Sample Read
© Taxmann Price : ` 95
Law stated in this book is as updated till 1st December, 2025
Published by : Taxmann Publications (P.) Ltd.
Sales & Marketing : 59/32, New Rohtak Road, New Delhi-110 005 India
Phone : +91-11-45562222
Website : www.taxmann.com
E-mail : sales@taxmann.com
Regd. Office : 21/35, West Punjabi Bagh, New Delhi-110 026 India
Printed at :
Tan Prints (India) Pvt. Ltd.
44 Km. Mile Stone, National Highway, Rohtak Road Village Rohad, Distt. Jhajjar (Haryana) India
E-mail : sales@tanprints.com
Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to avoid errors or omissions in this publication. In spite of this, errors may creep in. Any mistake, error or discrepancy noted may be brought to our notice which shall be taken care of in the next edition. It is notified that neither the publisher nor the author or seller will be responsible for any damage or loss of action to any one, of any kind, in any manner, therefrom. It is suggested that to avoid any doubt the reader should cross-check all the facts, law and contents of the publication with original Government publication or notifications.
No part of this book may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means [graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information retrieval systems] or reproduced on any disc, tape, perforated media or other information storage device, etc., without the written permission of the publishers. Breach of this condition is liable for legal action.
For binding mistake, misprints or for missing pages, etc., the publisher’s liability is limited to replacement within seven days of purchase by similar edition. All expenses in this connection are to be borne by the purchaser. All disputes are subject to Delhi jurisdiction only.
MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION OF GOODS ACT, 1993
CHAPTER I PRELIMINARY
1. Short title, extent and commencement 1
2. Definitions 1
CHAPTER II REGULATION OF MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION
3. No person to carry on business without registration 4
4. Registration for multimodal transportation 5
5. Cancellation of registration 7
6. Appeal 8
CHAPTER III
MULTIMODAL TRANSPORT DOCUMENT
7. Issue of multimodal transport document 9
8. Multimodal transport document to be regarded as document of title 10
9. Contents of multimodal transport document 11
10. Reservation in the multimodal transport document 12
11. Evidentiary effect of the multimodal transport document 13
12. Responsibility of the consignor 13
IV
V
1.
REGISTRATION OF MULTIMODAL TRANSPORT OPERATORS RULES, 1992
4.
5.
6.
7.
Form
Form
Form
Form
MULTIMODAL TRANSPORT DOCUMENT RULES, 1994
Multimodal Transportation of Goods Act, 1993
[28 OF 1993]
An Act to provide for the regulation of the multimodal transportation of goods, from any place in India to a place outside India, on the basis of a multimodal transport contract and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
Be it enacted by Parliament in the Forty-fourth Year of the Republic of India as follows:—
CHAPTER I PRELIMINARY
Short title, extent and commencement.
1. (1) This Act may be called the Multimodal Transportation of Goods Act, 1993.
(2)It extends to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir1
(3)It shall be deemed to have come into force on the 16th day of October, 1992.
Definitions.
2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
2[(a) “carrier” means a person who performs or undertakes to perform for hire, the carriage or part thereof, of goods by road, rail, inland waterways, sea or air;]
(b) “competent authority” means any person or authority authorised by the Central Government, by notification in the Official Gazette, to perform the functions of the competent authority under this Act;
(c) “consignee” means the person named as consignee in the multimodal transport contract;
1. This Act is made applicable to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh by the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Removal of Difficulties) Order, 2019, w.e.f. 30-10-2019.
2. Substituted by the Multimodal Transportation of Goods (Amendment) Act, 2000, w.e.f. 5-12-2000. Prior to substitution, clause (a) read as under:
‘(a) “carrier” means a person who is engaged in the business of transporting for hire goods by road, rail, inland waterways or sea;’
S.2
(d) “consignment” means the goods entrusted to a multimodal transport operator for multimodal transportation;
(
e) “consignor” means the person, named in the multimodal transport contract as consignor, by whom or on whose behalf the goods covered by such contract are entrusted to a multimodal transport operator for multimodal transportation;
(f) “delivery” means,—
(
i) in the case of a negotiable multimodal transport document, delivering of the consignment to, or placing the consignment at the disposal of, the consignee or any other person entitled to receive it;
(
ii) in the case of a non-negotiable multimodal transport document, delivering of the consignment to, or placing the consignment at the disposal of, the consignee or any person authorised by the consignee to accept delivery of the consignment on his behalf;
(g) “endorsee” means the person in whose favour an endorsement is made, and in the case of successive endorsements, the person in whose favour the last endorsement is made;
(h) “endorsement” means the signing by the consignee or the endorsee after adding a direction on a negotiable multimodal transport document to pass the property in the goods mentioned in such document to a specified person;
3[(i) “goods” means any property including live animals, containers, pallets or such other articles of transport or packaging supplied by the consignor, irrespective of whether such property is to be or is carried on or under the deck;]
(j) “mode of transport” means carriage of goods by 4[road, air, rail] inland waterways or sea;
5[(k) “multimodal transportation” means carriage of goods, by at least two different modes of transport under a multimodal transport contract, from the place of acceptance of the goods in India to a place of delivery of the goods outside India;
3. Substituted by the Multimodal Transportation of Goods (Amendment) Act, 2000, w.e.f. 5-12-2000. Prior to substitution, clause (i) read as under :
“(i) in the case of a negotiable multimodal transport document, delivering of the consignment to, or placing the consignment at the disposal of, the consignee or any other person entitled to receive it;”
4. Substituted for “road, rail”, ibid
5. Substituted for clauses (k) and (l), ibid. Prior to their substitution, said clauses read as under:
‘(k) “multimodal transportation” means carriage of goods by two or more modes of transport from the place of acceptance of the goods in India to a place of delivery of the goods outside India;
(l) “multimodal transport contract” means a contract entered into by the consignor and the multimodal transport operator for multimodal transportation;’
3
MULTIMODAL
TRANSPORTATION OF GOODS ACT, 1993 S.2
(l) “multimodal transport contract” means a contract under which a multimodal transport operator undertakes to perform or procure the performance of multimodal transportation against payment of freight;
(la) “multimodal transport document” means a negotiable or non-negotiable document evidencing a multimodal transport contract and which can be replaced by electronic data interchange messages permitted by applicable law;]
(m) “multimodal transport operator” means any person who— (i) concludes a multimodal transport contract on his own behalf or through another person acting on his behalf;
(ii) acts as principal, and 6[not as an agent either of the consignor, or consignee or of the carrier] participating in the multimodal transportation, and who assumes responsibility for the performance of the said contract; and
(iii) is registered under sub-section (3) of section 4;
(n) “negotiable multimodal transport document” means a multimodal transport document which is—
(i) made out to order or to bearer; or
(ii) made out to order and is transferable by endorsement; or
(iii) made out to bearer and is transferable without endorsement;
(o) “non-negotiable multimodal transport document” means a multimodal transport document which indicates only one named consignee;
(p) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
(q) “registration” means registration of multimodal transport operator under sub-section (3) of section 4;
7[(r) “special drawing rights” means such units of accounts as are determined by the International Monetary Fund;
(s) “taking charge” means that the goods have been handed over to and accepted for carriage by the multimodal transport operator.]
COMMENTS
SECTION NOTES
2.1 Delivery [Clause (f)]:
u If the consignment is covered by a negotiable multi-modal transport document, delivery means delivering the consignment to or placing the consignment at the disposal of, the consignee or any other person entitled to receive it (endorsee of the negotiable MMT document)
u If the consignment is covered by a non-negotiable MMT document, delivery means such delivery as above to the consignee on consignor’s authorised person.
6. Substituted for “not as an agent either of the consignor or of the carrier” by the Multimodal Transportation of Goods (Amendment) Act, 2000, w.e.f. 5-12-2000.
7. Inserted, ibid
MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION OF GOODS ACT 1993 WITH RULES – BARE ACT WITH SECTION NOTES
AUTHOR : Taxmann's Editorial Board
PUBLISHER : Taxmann
DATE OF PUBLICATION : January 2026
EDITION : 2026 Edition
ISBN NO : 9789371261807
NO. OF PAGES : 40
BINDING TYPE : Paperback
Rs. 95
DESCRIPTION
Multimodal Transportation of Goods Act 1993 with Rules [Bare Act with Section Notes] by Taxmann is a compact and authoritative statutory compilation that governs the regulation of multimodal transportation of goods from India to destinations outside India. The 2026 Edition presents the updated text of the Multimodal Transportation of Goods Act 1993, along with the Registration of Multimodal Transport Operators Rules 1992 and the Multimodal Transport Document Rules 1994, supplemented by concise section-wise notes for clarity and practical usability. This book is intended for the following audience:
• Legal Practitioners and Law Students
• Corporate and Compliance Professionals
• Shipping & Logistics Professionals
• Academicians & Researchers
The Present Publication is the 2026 Edition, covering the amended and updated text of the Multimodal Transportation of Goods Act [Act No. 28 of 1993] and Rules, with the following noteworthy features:
• [Complete Text of the Act] Provides the full text of the Multimodal Transportation of Goods Act 1993, updated with amendments
• [Pre-amendment Provisions] Includes pre-amendment texts through amendment footnotes, enabling understanding of the earlier legal position and transitional applicability
• [Incorporated Rules] Integrates the Registration of Multimodal Transport Operators Rules 1992 and the Multimodal Transport Document Rules 1994, along with prescribed statutory forms
• [Section Notes & Commentary] Contains concise section-wise notes explaining definitions, procedures, liability principles, and compliance aspects
• [User-friendly Format] Maintains the Bare Act character with minimal yet focused commentary and a detailed subject index for easy navigation
• [Practical Insights] Covers key concepts such as MTO registration and renewal, transport documents as documents of title, limits of liability, insurance requirements, arbitration, limitation, and jurisdiction
