How to fill out a transboundary movement document
These accompany a shipment of hazardous waste or recyclable material across a border, tracking custody from the exporter to the facility that finally treats it. Form 6 covers waste going for disposal; Form 9 covers recyclable material going for recovery. The fields are the same; the destination and the consequence are not.
The 16 fields on a form 6 — transboundary movement document
Taken from the document itself, in the order it prints them.
- Document No.
- Reference
The notification number issued by the competent authority. The movement document is not valid without the prior notification and consent it refers to.
- Exporter
The party arranging the movement, and the one carrying the obligation to take the material back if it cannot be completed as notified. That duty of return is what makes this document different from a shipping document.
- Importer
The consignee in the destination country, who must be authorised to receive this material. Not necessarily the facility that treats it.
- Carrier
Each carrier in the chain, since custody transfers are the point of the document. A multimodal movement lists each in turn.
- Disposal / Recovery Facility
The site that actually disposes of or recovers the material, and frequently a different entity from the importer. It is this facility that certifies completion, which is what closes the movement.
- Country of Origin
Where the waste was generated, which drives which authority's consent is required.
- Country of Destination
Where it is going. Transit countries may also need to consent, and their authorities are not listed here — check the notification.
- Date of Departure
When the movement actually starts. Consents are time-limited, and a shipment departing outside the consented period is an illegal shipment.
- Description of Goods
Including the waste classification codes the notification used. A description that does not match the notification means the consent does not cover what is moving.
- Declaration
The exporter's certification that the movement is properly notified and consented, and that a contract with the facility is in force.
- Name
- Date
- Title
- Company
- Place
The line-item columns
One row per product. Columns can be hidden, renamed or added in the generator.
- Item #
- Description
- HS Code
Alongside the waste codes. Customs still needs a tariff classification even where the environmental classification is what governs the movement.
- Qty
- Unit
- Pkgs
- Pkg Type
- Gross Wt
Actual weight per line, reconciling to the consented quantity. Exceeding the notified quantity invalidates the consent for the excess.
A working form 6 — transboundary movement document, prefilled with a sample shipment. Every field above is editable here, and it downloads as a PDF.
Check before filingLayout not yet verified against the current official form. Check box numbering with the issuing authority before filing — hazardous waste movement documents are rejected on formatting errors.
Movement document for transboundary shipments of waste
| Line | Waste description | Waste code | Quantity | Unit | No. of packages | Type of packaging | Gross weight (KG) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
I certify that the information given above is complete and correct to the best of my knowledge, that the waste is accurately described, classified, packaged, marked and labelled, and that all applicable international and national requirements for transboundary movement have been met.
Your entries are kept as you move between documents: the parties, ports, container and line items all carry across.
The document follows a notification, not the other way round
Prior informed consent comes first: the exporter notifies the competent authorities of origin, transit and destination, and waits for consent. Only then does the movement document accompany the shipment. Preparing this document is the last step, and a shipment moving without consent is illegal traffic regardless of how well the paperwork is completed.
Form 6 against Form 9
Form 6 is for waste destined for disposal — landfill, incineration without energy recovery, the operations that end in the material being got rid of. Form 9 is for material destined for recovery — recycling, reclamation, energy recovery. The distinction determines which consents are required and, in some corridors, whether the movement is permitted at all.
It is not finished until the facility signs
The movement is only complete when the disposal or recovery facility certifies receipt and, separately, certifies that the operation has been carried out. Those certifications go back to the exporter and to the authorities. An exporter holding a signed receipt but no completion certificate has an open movement, and the duty to take the material back has not lapsed.
These carry the same fields as the one above and are filled in the same way.
+Which form do I need?
Form 6 where the material is going for disposal, Form 9 where it is going for recovery. If you are unsure which category applies, that is a question for the competent authority before notifying, not after.
+Can I ship before consent is given?
No. Movement without prior consent is illegal traffic, and the consequence is generally an obligation to repatriate at your own cost.
+Who keeps the copies?
Copies go to the exporter, each carrier, the importer, the facility and the competent authorities. The tracking only works if each custody transfer is signed and the completion certificate comes back.
+What if the shipment cannot be completed?
The exporter must take it back, or arrange alternative disposal with fresh consent. That obligation is the core of the regime and it does not expire when the container leaves.
Judge it by the document, not the feature list.
Everything above is already on the form. Fill it in and download the PDF — no account needed.
Open the form 6 — transboundary movement document generator