier takes waste paper from Poland to a recovery plant in the Netherlands. The same run falls under three legal systems:
BDO entry for waste transport; possibly SENT, depending on the goods.
The notification under §53 KrWG also covers passage as part of a transboundary shipment.
Entry on the VIHB list.
The shipment can travel under Annex VII only if the waste paper meets the green-list conditions. If it contains contamination that rules out such an entry, notification is required, while the carrier’s national authorisations stay the same.
The most common wrong assumptions
“I have BDO, so I can drive anywhere”
BDO is a Polish registration. Other countries apply their own rules to carriers.
Consequence: a penalty in the country where the authorisation is missing.
“I am only driving through this country”
In many countries the obligation also covers transit, for example in Germany and Austria.
Consequence: the vehicle is stopped in the transit country.
“Annex VII is a permit”
Annex VII documents a shipment under the information procedure. It does not give the carrier any national authorisation.
Consequence: a required registration is missing despite a correct document.
“Consent under the notification is enough”
The authorities’ consents relate to the shipment. The carrier named in the notification still needs authorisation in the countries on the route.
Consequence: transport in breach of national law.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a single waste transport permit for the whole EU?
No. Regulation 2024/1157 governs shipments of waste, while the carrier’s authorisation comes from the law of each country on the route.
Does Annex VII replace the carrier’s national permit?
No. Annex VII is a document of the Article 18 information procedure for a specific shipment. It does not replace the carrier’s registration or permit in a country on the route.
Does transit require national registration?
In many countries it does. In Germany the rules expressly cover passage as part of a transboundary shipment, and in Austria registration is needed for any carriage of waste on Austrian territory. The scope depends on the law of the country concerned.
From when must Annex VII be in DIWASS?
Article 27 of the Regulation provides for electronic exchange from 21 May 2026, including for Annex VII. However, the Polish GIOŚ tolerates a paper Annex VII in the new template until 31 December 2026. There is no such tolerance for notification.
Can a company from outside the EU transport waste in the Union?
That depends on the law of each country on the route and on the DIWASS requirements. We cover companies from Ukraine in Waste transport from the EU to Ukraine.