Step 1. Check whether Annex VII can be used at all

Annex VII is an information document accompanying certain transboundary shipments of waste. It is not a carrier permit and it does not replace the prior written notification and consent procedure. For a typical shipment within the EU, you must determine together: the correct waste entry, the intended treatment, the quantity and the status of the parties involved.

Under Article 4(4) the information procedure in Article 18 covers certain wastes destined for recovery, including waste listed in Annex III, eligible mixtures in Annex IIIA and waste in Annex IIIB, if the quantity exceeds 20 kg. A separate route under Article 4(5) concerns waste expressly destined for laboratory analysis or experimental trials, subject to the conditions set out in that provision; the basic limit is 250 kg unless the competent authorities agree a larger quantity in the specific case.

Also check whether the carrier holds the national registrations required in the country of dispatch, destination and transit. A correctly completed Annex VII does not replace, for example, a Polish BDO registration or the relevant German notification of a carrier’s activity.

Step 2. Distinguish three pieces of information about the waste

Example: if the customer provides only 15 01 02, you know the code from the EU list of waste. You still need a description of the composition, information on contamination, the relevant shipment-classification entry and confirmation of the intended treatment process. Do not add a Basel/OECD code from memory as an automatic equivalent of the EWC code.

Step 3. Complete the new Annex VII field by field

The field names below correspond to the Polish form made available by GIOŚ. Before loading, complete the information that can be established, and complete the fields confirming handover, receipt and recovery at the appropriate time. Do not enter fictitious dates or signatures “in advance”.

Fields 1–4a: who arranges the shipment and what is being shipped?

• 1. Person arranging the shipment. Enter the full company name or name of the person, address, contact person, telephone number and email. This is the entity legally arranging the shipment from the country of dispatch; do not automatically enter the carrier or freight forwarder merely because it prepares the document technically.
• 2. Importer/consignee. Enter the entity in the country of destination to which the shipment is addressed, together with its address and contact details. If the consignee and the facility are different companies, distinguish field 2 from field 7.
• 3. Actual quantity. Enter the actual weight in tonnes (Mg) and, where useful or required in the particular case, also the volume in m³. Reconcile it with the weighing document; do not copy an estimated quantity from the contract if a different amount was loaded.
• 4. Actual date of shipment. Enter the date on which the shipment actually starts; if loading is postponed, correct the document before departure.
• 4a. Container identification number. Enter it when the shipment is made in a container bearing such a number. If not applicable, mark it in accordance with the form/system used instead of inventing a number.

Field 5: every actual carrier

5(a), 5(b), 5(c). Enter the first, second and third carrier in sequence if they take part in the same shipment. The form provides for the name, address, contact details, means of transport, date of handover and signature. If there are more than three carriers, attach the required information on the remaining carriers. The information and handover confirmations must correspond to the actual course of transport.

The person arranging the shipment and the carrier may be different entities. A change of vehicle does not always mean a change of carrier, but you must check that all information and required confirmations still reflect the actual transport.

Fields 6–8: where does the waste leave from and where will it be treated?

• 6. Waste producer. Enter its details and contact information. Where the person in field 1 is neither the original or new producer nor a collector, consult the form note on identifying the appropriate producer or collector.
• 6a. Place where the shipment starts. Enter the exact address of the point from which the waste actually departs and the details of the person responsible for that location. This is an additional field; do not omit it simply because it did not appear on your old form. If the information is the same as in field 1 or 6, the form allows an appropriate cross-reference.
• 7. Recovery facility or laboratory. Select the appropriate option and provide the name, address, contact details and actual place to which the waste is delivered. The consignee’s office address does not replace the facility address.
• 8. Recovery operation (R code) or, in the special case under Article 4(5), disposal operation (D code). Enter the operation that the facility will actually perform. If you enter R12 or R13, check the form notes on additional information concerning the subsequent facility and the planned recovery.

Fields 9–11: description, codes and countries

• 9. Common name of the waste. Describe what the material actually is, for example a specified type of waste packaging after sorting; the description must match the actual material and the classification applied.
• 10. Identification codes. Complete the relevant subfields: (i) Annex IX entry of the Basel Convention, (ii) OECD code if different, (iii) appropriate code or codes for a mixture in Annex IIIA, (iv) BEU code for Annex IIIB, (v) EU list of waste code (EWC/LoW), (vi) national code and (vii) other – according to the actual case. The code in field 10(v) alone does not establish that the waste qualifies for the Article 18 procedure.
• 11. Countries concerned. Enter the country of dispatch, all countries of transit and the country of destination. Check consistency with both the planned route and the route actually taken.

Fields 12–15: declarations, receipt and recovery

• 12. Declaration by the person arranging the shipment and the producer. Confirms that the information is complete, that a written contract has been concluded with the consignee and, where required, with the facility, and that the arrangements required in the special case under Article 4(5) have been provided. The form provides for names, dates and signatures. Consult the note concerning the signature of the producer or collector where the person arranging the shipment is a different entity.
• 13. Receipt by the consignee. The consignee completes this field after receiving the shipment, if it is not also the facility. It enters the name, date and signature.
• 14. Receipt by the recovery facility or laboratory. The facility/laboratory enters the quantity actually received, name, date and signature. Confirmation of receipt should be sent to the person arranging the shipment within the period laid down in Article 18; the provision specifies two working days from receipt.
• 15. Confirmation of completed recovery. This is a new, separate stage after the waste has been delivered. The relevant facility confirms completion of recovery and the quantity; the form distinguishes preparation for re-use or recycling from another form of recovery. Under Article 18, confirmation must be provided as soon as possible, no later than 30 days after completion of recovery and no later than one year after receipt of the waste.

Step 4. Conclude the proper contract before departure

Under Article 18(10), a written contract is required between the person who arranges the shipment and the consignee. If the consignee is not the operator of the facility, the contract must also be signed by the operator of the facility. The contract must be concluded and effective no later than when the Annex VII document is completed and must remain effective until the recovery certificate referred to in Article 18(9) is issued.

Ensure that it includes at least the details of the person arranging the shipment, the consignee and the facility, the persons representing the parties, a description of the waste and identification codes, the quantity, recovery operation and period of validity. It must also include the commitments required by the rules in case the shipment or treatment does not proceed as planned. If waste is shipped between two facilities belonging to the same legal person, the rules allow the contract to be replaced by an appropriate declaration by that legal person.

A commercial contract with the customer does not always meet these conditions. Compare the parties, waste scope, quantities and facility in that contract with the information entered in Annex VII. At the request of an inspection authority, the person arranging the shipment or the consignee must produce a copy of the relevant contract.

Step 5. Use the correct procedure: 2026 vs 2027

If the document cannot be shown online during transport, make sure the participants have arranged access to the required information by another legally permitted means. Do not plan a shipment on the basis of a blank form on the assumption that missing information will be added after departure.

Annex VII before loading – checklist to copy

Before accepting the first shipment, go through these points one by one:

• ☐ I have an exact description, composition and the correct EWC/LoW code for the waste.
• ☐ I have the correct Basel/OECD entry or appropriate classification under Annex IIIA/IIIB; I have checked contamination and the intended process.
• ☐ I have confirmed that the Article 18 procedure, not PIC notification, applies to this shipment.
• ☐ I know the person arranging the shipment, the consignee, the producer, the starting point and the actual facility.
• ☐ I have a valid written Article 18 contract consistent with the parties and the waste shown on the form.
• ☐ I have entered the correct R code and the countries of dispatch, transit and destination.
• ☐ I have checked the actual weight, date and details of all actual carriers before departure.
• ☐ I am using the new Annex VII form and the procedure applicable on the shipment date (paper/DIWASS).
• ☐ I have checked the carrier’s required national authorisations/registrations and how receipt and recovery will be confirmed.

Common mistakes when completing Annex VII

How can Permitra help before the first shipment?

We can check the waste classification and the applicable procedure for the stated route, review a prepared Annex VII and determine which national carrier registrations should additionally be verified. For regular shipments, it is also worth establishing a data-exchange process with the person arranging the shipment, the driver, the consignee and the facility, including for DIWASS.

Do you have a shipment and are unsure whether Annex VII can be used?

Send us the EWC/LoW code, description and composition of the waste, the intended process and the countries of loading, transit and unloading. We will identify which classification and document elements need to be confirmed before departure.

FAQ – Annex VII in 2026 and 2027

Official sources and form

1. Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 – Article 4, Article 18 and Annex VII
2. GIOŚ – current Polish Annex VII form (PDF)
3. GIOŚ – transitional period until 1 January 2027
4. GIOŚ – rules for shipments of green-listed waste and the contract
5. European Commission – DIWASS and document exchange