Occasional Services to the EU – does not include services to the UK

For occasional services to the UK (including Northern Ireland) please see Occasional Services to the UK (includes Northern Ireland) – National Transport

Background regulation

As of 4th December 2011 the international carriage of passengers by coach and bus between EU Member States is governed by Regulation (EC) No 1073/2009.

This is conditional on the possession of a Community licence. Any road passenger transport operator possessing a valid Community licence, issued by the Member State of establishment, has free access to the whole international EU road transport market.

In the Republic of Ireland these are issued by the Department of Transport, please see www.rtol.ie for further information.

Carriers are required to carry a certified true copy of the Community licence on board each of their vehicles. This is in order to facilitate effective controls by enforcement authorities, especially those outside the Member State in which the carrier is established.

The Regulation defines the different types of coach and bus service, and the specific requirements they must fulfil to access the market.

Journey Forms are required for the following types of services:

Special Regular Services

  • Example: the transport of workers or schoolchildren
  • Shall not require a national authorisation, if covered by a contract between the organiser and the transport operator
  • These services only require a Journey Form
  • Journey forms are available from the National Transport Authority
  • Please see below for further details

Occasional Services

  • Example: the transport of a group of young people to a concert in another Member State, or a one-off tourist trip
  • These services only require a Journey Form
  • Journey Forms are available from the National Transport Authority,
  • Please see below for further details

Request a book of Journey Forms – note: Journey Forms cannot be used to travel to the UK (including Northern Ireland). For occasional services to the UK (including Northern Ireland) please see Occasional Services to the UK (includes Northern Ireland) – National Transport

  • Journey Form books can be obtained from the National Transport Authority
  • Each book contains 25 Journey Forms
  • The fee for each Journey Form book is €31.74
  • Each request must be accompanied by a photocopy of your current valid European Community Licence
  • Payment must be made either by cheque, payable to the National Transport Authority or by electronic fund transfer (EFT)
  • The Journey Form book is then sent to you by return post to the address on your European Community Licence

Postal Address for the National Transport Authority:

National Transport Authority (NTA)
Public Transport Regulation Division
Haymarket House
Smithfield
Dublin 7
D07 CF98

Details required for payment by EFT are as follows:

When making EFT payments to the NTA Bus Licensing bank account, applicants must include their name or identifiable reference and email this reference and a scan of their Community licence to buslicensing@nationaltransport.ie

Account Name: National Transport Authority – Bus Licensing Revenue
Account No: 22535803
Sort Code: 93-10-12
IBAN: IE24 AIBK 9310 1222 5358 03
Swift: AIB KIE 2D

Once the funds transfer has been verified the Journey Form books will be sent by return post.

Please be aware that as staff are working remotely it may take up to 10 working days to post the Books to you.

Please note the following regarding Journey Forms:

  • Journey Forms are non-transferable
  • Journey Forms must be completed in duplicate before commencing each service
  • The top-copy passenger Journey Form must be kept on the vehicle throughout the journey, and produced at the request of any authorised inspecting officer
  • The other copy of each passenger Journey Form must be kept at the company’s base
  • The top copy Journey Form should be returned to The National Transport Authority within 30 days of the completion of the journey to which it relates