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The green pages of an ATA carnet.

What is an ATA carnet?

By Andy Pedley, Director. Updated October 12, 2026.Andy runs Secure Transportation, which has been moving IT and AV kit across the UK and Europe since 1996. He keeps the company's own ATA carnet, with more than 300 pieces of our own kit on it.

An ATA carnet is an international customs document that lets you take goods abroad temporarily and bring them back without paying duty or VAT. Think of it as a passport for equipment. It lists every item, it's stamped at each border, and it's closed off when the goods come home.

When
Where
The green pages of an ATA carnet.

What does ATA carnet stand for?

It comes from the French and English words for temporary admission, Admission Temporaire. A carnet is the booklet or the digital document that carries the list. People say "carnet" for short.

What is a carnet used for?

Taking things to another country for a while and bringing them back. For us that's tours, shows, trade stands, demo kit, test equipment and our own tools.

If you're selling the goods abroad, a carnet isn't the right tool. That needs an export entry.

Do I need an ATA carnet?

You probably do if all of this is true: the goods are leaving the UK for a short time, you're bringing every item back, and you'd rather not pay duty and VAT and then claim them back. For a single trip with a handful of items, other routes like temporary admission can work. For a tour through several countries, a carnet is usually simpler.

Who issues an ATA carnet?

A chamber of commerce. You apply to them with your equipment list, and they issue the carnet. Our ATA carnet service prepares the list and the paperwork, briefs the driver and carries the kit.

Moving kit abroad?

We prepare the list and the paperwork, brief the driver and carry the kit.

See our ATA carnet service
Call +44(0) 1932 247 365

How an ATA carnet job works, step by step

  1. List every item with a description, a serial number and a value. Vague lines like "cases" or "equipment" cause delays. Our ATA carnet equipment list is a free Excel workbook that flags them.
  2. Apply to a chamber of commerce with the list, and pay the fee and give the guarantee they ask for.
  3. Brief the driver on the route and where to get each stamp.
  4. Get it stamped when the kit leaves the UK and at each border you cross.
  5. Get it stamped again when the kit comes back into the UK.
  6. Check the kit against the list and return the carnet to the issuer to close it off.

For a tour, our tour carnet prep checklist covers the preparation, the border and the return.

ATA carnet, temporary admission, T1 and TIR

  • What it is | ATA carnet: One document for temporary export and return | Temporary admission: A customs procedure, applied for country by country | T1: A transit document for goods moving through customs | TIR: A transit system for road haulage
  • Goods come home | ATA carnet: Yes | Temporary admission: Yes | T1: Not necessarily | TIR: Not necessarily
  • Best for | ATA carnet: Tours, shows, demo and test kit | Temporary admission: A single trip | T1: Moving goods from the UK to a destination to clear there | TIR: Hauliers on TIR routes
  • Who issues it | ATA carnet: A chamber of commerce | Temporary admission: The customs authority of each country | T1: Customs, through an agent | TIR: An approved national association

How much does an ATA carnet cost?

The fee and the guarantee depend on the value of the goods. We don't quote a fixed figure here because the issuer sets it and it changes.

Our own charge for the preparation, the driving and the border work is part of the quote for the job. Ask the issuer for the fee, and send us the list and we'll tell you the rest.

How long does it take to get an ATA carnet?

Sometimes days, sometimes longer. Digital carnets started on 1 June 2026, and they're quicker than paper. In July 2026 we produced a digital carnet on a 24 hour service.

The slow part is usually the equipment list, not the issuer. A complete list with serial numbers saves time.

What happens if I don't have a carnet?

The goods can be charged duty and VAT at the border, or held up while that's sorted out. Without a carnet you'd be looking at temporary admission or a full export and import, both of which take longer and cost more to unwind later.

Which countries accept an ATA carnet?

Many do, including most of Europe, but not all. Check the route with the issuer before you apply. The countries on the tour have to accept it for the whole of the trip.

What is a carnet bond?

It's the guarantee the issuer asks for in case duty and VAT become payable, for example if the goods don't come back. It's based on the value of the kit. When the carnet is closed off properly, it's released.

ATA carnet questions

It's the customs document that lets goods travel abroad and return without duty and VAT. A carnet in shipping is the same thing as an ATA carnet.

A shipment travelling under a carnet. The carnet goes with the goods and is stamped at each border.

It's a carnet issued through a UK chamber of commerce, for goods leaving the UK temporarily and coming back.

Admission Temporaire, or Temporary Admission.

A chamber of commerce.

If the kit is leaving for a short time and every item is coming back, probably. See the longer answer above.

The issuer sets the fee and the guarantee, based on the value of the goods. We don't quote a figure here. Ask the issuer, and send us your list for our part of the cost.

The same answer: it depends on the value of the goods, and the issuer sets it. Our charge for the preparation, the driving and the border work is part of your quote.

Sometimes days. Digital carnets started on 1 June 2026, and we've produced one on a 24 hour service.

The goods can be charged duty and VAT, or held at the border while it's sorted out.

Many, including most of Europe, but not all. Check your route with the issuer.

The guarantee the issuer asks for in case duty and VAT become payable. It's released when the carnet is closed off.

At the customs office at the port. We brief our drivers on where to go before they leave, and the carnet is stamped on the way out and again on the way back.

No. A TIR carnet is a transit system for road haulage, not a temporary export document. An ATA carnet is for goods that are leaving for a while and coming back.

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