U.A.E. Special Rules & Regulations for Carnets

As of December 9, 2013, the U.S. carnet national guaranteeing organization, the United States Council for International Business has issued updated, special rules and regulations for ATA Carnets entering the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.). Read below for details of U.A.E rules for carnet duration, regularization fees, partial/split shipments, replacement carnets and after-hours customs fees.

The U.A.E. accepts goods for trade fairs and exhibitions include goods traveling for trade shows, meetings or other similar events. The U.A.E. became the 69th country to join the ATA Carnet system on April 1st, 2011.

1. U.A.E. typically restricts carnet duration to six months.  Extending the duration beyond six months is possible.  Holders/representatives must contact U.A.E. customs prior to the “Final Date of Re-exportation.”
    
2. U.A.E. customs can charge a regularization fee* (up to AED5,000) under the following conditions:
   1. Carnets NOT presented to U.A.E. customs for validation upon re-exportation.
   2. Failure to notify Customs, in writing, of the diversion of a Carnet entry into a permanent entry aka "diversion to home use.". Written notification must be directed to:

The UAE Federal Customs Authority
P.O. Box 111333
Dubai (U.A.E.)
Tel: 9714-3119900, Fax: 9714-3930199

3. U.A.E. does not allow partial or split shipments.  Any shipment entering U.A.E. must be re-exported in its entirety.  If goods on a carnet general list are sold prior to re-exportation, the carnet holder must indicate on the counterfoils/vouchers the items sold and submit the carnet to customs for validation at the time of departure/re-exportation.
    
4. U.A.E. DOES NOT accept Replacement Carnets.

Fees Levied for After-Hours Carnet Validations in U.A.E.

U.A.E. customs levy a fee (AED150) on carnets presented to U.A.E. customs for validation after office hours. See below for the office hours of customs. It is recommended that carnet holders verify with U.A.E. customs the hours of operations before making entries or exits as these hours may change.  See the U.A.E. carnet country page for links to U.A.E. customs.

*CIB's Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Carnet Document Warranties provide warranty coverage for regularization fees.