by Nickie Dalton

An ATA Carnet is an international customs document that allows the temporary export and import of commercial goods to and from countries participating within the ATA Carnet Convention with relief from duties and taxes. You can use a Carnet – which are issued in the UK by selected chambers of commerce – for each of these reasons:

  • Commercial samples – e.g. jewellery, fashion, technology, or other items to show to potential buyers
  • Exhibition or trade fair goods – used at shows, galleries, or similar events
  • Professional equipment – tools or gear used for business activities abroad (e.g. instruments, test equipment, broadcast tools, race vehicles).

How are ATA Carnets currently used?
At present, they are physical paper documents to be presented to and endorsed by Customs at every Customs Checkpoint the holder is travelling to. This can lead to:

  • Damage of the physical document.
  • Loss of the document.
  • Risk of claims from foreign Customs due to missed endorsements.

That’s why the decision has been made to transition to a digital document. The project is being led by the International Chamber of Commerce with the support of the World Customs Organisation and, in Britain, UKNATACO – the national ATA Carnet organisation. This should make temporary exports to ATA Carnet countries easier, safer, and smarter for the document holder.

  • No more lost paperwork – the Carnet is stored securely in an app
  • Real-time tracking – the location of the goods is known at any given part of their journey
  • Instant access – as soon as payment is received and the application is approved, customers can retrieve their ATA Carnet
  • Eco-friendly – reduction in paper useage
  • User-friendly – significantly easier to navigate than the traditional paper document
  • Less financial risk – no risk of physical damage or loss during the 33-month lifecycle of the ATA Carnet.

What’s changing?
What’s different with the digital Carnet?

  1. ATA Carnet applicants will still submit the same information as now to their issuing Chamber
  2. Once issued, they’ll receive a PIN and QR code via e-mail
  3. They then download the approved Carnet to the ATA Carnet App
  4. At Customs, simply show the QR code for scanning – no paper needed.

Digital only markets
UKNATACO has trained UK ports to process these digital documents, and the UK is geared up to process digital ATA Carnets – in and out of the country – from 1 June 2026.
From that date, when exiting the UK, a digital ATA Carnet will be required for temporary exports to EU member states, Norway and Switzerland.

Nickie Dalton is head of trade documentation and services at LCCI
www.londonchamber.co.uk/international-trade/trade-documentation/ata-carnet
If you use ATA Carnets and wish to get involved in a pilot programme email Ecarnet@londonchamber.co.uk