CMR Consignment Note

The CMR consignment note is the standard document of cross-border road freight in Europe. CMR stands for the French Convention relative au contrat de transport international de marchandises par route — the 1956 convention on the contract for international carriage of goods by road, which more than 50 states have joined. The note documents the transport contract, the takeover of the goods, and their delivery — and is the central evidence in any dispute.

Not here for background but for a fillable form? A free CMR consignment note template with a field-by-field guide is available in our templates section.

When does the CMR apply?

The CMR applies mandatorily whenever the place of takeover and the place of delivery lie in two different states and at least one is a CMR contracting state — in practice, every truck transport from Germany to another European country and back. It governs the transport contract, liability, and evidence; deviating agreements to the detriment of the CMR are largely void. It can also cover the domestic leg of an international transport when the goods are not transloaded.

Structure: the key fields

The CMR consignment note is a standardised form with numbered fields, including:

• Fields 1–2: sender and recipient with addresses
• Fields 3–4: delivery and takeover locations (with date)
• Field 5: attached documents
• Fields 6–12: marks, number of packages, packaging type, description of goods, gross weight
• Field 13: sender's instructions (e.g. customs handling)
• Fields 16–17: carrier and successive carriers
• Field 18: carrier's reservations and remarks
• Fields 22–24: signatures of sender, carrier, and recipient

The copies and their colours

Three originals are issued, traditionally distinguished by colour:

• Red (copy 1): stays with the sender as proof of handover.
• Blue (copy 2): accompanies the goods and is handed to the recipient on delivery — with the recipient's signature, the core of the proof of delivery.
• Green (copy 3): kept by the carrier for its records and invoicing.

In practice, CMR blocks often include a fourth and further black copies for administration, customs, or successive carriers. Legally decisive are the three originals bearing the signatures of sender and carrier.

Liability under Article 23 CMR

The CMR caps the carrier's liability for loss or damage at 8.33 special drawing rights (SDR) per kilogram of gross weight (Article 23 CMR) — currently around €10 per kilo. For valuable goods, declare the value (field 6/special agreement) or arrange cargo insurance. For late delivery, liability is limited to the amount of the freight charge; the caps only fall away in cases of wilful misconduct or equivalent fault.

Crucial in practice: reservations at takeover and delivery (field 18 or the receipt) are the central evidence in a claim — always document visible damage before signing, and report damage that is not externally visible in writing within seven days — most easily with a ready-made liability notice template.

Difference to the national consignment note

Domestic German transports use the consignment note under § 408 HGB, where the document is optional. The CMR consignment note, by contrast, is practically indispensable in international traffic: without it, border handling, inspections, and claims become considerably harder. The liability regimes differ too: domestic transports follow the HGB limits, international ones the CMR. Either way, the commissioning of the transport itself is recorded in a transport order — available as a free template.

eCMR: the digital CMR

The additional protocol to the CMR permits the electronic consignment note (eCMR) — ratified by Germany, with roll-out progressing across Europe. Three carbon copies become digital records with electronic signatures. Combined with digital proof of delivery, the entire international transport is documented paperlessly — from takeover to signed delivery.

Sources

• CMR Convention of 1956 (UNECE)
• Additional protocol on the eCMR (UNECE)