A truck from Europe to Iran runs from its loading point in the EU through the Balkans to Kapıkule, crosses Turkey under a transit procedure and enters Iran at the Gürbulak–Bazargan border gate. Because every country on the route is a party to the TIR Convention, the cargo can travel under a single TIR carnet and customs seal from the loading point to the customs office of destination in Iran, without being cleared in the countries in between.
What is the Europe–Turkey–Iran corridor?
The Europe–Turkey–Iran corridor is the road route on which goods loaded in the European Union cross Turkey in transit and are delivered to Iran by truck. The route has two fixed points: trucks enter Turkey at Kapıkule (Kapitan Andreevo on the Bulgarian side) and enter Iran at the Gürbulak–Bazargan border gate. In its assessment of 13 August 2026, the IRU also describes this gate as the strategic link through which road traffic from Europe reaches Iran and, beyond it, Asian markets.
What stages does the route consist of?
| Stage | Point | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Loading in the EU | Factory or warehouse (e.g. Germany, Italy, Hungary) | Loading, export declaration, opening of the transit document, sealing |
| 2. Exit from the EU | Kapitan Andreevo (Bulgaria) | Exit formalities at the EU external border |
| 3. Entry into Turkey | Kapıkule (Edirne) | Acceptance of the transit document, vehicle and driver checks |
| 4. Transit through Turkey | Kapıkule → Gürbulak | Sealed movement along the declared route and within the time limit |
| 5. Exit from Turkey | Gürbulak (Doğubayazıt, Ağrı) | The transit operation is recorded at exit |
| 6. Entry into Iran | Bazargan (Maku, West Azerbaijan province) | Document check and dispatch to the customs office of destination in Iran |
Which European countries do trucks set out from?
The sequence of countries up to Kapıkule depends on the loading point, the truck's country of registration and the availability of transit permits. The rows below are examples only:
| Country of loading | Example sequence of countries | Point to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | Germany – Austria – Hungary – Romania – Bulgaria | Hungarian transit permit, weekend driving bans |
| Hungary | Hungary – Romania – Bulgaria or Hungary – Serbia – Bulgaria | The Serbian option adds two more EU external border crossings |
| Italy | Italy – Slovenia – Croatia – Serbia – Bulgaria | Several external borders; the document chain is built accordingly |
Calendar restrictions on the European leg are summarised in truck driving bans in Europe.
Which transit document is used?
A TIR carnet is the international transit document that allows goods to cross several countries in a customs-sealed load compartment under a single document. According to the UN Treaty Collection, every country on the corridor is a party to the 1975 TIR Convention: Bulgaria acceded in 1977, Hungary ratified in 1978, and Germany, Italy and the European Union ratified in 1982; Iran acceded on 16 August 1984 and Turkey on 12 November 1984.
The alternative is a T1 transit declaration lodged through NCTS. Because Turkey is a party to the Common Transit Convention, a T1 opened in the EU can be used as far as Turkey. Iran is not a party to that convention, so the T1 is discharged at a customs office in Turkey at the latest and a separate transit document is issued for the crossing into Iran. The cost and guarantee comparison of the two options is set out in TIR carnet or T1 for cargo to Iran.
What affects capacity and planning?
- Works at Kapitan Andreevo: According to a report in the Turkish business daily Dünya on 2 September 2026, platform extension and renovation works on the Bulgarian side cut the gate's throughput roughly in half; no completion date has been announced. The causes of waiting are explained in detail in the Kapıkule entry.
- Hungarian transit permits: According to the same report, Turkey is allocated 145,000 Hungarian transit permits a year, and hauliers warned that the quota could run out by mid-October at the latest. For a trip planned with a Turkish-registered truck, permit availability is confirmed before the loading date.
- Congestion at Gürbulak: Queues towards Iran vary with trade volumes and the season; the causes are discussed in why trucks wait at Gürbulak.
Taken together, these factors make a fixed number of days for this lane misleading; the transit time is set in the trip plan according to the route, border congestion and the type of cargo.
What does Voltim Global do on this lane?
On Europe–Iran shipments, Voltim Global coordinates loading on the EU side from its Budapest office. Transit through Turkey, coordination of the Kapıkule and Gürbulak–Bazargan crossings, daily vehicle tracking and delivery are also managed by the company itself; no office or agent in Iran is involved. The scope of the lane is described on the Europe to Iran road freight page. For a quote, send us the loading address, the delivery point in Iran, the type of goods, dimensions and weight, the packaging type and the ready date via the contact page.