Translation service Special Cargo because of RAG-01 Argentina

Is your company also trading with Argentina? Then we have important news for you. It has recently been announced that as of January 1 of this year, this South American country has been added to the list of State Variations of the IATA DGR 2024. This means that markings and documentation for air shipments of dangerous goods must be bilingual: both in English and in Spanish. Therefore, Special Cargo has immediately launched a translation service for its clients. This way, your goods can (still) depart fully IATA-compliant from the Netherlands to Argentina.

Both English and Spanish

There has been a significant change in the regulations of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) 2024: as of January 1 of this year, Argentina has been added to the list of State Variations (Chapter 2.8.2 IATA DGR). This addition includes an additional provision called RAG-01. This stipulates that both English and Spanish languages must be used for markings on and documents accompanying air shipments with Argentina as the final destination.

State Variations

What are those State Variations? The IATA DGR regulations are divided into different ‘state-specific variations.’ These are separate regulations for specific countries or states, which may contain additional or different requirements compared to the general IATA DGR rules.

Extra effort

The new provision is a significant change since most global logistics systems are set up in the English language. Bilingually preparing documents and markings requires extra effort and manual work. A similar rule already existed for shipments to Venezuela, but its practical application was limited. Additionally, trade from the Netherlands with Argentina has increased, and thus, so have the inquiries from our partners about compliance with this new provision.

Translation Service

Special Cargo has decided to proactively respond to this change: we are now offering our clients and partners a translation service. This means that all shipments with Argentina as the final destination will be prepared bilingually for the flight, with all necessary documentation in English and Spanish. This way, no shipment will be delayed, and we help our clients continue their international freight transportation. Naturally, we will continue to do this as long as necessary. The new requirement may, after all, be revoked in the future…

Domestic Flights

Recently, IATA sent an update stating that the new rule only applies to domestic flights and does not apply to international shipments. We expect an official addendum on this; however, until then, we recommend continuing the Spanish translation.

Follow-up

Of course, we will keep you informed of further developments. Until then, you can still offer ‘regular’ shipments to Argentina, which we will then prepare in accordance with the current IATA regulations. Want to know more about this? Please contact us!