Logistics

The CMR waybill explained: meaning, contents and retention

8 July 2026 · 12 min read · DeSnipperaar

A CMR waybill is the international transport document for the carriage of goods by road between countries. It proves which goods were handed over, who the sender and consignee are and under what conditions the transport takes place. The waybill travels with the shipment and is signed by several parties. Afterwards you keep it, because the tax authority and the CMR Convention each set their own period.

Want to check quickly whether you have this in order? Can you answer yes to each of these?

• Do you know the difference between a CMR and a domestic waybill?
• Do you know exactly which data is on a CMR waybill?
• Do you know who signs and who keeps which copy?
• Do you know how long you must keep CMR waybills?
• Do you know what to do with the paperwork after that period?

If you hesitate on any of these, the sections below explain what a CMR waybill is, what is on it and how long you must keep it before destroying it confidentially.

What is a CMR waybill?

A CMR waybill is the consignment note that belongs to the international carriage of goods by road. It accompanies the shipment from the loading address to the unloading address and records the agreements between sender, carrier and consignee. The document proves that the carrier received the goods in the described condition and quantity, and that they must be delivered to the named consignee. In the event of damage or loss, the CMR is the central piece of evidence, because it states in black and white what was handed over. The CMR waybill is therefore at once a transport document, proof of the contract of carriage and a part of your administration.

What does CMR mean?

The abbreviation CMR comes from French. It stands for Convention relative au contrat de transport international de Marchandises par Route, in other words the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road. That convention dates from 1956 and has been signed by almost every European country. The waybill that belongs to it took the same name, which is why everyone in the sector talks about the CMR or the CMR waybill. Anyone searching for the meaning of CMR therefore always ends up at this convention, which lays the basis for the liability and the evidential value of the document.

The CMR Convention for international road transport

The CMR Convention governs the rights and obligations in cross-border road transport. Among other things, it determines when the carrier is liable for loss or damage, how high that liability can be at most and within what period a claim must be brought. The convention applies as soon as the place of taking over and the place of delivery lie in two different countries, at least one of which is party to the convention. For your administration this means that a trip to Germany, Belgium or France falls under the CMR, while a trip within the Netherlands does not. The broader context of transport administration is in our pillar on logistics and transport.

What is on a CMR waybill?

A CMR waybill contains a fixed set of fields. The most important are:

• Sender: the name and address of the party offering the goods.
• Consignee: the name and address of the recipient of the shipment.
• Carrier: the name and details of the transport company.
• Place and date of taking over of the goods.
• Place designated for delivery, the unloading address.
• Description of the goods: nature, number of packages, marks and numbers.
• Gross weight and where relevant the volume.
• Method of packing and indication of dangerous goods.
• Charges and payment arrangements for the transport.
• Instructions for customs formalities and attached documents.
• Signature and stamp of the sender and the carrier.
• Signature of the consignee on delivery, often with date and time.

Because of this fixed layout, a CMR is recognisable anywhere in Europe. An inspector, an insurer or a client sees at a glance what was carried and by whom it was signed off.

The copies: who gets which sheet?

A CMR waybill consists by default of three original copies, often in different colours. The first copy is for the sender and stays behind at the loading address. The second copy travels with the goods and is intended for the consignee, who receives it on delivery. The third copy the carrier keeps. In practice four or more copies are often used, for example an extra sheet for the administration or for customs. Each of those copies is legally valid, and precisely because of this several copies with the same data circulate after a trip. That matters for clearing out later, because every copy contains the same personal data.

Who signs the CMR?

The CMR waybill is signed at two moments. At loading the sender and the carrier sign. With this the sender confirms what they hand over and the carrier confirms that they received the goods in the described condition. At unloading the consignee signs for receipt. That last signature is crucial, because it establishes that the shipment was delivered. A driver who leaves without a signature lacks the proof of a correct delivery. Because the names and signatures of people end up on the document, the CMR is not only a transport record but also a carrier of personal data. More on that below.

The difference with a domestic waybill

Not every waybill is a CMR. For transport that stays entirely within the Netherlands, you use a domestic waybill, also called the national waybill. It falls under national law and under the general carriage conditions, not under the CMR Convention. The CMR is reserved for trips where the goods cross a border. In content the documents resemble one another, but the legal basis differs. With it the liability rules and the claim periods differ too. For the retention obligation that distinction matters little, because both kinds of waybill belong to your administration and so fall under the same tax period. The practical handling of all those document flows is in our pillar on logistics and transport.

How long must you keep a CMR waybill?

Here two periods run alongside each other. The CMR Convention has a short liability period, while the tax authority imposes a much longer retention obligation. For your administration the tax period of 7 years is leading in almost all cases. The table below sets out the most important periods.

Document	Period	Basis
CMR waybill (administrative)	7 years	Tax retention obligation
CMR waybill linked to real estate or long-term contract	up to 10 years	Extended tax period
Liability for loss or damage	1 year	CMR Convention
Liability in case of intent or gross negligence	3 years	CMR Convention
Domestic waybill	7 years	Tax retention obligation
Accompanying customs documents	7 years	Union Customs Code

The short CMR period of 1 year concerns the ability to hold each other liable, not the retention obligation. For clearing out your archive you keep to the tax period of 7 years.

The 7-year tax retention obligation

A CMR waybill is part of your business administration. It belongs with the invoice for the transport order, proves that the trip was carried out and underpins the turnover. With that it falls under the tax retention obligation, which in the Netherlands is seven years. That period starts to run after the end of the financial year in which the trip took place. So a CMR from 2026 you keep until the end of 2033. For most transport companies this is the practical rule on which the whole archive turns. How that period works exactly and when it rises to ten years is in the 7-year tax retention obligation.

The CMR liability period

Besides the tax period, the CMR Convention has its own period for holding parties liable. The main rule is that a claim becomes time-barred after one year. In case of intent or gross negligence that period rises to three years. This period is not about how long you must keep the document, but about the time in which a sender or consignee can bring a claim for loss, damage or delay. It is precisely in that period that the CMR is your most important piece of evidence, because it shows the condition of the goods on receipt. Because the tax period is much longer, you keep the CMR well beyond the moment when a claim is still possible.

When does a longer period apply?

In some cases you keep a CMR longer than seven years. If the shipment relates to real estate, for example the transport of building materials for a project, the tax period can rise to ten years. The same applies to documents that belong to a long-term contract or an ongoing dispute. If a legal procedure about damage is running, you keep the related CMR until that case is fully concluded, regardless of the tax period. The rule of thumb is simple. You look at the longest applicable period for a document, and only after that does destruction come into view. An overview of common periods is in the GDPR retention periods cheatsheet.

Personal data on the CMR

A CMR waybill looks like a purely commercial document, but it carries personal data. The name of the driver, their signature, the name and signature of the consignee and sometimes a contact person at the sender or recipient. For a sole trader the business details fall under the GDPR too. That data makes the CMR a document you may not simply throw in with the waste paper. As long as you keep the waybill you protect that data, and as soon as the retention period has passed you destroy it in a way that makes it illegible. How to handle driver data in a fleet we describe separately, because it also plays a role with tachograph data and driving hours.

The CMR and the GDPR

Because there is personal data on the CMR, the GDPR applies alongside the tax retention obligation. That law asks for storage limitation, you do not keep personal data longer than needed. The tax period determines how long is needed, after which you must clear the data out. The GDPR also asks for appropriate measures to protect the data while you hold it, and for demonstrable destruction afterwards. A box full of old CMR waybills standing in a corridor years after the period is therefore not just untidy but also a GDPR risk. The keystone of careful handling of these documents is a certificate of destruction with which you can prove the clearing-out.

Confidential destruction after the retention period

As soon as the seven years have passed, the CMR may go. Because of the personal data on it, simply throwing it away is not an option. You have the waybills shredded confidentially at DIN level P-4 or P-5, the level that suits documents with personal data. With it you receive a certificate of destruction with date, quantity and level, so you can show at an inspection that it was done properly. Because several copies of the same CMR circulate after a trip, you ideally clear out the whole set at once. What that costs, with a fixed price per box or roll container, is in archive destruction cost.

The digital CMR (e-CMR)

More and more transport companies work with the electronic variant, the e-CMR. That is the same waybill, but created and signed digitally under an additional protocol to the convention. The e-CMR saves paper and makes data quicker to share, but it does not change the retention obligation. Digital waybills too you keep for seven years, and the GDPR applies to them as well. The difference lies in the way of clearing out. A paper CMR you destroy by shredding, a digital CMR by erasing the files irreversibly or destroying the data carrier. Many companies have a mixed form, with old trips on paper and new trips digital. For the old paper flow physical destruction remains the designated route.

How to clear out your CMR archive

1. Sort per financial year and find the CMR waybills older than seven years.
2. Check for exceptions, such as ongoing disputes or shipments linked to real estate.
3. Gather all copies, including the copies for administration and customs.
4. Have it collected sealed and destroyed at DIN P-4 or P-5.
5. Keep the certificate of destruction in your administration.

With this fixed rhythm your archive stays clear and you meet both the tax retention obligation and the GDPR. You destroy nothing too early and keep nothing too long.

Frequently asked questions

What does CMR mean?

CMR stands for the French Convention relative au contrat de transport international de Marchandises par Route, the convention for international carriage of goods by road. The waybill that belongs to that convention is therefore called the CMR waybill.

What is a CMR waybill?

A CMR waybill is the international transport document for the carriage of goods by road between countries. It records which goods were handed over, who sender and consignee are and under what conditions the transport takes place.

How long must I keep a CMR waybill?

In practice seven years, because the CMR is part of your tax administration. The liability period under the CMR Convention is shorter, one year and three years in case of intent or gross negligence, but the tax period is leading.

Is there personal data on a CMR waybill?

Yes. The name and signature of the driver and the consignee are personal data. That is why the CMR falls under the GDPR and you destroy it confidentially after the retention period.

What do I do with CMR waybills after the retention period?

You destroy them confidentially by shredding at DIN P-4 or P-5, with a certificate of destruction as proof. Gather all copies of the same trip and clear them out at once.

Conclusion

The CMR waybill is the beating heart of international road transport. It proves which goods were handed over, who sender and consignee are and that the shipment was delivered correctly. For the retention period the practical rule of seven years applies, not the short liability period from the CMR Convention. Because names and signatures are on it, CMR waybills fall under the GDPR and you destroy them confidentially afterwards, with a certificate as proof. That way you keep your transport archive in order, watertight for tax and compliant with the GDPR.

See also: dive into our pillar on logistics and transport, and read about destroying transport documents after retention, about driver data and the GDPR in the fleet and about customs and forwarding documents retention and destruction.

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Transport archive ready for clearing out? Request a quote via desnipperaar.nl. We collect sealed within 20 km of Amsterdam and you receive a certificate of destruction as proof.