The present invention relates to a multi-coating system with gas-barrier properties which is able to undergo photo-crosslinking by means of UV radiation and is particularly suitable for the external protection of containers made of thermoplastic polymers, such as bottles made of PET. The system comprises a solution that is able to undergo photo-crosslinking by means of exposure to UV radiation and a composition that is able to undergo photo-crosslinking by means of exposure to UV radiation, where said photo-crosslinkable solution comprises a substance photo-sensitive to UV radiation, and said photo-crosslinkable composition comprises mixtures of crosslinkable resins and photo-initiators.