Steplane › Guides › CMR consignment note guide
Updated 19 October 2026 · Written by Paul, founder of Steplane, a logistics process specialist with over 13 years in logistics, including at some of the biggest freight forwarders in the world.
In short: On a CMR consignment note, using the common printed layout based on the older IRU model, the sender fills in the parties, places, goods and instructions (boxes 1 to 15), the carrier adds its details and reservations (boxes 16 to 20), sender and carrier sign (boxes 22 and 23) and the consignee signs for receipt (box 24). CMR requires three originals: for the sender, with the goods and for the carrier.
The note does not make the contract, but it proves it. A wrong weight, a missing reservation or an unsigned box 24 is what decides many claims and payment disputes later.
Box numbers follow the common printed layout based on the older IRU model. The IRU 2007 model and some printers number the boxes differently, so check the labels on your form. General information, not legal advice.
The table follows the common printed layout based on the older IRU model. The CMR Convention lists the particulars (art. 6), not box numbers, so the article column shows which rule each box serves.
| Box | What goes in | Who fills it in | CMR art. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sender: name, address, country | Sender | 6(1)(b) |
| 2 | Consignee: name, address, country | Sender | 6(1)(e) |
| 3 | Place of delivery: place, country, opening hours | Sender | 6(1)(d) |
| 4 | Place and date of taking over the goods; many prints add arrival and departure times | Sender, times by the driver | 6(1)(d) |
| 5 | Documents attached: invoice, packing list, export or transit documents | Sender | 6(2)(g), 11 |
| 6 | Marks and numbers on the packages | Sender | 6(1)(g) |
| 7 | Number of packages | Sender | 6(1)(g) |
| 8 | Method of packing: pallets, cartons, drums | Sender | 6(1)(f) |
| 9 | Nature of the goods, in plain words; for dangerous goods their recognised description | Sender | 6(1)(f) |
| 10 | Statistical number; some prints use this box for the UN number | Sender | 6(3) |
| 11 | Gross weight in kg | Sender | 6(1)(h) |
| 12 | Volume in m³ | Sender | 6(3) |
| 13 | Sender's instructions: customs and other formalities, temperature, insurance, declared value | Sender | 6(1)(j), 6(2)(d)-(e) |
| 14 | Instructions for payment of carriage: carriage paid or carriage forward | Sender | 6(2)(b) |
| 15 | Cash on delivery amount | Sender | 6(2)(c) |
| 16 | Carrier: name, address, country, references | Carrier | 6(1)(c) |
| 17 | Successive carriers | Each successive carrier | 34, 35 |
| 18 | Carrier's reservations and observations on taking over | Driver for the carrier | 8, 9 |
| 19 | Special agreements: no transhipment, agreed time limit for carriage | Sender and carrier | 6(2)(a), 6(2)(f) |
| 20 | To be paid by: carriage charges, supplements, duties, split between sender and consignee | Sender and carrier | 6(1)(i) |
| 21 | Established in (place) on (date) | Whoever issues the note | 6(1)(a) |
| 22 | Signature and stamp of the sender | Sender | 5(1) |
| 23 | Signature and stamp of the carrier | Driver for the carrier | 5(1) |
| 24 | Goods received: consignee's signature, stamp, place and date, often arrival and departure times | Consignee | 13, 30 |
The IRU model note from 2007 uses a different order: for example carrier's reservations in box 8, special agreements in box 16 and cash on delivery in box 19. Check the box labels, not only the numbers, when you train drivers and staff.
| Copy | Usually printed as | Who keeps it | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st original | Copy for the sender (often red) | Sender | Needed to change instructions while the goods are moving (art. 12(5)(a)) |
| 2nd original | Copy for the consignee (often blue) | Travels with the goods, handed to the consignee | The consignee is entitled to it on delivery (art. 13(1)) |
| 3rd original | Copy for the carrier (often green) | Carrier | Your signed proof of delivery for the invoice and for claims |
| 4th copy | Administration (often black or white) | Carrier or forwarder office | Not required by CMR; useful for the file |
All copies must say the same. If goods go on several vehicles, or are of different kinds or lots, either party can ask for a separate note for each (art. 5(2)).
At loading the driver must check two things: whether the package count and the marks and numbers match the note, and the apparent condition of the goods and their packaging (art. 8(1)). Whatever the driver does not write in box 18 is presumed fine (art. 9(2)).
| Situation | Weak remark | Better remark |
|---|---|---|
| Pallets loaded by the sender, driver not allowed to check | "Said to contain" | "Loaded and sealed by sender, seal no. 123456. Driver not allowed to count packages." |
| Damaged packaging | "Packaging bad" | "3 of 26 pallets with torn stretch wrap and crushed corner cartons. Photos taken 14:10." |
| Count does not match | "Count?" | "Note says 26 pallets, 25 loaded." |
| Wet or exposed goods | "Wet" | "Bottom row of cartons wet on pallets 4 and 5 before loading." |
The Additional Protocol to CMR on the electronic consignment note (Geneva, 20 February 2008) lets an electronic note replace the paper one. It has the same evidential value, provided it is authenticated in a reliable way, normally by an electronic signature, and the parties agree the procedures, for example how the consignee confirms delivery (arts. 2, 3 and 5). Both countries of the move should be parties to the protocol; check this lane by lane.
| Country | e-CMR protocol status | In force from |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Party (accession 20 December 2019) | 19 March 2020 |
| Netherlands | Party (ratified 7 January 2009) | 5 June 2011 |
| Belgium | Signed 27 May 2008, not ratified | Not in force |
| Luxembourg | Party (accession 26 December 2017) | 26 March 2018 |
| Denmark | Party (accession 28 June 2013); not for the Faroe Islands and Greenland | 26 September 2013 |
| Sweden | Party (ratified 9 March 2020) | 7 June 2020 |
| Norway | Party (ratified 11 June 2020) | 9 September 2020 |
| Finland | Party (ratified 11 January 2019) | 11 April 2019 |
Status from the Dutch government treaty database, last updated August 2026. Check the UN treaty status before you switch a lane to e-CMR.
| Check | When | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Sender, consignee and delivery address match the transport order | Before loading | Sender or forwarder |
| Packages, marks, goods description and gross weight match the packing list | Before loading | Sender |
| Attached documents listed in box 5 and handed to the driver | At loading | Sender |
| Dangerous goods: UN number and description filled in | Before loading | Sender |
| Carrier name and vehicle plate filled in | At loading | Driver |
| Count and condition checked; reservations written in box 18 with grounds | At loading | Driver |
| Boxes 22 and 23 signed and stamped; place and date in box 21 | At loading | Sender and driver |
| Box 24 signed, stamped, dated, with any remarks and the times | At delivery | Consignee |
| Signed copy scanned to the job file | Same day | Carrier or forwarder office |
Ten steps from booking to final invoice: which documents each shipment needs, request emails, checks before the goods move, written instructions for your customs agent or broker, and an Excel register that shows what is missing. EU and US versions.
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The sender fills in the parties, places, goods and instructions. The carrier adds its details and any reservations, both sign, and the consignee signs for receipt at delivery. The sender is liable for wrong or incomplete particulars it gives (art. 7).
Three originals signed by sender and carrier (art. 5): one for the sender, one that travels with the goods to the consignee and one for the carrier. Many printed sets have a fourth copy for the office.
The goods and packaging are presumed to have been in good apparent condition, and the package count and marks correct, when the carrier took them over (art. 9(2)). The carrier then has to prove otherwise.
The contract stays valid even without a note (art. 4), but without box 24 signed you have weak proof of delivery for your invoice and for any claim.
Yes. Both are parties to the 2008 e-CMR protocol: the Netherlands since 2011 and the UK since 19 March 2020. Check that the other country on the lane is a party too.
Belgium signed the protocol in 2008 but is not listed as having ratified it (Dutch treaty database, August 2026). Check the current status before you drop paper on Belgian lanes.
A forwarder that contracts as carrier, or issues the note in its own name, signs as carrier. A forwarder acting only as agent for the sender usually fills it in on the sender's behalf.
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