Anyone crossing the German border also leaves the VEMAGS procedure behind: every country has its own permit law, its own limits, fees and authorities. This guide sets out the key corridors and shows what matters in cross-border applications.
Do I need a separate permit in every country?
Yes. A German permit under StVO §29 ends at the border. A separate application under the national procedure is required for every transit and destination state – with its own deadlines, conditions and escort rules. The art lies not in the individual application but in the synchronisation: all permits must be valid for the same time window, otherwise the cargo stands at the border. On our international routes we therefore plan backwards from the slowest procedure.
Who is responsible abroad?
The authority landscape is heterogeneous. An overview of the central contacts on the key corridors:
- Poland: Permits for oversize and excess weight on national roads run predominantly via the motorway and road construction directorate GDDKiA; categories I–VII grade dimensions and weights. On the Warsaw lane, Poland is almost always a transit country – the details in the country context apply here by analogy.
- Netherlands: The vehicle authority RDW issues ontheffingen; for recurring traffic there are long-term permits with a defined road network.
- Turkey: Permits are issued by the General Directorate of Highways (KGM); separate weight and time-window conditions apply to the Bosphorus and the bridge crossings. More on this on our Heavy Haulage Turkey page.
- Kazakhstan / Central Asia: The national transport ministries or road committees are responsible; axle load and gross weight limits differ markedly from the EU standard. For the approach to Kazakhstan, the Middle Corridor is the axis relevant to planning.
Which limits apply – and why do they differ?
The EU standard dimensions (2.55 m width, 4.00 m height, 40–44 t) are only the German starting point. Many neighbouring countries set similar but not identical values for permit-free traffic; what matters most are the differing axle load limits. In Central Asia, roads and bridges are often designed for lower axle loads, which is why the same cargo requires a completely different vehicle concept there and in part a different distribution of axle lines. A look at our vehicle fleet shows how axle loads can be reduced by adding lines.
How long do permits abroad take?
As a rough guide: EU neighbouring countries mostly range from a few days up to two or three weeks; for the Turkey and Central Asia corridors you should plan several weeks of lead time, because route approvals, bridge assessments and in part escorts have to be coordinated. Public holidays, election dates and seasonal driving bans can extend procedures further. Anyone planning internationally therefore schedules consistently from the destination country backwards.
Which documents and costs are added?
Each application abroad generally requires a scale drawing of the cargo with dimensions and centre of gravity, the vehicle and axle load diagram, the vehicle documents and often a cargo description. For customs transit outside the EU the T1 transit procedure is added, and in the TIR area the TIR carnet – both must fit the permit planning, so that the border crossing and the approved time window do not drift apart. On the cost side, administrative fees per country, escort vehicles or prescribed escorts, possible bridge assessments and route safeguarding as well as waiting times at the border add up. Because these items vary strongly by corridor, a reliable total price can only be quoted seriously after the feasibility and route survey. Anyone who builds the permit logic into project planning early avoids expensive replanning and keeps the entire transport chain on schedule – particularly on long lanes towards Turkey, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
How Oversize Transports takes over the process
We bundle the permit logic of all the states involved in one place: checking the cargo data, the route and axle load concept, applications to GDDKiA, RDW, KGM or the Central Asian road committees, and coordination of escort and border clearance. After the feasibility study you receive a transparent price picture that itemises permit fees and conditions. For the full scope of services see heavy haulage. Send us dimensions, weight and the lane – we will tell you which permits apply and what a realistic schedule looks like. That keeps the transport chain fully covered from Germany to the destination country, with no surprises at the border.