Groupage from İzmir to the Balkans
Balkan markets are relatively small and spread out, and a load for any one of them often will not fill a truck. With groupage (LTL), your cargo is consolidated with other loads heading the same way, so a few pallets for Skopje, Pristina, Tirana, Podgorica or Sarajevo do not need a truck of their own.
Groupage in the Balkans has one twist: every border in the region is also a customs border. When one truck delivers to several countries, each country’s import clearance runs separately, so we plan the drop sequence and the paperwork before loading. Planning of this kind is the Balkan side of our groupage transport service.
Full loads and express to the Balkans
For loads that fill the trailer or must meet a fixed date we run full-truckload transport, with the truck going to one consignee or to the planned drops without transhipment. Because the Balkans are relatively close to İzmir, express minivan and lorry van transport is also a practical option for urgent loads that will not fill a truck.
Balkan countries we serve
| Country | Groupage (LTL) | Full load (FTL) |
|---|---|---|
| Albania | Yes | Yes |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Yes | Yes |
| Montenegro | Yes | Yes |
| Kosovo | Yes | Yes |
| North Macedonia | Yes | Yes |
What the five have in common is that none is in the EU: a truck leaving Türkiye (Turkey) first crosses Bulgaria or Greece, both EU members, and that leg runs under a transit procedure.
North Macedonia
North Macedonia sits at the centre of the lane: trucks enter from Greece at the Evzoni–Bogorodica crossing near Gevgelija, or from Bulgaria on the Kyustendil side. Skopje is also the natural waypoint for trucks continuing to Kosovo and Albania. As North Macedonia is a party to the Common Transit Convention, a T1 transit declaration opened in Türkiye can run all the way there.
Kosovo
Freight for Kosovo usually travels via North Macedonia, crossing at Hani i Elezit (Elez Han). Kosovo is landlocked and not in the EU; it has a free trade agreement in force with Türkiye, and benefiting from it requires a EUR.1 movement certificate or an origin declaration. We can plan deliveries to Pristina or Prizren on the same truck as North Macedonian cargo.
Albania
Two overland routes lead into Albania: through Greece via the Kakavia crossing, or through North Macedonia via the crossings around Lake Ohrid. Tirana and Durrës are the main delivery areas; Durrës, the country’s largest port, can also be considered for sea-linked solutions. Under the Türkiye–Albania free trade agreement, preferential duty may require a EUR.1 movement certificate or an origin declaration.
Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Freight for Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina usually travels through Bulgaria and Serbia. Serbia is outside the EU too, so the transit document for each border crossing on the route (a T1 or, depending on the route, a TIR carnet) is planned from the start. The main delivery areas are Podgorica and the port of Bar in Montenegro, and Sarajevo, Mostar and Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Türkiye has free trade agreements with both countries, and to benefit from them the origin of the goods has to be proven with a EUR.1 movement certificate or an origin declaration.
Documents and customs for the Balkans
- Basic set: commercial invoice, packing list, CMR and export declaration.
- Origin: Türkiye has free trade agreements with all five countries; preferential duty relies on a EUR.1 movement certificate or an origin declaration. The A.TR is not valid in these countries.
- Transit: a T1 (NCTS) or, depending on the route, a TIR carnet when crossing EU members such as Bulgaria, Greece or Croatia.
- At destination: each country’s import declaration is lodged by the consignee or their customs broker; we confirm the consignee’s tax number and import details before loading.
- Vehicle permits: some Balkan countries require bilateral road transport permits for Turkish-registered trucks; these are arranged by the carrier.
- Product-specific: veterinary or phytosanitary certificates for food, plant and animal products.
Preparing origin and transit paperwork is part of our customs clearance service.
Why Multitransport?
- EUR.1 and transit in one place: origin and transit documents are prepared before loading, and for multi-country deliveries each border’s paperwork is planned separately.
- Groupage, full load and express: we compare all three against the size and urgency of your load.
- Linked to our Europe lane: Balkan cargo is planned alongside our Europe lane, which covers neighbouring Serbia and Greece.
- End-to-end tracking: loading, border crossings and delivery are followed from a single operations desk.