Ukraine: carriers of perishable food can book a border queue slot without a customs declaration number
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers adopted a resolution that simplifies booking a place in the electronic border queue for road carriers of food products that need special transport conditions. The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, which drafted the changes, announced it on November 9.
Key figures
- Booking without declaration
- Reefers and insulated vans
- Less waiting at the border
- Lower fuel costs
- For martial law period
- Drafted by the ministry
What changed
Until now, a carrier had to enter the customs declaration number to book a slot in the electronic queue, and the declaration is issued only after the truck is loaded. As a result, trucks carrying perishables had to wait for the border crossing already loaded. Now a slot can be booked in advance, without the customs declaration number, for goods exported from Ukraine.
Who it applies to
The simplified procedure covers specialized trucks:
- insulated vans;
- refrigerated trucks;
- ice trucks;
- heated vehicles.
Timing
The changes amend the procedure for the experimental project "Electronic Border Crossing Queue". The new mechanism applies for the period of martial law, but no longer than the experimental project runs.
What it means for buyers
For specialized trucks, waiting at the border means extra spending on fuel and on keeping the temperature, plus the risk of spoiled cargo. Agrarian Policy Minister Taras Vysotskyi noted that when a loaded reefer waits at the border for several days, those costs ultimately hurt the competitiveness of Ukrainian products. The changes will let food producers and exporters plan trips more precisely and cut logistics costs.
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