ATA Carnets: Top Ten Recent Changes Worth Noting

The ATA Carnet system covers 87+ countries and territories and is always challenged to maintain consistency amongst those economies while recognizing that each customs authority has the legal right to impose country-specific requirements.

Here is a Top Ten list of the most glaring new requirements as well as important expansion developments.

10 – ATA Carnets & TIBs Officially Exempt from Filing EEI – No Penalties Imposed

Until Census published the exemption in the Federal Register, ATA Carnet users were to be penalized for failure to file the EEI with most carnet shipments. This would have essentially halted all carnet shipments to the U.S. since foreign carnet holders would not have been able to file EEIs. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. Census Bureau worked to EXEMPT ATA Carnets (and TIBs) from filing Electronic Export Information (EEI) into the Automated Export System (AES) reinforcing the worldwide benefits of relief from duties and taxes for temporary admissions.

9 - Mongolia Accepts Commercial Samples, Validates ATA Carnet System

Mongolia validated the financial security of the ATA Carnet system by accepting commercial samples under ATA Carnet. A carnet country since April 2004, Mongolia expanded their participation to accept carnets for Commercial Samples. Previously they were only signatories to the Professional Equipment and Exhibitions and Fairs conventions.

8 - Belgium Issues New Replacement Carnet Rules, Reinforces Expiration Dates

Belgium’s shift to making carnet extensions more difficult is one indication that carnet countries continue to reinforce the requirement to re-export goods in compliance with expiration dates. Belgium's National Guaranteeing Association, the Fédération des Chambres de Commerce et d’Industrie de Belgique, announced a change in procedures regarding Replacement Carnets, sometimes referred to as carnet extension. The Belgian customs is undergoing a reorganization process and seeking the approval for a Replacement Carnet can become difficult.

7 – Hand Carried Goods into China Require Registration, Three-Day Rule Imposed

Adding to the carnet countries requiring pre-registration due to increased security concerns, the Chinese carnet authorities have issued new regulations governing the entry of hand-carried goods into China. The new procedure outlines the process of registering those hand-carried items with the Council for the Promotion of International Trade which is the Chinese carnet guaranteeing association.

6 – Indonesia Joins the ATA Carnet System, Expands Carnets in Australasia

This major economy in the Australasia region is a welcome addition to the ATA Carnet system. The United States Council for International Business announced on March 27, 2015 that Indonesia would join the ATA Carnet system and began accepting carnets May 15, 2015.  Indonesia is the 84th country/territory to join the ATA Carnet system.

5 – Airport Maps Published for Carnet Users, Get Help Going Against the Flow

Since airports are not designed to have customs easily available to a departing passenger, carnet users can feel as if they are "going against the flow" when they need to get a carnet validated upon departure. The "carnet-customized airport maps" help a carnet user navigate through an airport to locate a customs official and get a carnet validated for departure.

4 – UK Adopts US Carnet-Issuing Technology, Quill Pens Retired

Automation of the carnet process in the U.K. has lagged behind the U.S. until now, for at least 20 years. U.K. ATA Carnets are now available online from the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce (LCC) from anywhere in the U.K. LCC has partnered with a U.S. carnet provider to deliver a fully-automated, ATA Carnet application solution that is highly-efficient for the carnet applicant.

3 – Turkey Imposes Sticky Requirements on Carnet Users, Unnecessary Hurdles Should Be Rescinded

The “devil is in the details” when getting temporary imports into Turkey. Turkey accepts the international customs document, the ATA Carnet, for commercial samples, professional equipment and trade fairs and exhibitions. However, recently, Turkish customs issued new requirements that will cause problems for U.K. exporters and carnet holders if caught unawares. Unfortunately, while the ATA Carnet is intended to facilitate temporary imports for commercial and cultural purposes, these regulatory impositions create unnecessary administrative hurdles for users.

2 – Qatar May Be Next Carnet Country, Implementation is Imminent

Following the leadership of Bahrain, Qatar has recently appointed a national guaranteeing association for ATA Carnets, taking a key step toward issuing and accepting ATA Carnets. The NGA is the Qatar Chamber. The remaining hurdle to Qatar becoming a fully-functional ATA Carnet country is implementation of the issuing and acceptance functions by Qatar customs. Qatar would become the 6th Middle Eastern country to join the system including Bahrain, Lebanon, Iran, Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

1 – Brazil Poised to Accept Carnets for Olympics, Most Significant Addition to Carnet System since Mexico

Rio 2016 is positioned to be the international sporting event that opens Brazil to long-term simplification of temporary admission processes there. For a historically closed economy, adoption of the carnet system would substantially reduce the costs and hurdles associated with temporary admission to Brazil. In anticipation of the Olympics, Brazil is quickly moving toward ATA Carnet acceptance and issuing to facilitate temporary imports. Once the rules for treatment of import licenses is approved it is expected Brazil will quickly announce an effective date for the acceptance of carnets. CNI, the Brazilian national guaranteeing association has already met all its obligations and is prepared to act quickly with Brazilian customs to bring ATA Carnets into force.