Quick Answer: An ATA Carnet is an international customs document that lets you export goods from the USA temporarily to member countries without paying duty or import tax there, for as long as the carnet is valid. It covers commercial samples, professional equipment and exhibition goods, and requires security based on declared value.
- An ATA Carnet works like a passport for goods: one document replaces temporary import paperwork and duty deposits in every member country for the carnet's validity period.
- US carnets are issued by USCIB-appointed providers; you pay an issuance fee plus security based on declared value, refunded after the carnet is discharged.
- The carnet covers commercial samples, professional equipment and trade-show goods — goods meant to be consumed, given away, sold or processed abroad are generally excluded; confirm with your provider.
- Latin America coverage is thin: Mexico and Chile accept carnets, while Colombia, Brazil and most of Central America require a national temporary admission regime instead.
The cuaderno ATA — the Spanish name for the same document — is the single most useful tool for exhibitors, film crews and sales teams who take gear abroad and bring it home. Get the paperwork wrong at the US port of departure, and the same gear comes back as a dutiable import.
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Request a quote →What Is an ATA Carnet and What Is It For?
Quick Answer: An ATA Carnet is an international customs document that allows duty-free, tax-free temporary export and import of goods for a limited validity period. It is backed by the ATA Convention of 1961 and the Istanbul Convention of 1990, and accepted by customs authorities in its member countries.
Think of it as a passport for goods. Instead of filing a temporary import declaration in every country you visit, you present one booklet. Customs stamps it and you move on.
The legal base is two treaties. The ATA Convention was signed in Brussels in 1961. The Istanbul Convention on Temporary Admission followed in 1990. The World Customs Organization and the ICC World Chambers Federation administer the system together. The European Commission's Access2Markets glossary describes the same instrument for EU traders.
How the international guarantee chain works
Every member country appoints one national guaranteeing association. That body promises foreign customs it will pay any duty claim. In the USA, that role sits with USCIB, which backs the carnet to CBP and to overseas customs authorities.
Because the guarantee already exists, the destination country does not need your cash, your bond or your customs broker entry. That is the whole point of the system.
What the holder gains is concrete:
- No import duty and no VAT or IVA in the destination country
- No cash deposit with foreign customs
- No formal customs entry or local broker fee for the temporary admission
- One document valid for unlimited trips during its validity
Who actually uses it? Exhibitors shipping booths to Mexico City. Film and broadcast crews with camera packages. Motorsport teams with spare engines. Medical device reps carrying surgical instrument sets. Musicians on tour. Machinery makers sending demo units to a trade fair in Santiago.
Pro Tip
The export side matters as much as the import side. Have CBP validate the carnet before the goods physically leave the USA, as your provider instructs. Without proof of export, US customs may treat the returning gear as a brand-new import — and charge duty on equipment you already owned.
Which Goods Qualify — and Which Ones Don't?
Quick Answer: ATA Carnets cover three categories: commercial samples, professional equipment, and goods for trade fairs and exhibitions. Goods to be consumed, given away, sold or processed abroad generally do not qualify; confirm exclusions for your goods with your carnet provider. Every item must leave and return in the same condition.
The carnet covers commercial samples, professional equipment and goods for exhibitions and fairs, but not every member country accepts every category. Confirm coverage for your goods and destinations with your carnet provider.
What qualifies in practice
Camera and lighting packages. Broadcast trucks. Surgical instrument sets. Stage rigs and line-array sound systems. Race cars and spare engines inside containers. Laboratory analyzers. Jewelry sample lines. Artwork going to a gallery show.
The common thread: the item leaves, gets used or displayed, and comes back in the same condition.
What does not qualify
- Disposable items, brochures, lanyards and booth swag handed out to visitors
- Anything you intend to sell, give away or consume abroad
- Other exclusions vary by country — confirm hazardous goods, food, fuel and postal shipments with your carnet provider
The repair trap catches people constantly. Goods sent abroad for repair, alteration or processing may fall outside the ATA system. Confirm with your carnet provider or a licensed customs broker which regime applies before you ship.
Parts and spares are the same story. If a shipment of components will be installed, consumed or sold at destination, it is a normal commercial import — see our guide on importing auto parts from USA to Guatemala for how those entries actually work.
If it is not on the General List, it is not covered
Every item must be listed individually with a description, serial or model number, quantity, weight and value. A lens body left off the list is not protected. Foreign customs will treat it as an undeclared import and can seize it or assess duty plus penalty on the spot.
How Much Does an ATA Carnet Cost from the USA?
Quick Answer: An ATA Carnet has two costs: a provider issuance fee that scales with declared value, and security set by the provider based on that value. Security can be cash, a letter of credit, or a carnet bond bought for a small premium. Freight is quoted separately.
The fee structure is tiered. Providers charge by declared value band. On top of that you may pay per additional voucher set, rush or same-day processing, and courier delivery.
Security is the bigger number. The provider sets the amount based on total declared value; confirm it before you apply. You post it three ways: cash collateral, an irrevocable letter of credit, or a carnet bond purchased from a surety for a modest premium.
When a bond beats cash
Run the math on working capital. A touring production with a $400,000 declared value would freeze a large sum in cash for the full validity period, plus the claim window after it. A bond premium costs a fraction of that and keeps the money in the business.
Cash makes sense only for low-value, single-trip carnets — a sales rep with a $15,000 sample case, for example.
How long until you get the money back?
Longer than people expect. Security releases only after the carnet is properly discharged and the claim window closes. Foreign customs can file a claim months after the expiry date. Plan on several months, not several days.
Freight is a separate line entirely. Air, LCL or FCL pricing depends on your origin gateway — Miami, Houston, Los Angeles/Long Beach, New York/New Jersey, Savannah, Chicago by rail, Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver — plus chargeable weight and crate volume. Submit the shipment in the calculator on this page and a specialist confirms the exact price within one business day.
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Request a quote →How Do You Apply for an ATA Carnet Step by Step?
Quick Answer: Apply through a USCIB-appointed carnet provider. Build the General List, declare the countries you will visit, post security, and receive the carnet; issuance time depends on the provider. Then have CBP validate it before the goods leave the USA.
- Pick your issuer. USCIB appoints the US service providers. Applications are filed online, and the finished carnet is couriered or collected in person.
- Build the General List. Item description, HS code, serial or model number, quantity, net weight, country of manufacture and fair market value in USD. This list is the legal heart of the document.
- Name every country. List each destination and every transit country. The provider binds in the right number of yellow, white and blue voucher sets.
- Post security. Cash, letter of credit or carnet bond. No provider releases the booklet until security clears.
- Validate with CBP. Present the carnet at the port of departure — PortMiami, JFK, LAX, Port Houston, Savannah — or at the airport counter before check-in.
Timing reality: issuance time depends on the provider and on how complete your application is, so ask about rush options. Build in extra time if you are still chasing serial numbers or appraisals from a rental house.
For unaccompanied freight, your forwarder or customs broker presents the carnet to CBP. That hand-off has to be arranged in writing before the booking closes. CBP's own guidance on carnet advantages, issuance, obligations and expiry is worth reading before your first filing.
Digital ATA Carnet, Mercury II and the 2026 Rules
Mercury II is the ICC's electronic carnet platform. It links issuing chambers with customs administrations and tracks the status of each voucher set. eATA pilots let holders present a QR code or a mobile app record instead of hunting for a stamp booth at 2 a.m.
The EU's updated handling procedure takes effect 1 June 2026. Expect electronic lodgement running alongside the paper original during the transition.
Carry the paper booklet regardless. Many customs posts in Latin America, Africa and Asia still stamp paper only.
Pro Tip
Add every possible country at application time, not just the confirmed ones. Adding a destination later means ordering a replacement voucher set and re-couriering the booklet. Extra voucher sets cost far less than a missed show date in Santiago or Dubai.
How Do You Fill Out and Use the Carnet at Customs?
Quick Answer: The carnet is a booklet of colored vouchers and counterfoils. Separate voucher sets cover US export and re-import, import and re-export in each foreign country, and transit; confirm the layout with your issuer. Customs removes a voucher and stamps the matching counterfoil at every crossing.
The green front cover carries the holder name, the intended use, the countries of travel and the validity dates. The General List prints on the reverse. Check that the goods description matches your packing list word for word before you ship.
The yellow vouchers and counterfoils handle the US side. One for exportation when the gear leaves the USA. One for re-importation when the gear comes home. A missing export stamp is the single most expensive mistake in the whole system.
The white vouchers handle the foreign country — importation on arrival, re-exportation on the way out. Both halves must be stamped by the same country's customs service. A Mexican import stamp cannot be closed out by Chilean customs.
The blue transit vouchers cover sealed movement through a country where you are not exhibiting. Truck moves crossing Mexico and EU land transits are the common cases. Mexico's ANAM publishes its own carnet guidance for temporary import and export under the system.
Counterfoil discipline on the road
- Photograph every stamped counterfoil the moment customs hands the booklet back
- Keep the booklet with the shipment or with your broker — never in a crew member's backpack
- Never let a forwarder dispatch carnet cargo without the document physically present
- Count the remaining voucher sets after each crossing
Partial re-export is allowed
You can bring back part of the shipment on one voucher set and the rest later. List only the item numbers being re-exported on that voucher — not the entire General List. Declaring everything when half the gear stays behind creates a false discharge and invites a claim.
No stamp, no proof
Customs officers sometimes wave carnet cargo through without stamping. That convenience becomes your liability. Without a stamped re-export counterfoil, foreign customs has no record the goods ever left — and the claim lands on you months later.
Which Countries Accept the ATA Carnet?
Quick Answer: Acceptance depends on each country's membership in the ATA system; confirm the current member list with your carnet provider before booking. Coverage across Latin America is limited — Chile and Mexico participate, while Colombia, Brazil and most of Central America do not.
| Country / bloc | Accepts carnet | Annexes admitted | Known restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | Yes | A, B.1, B.2 | Some overseas territories excluded |
| United Kingdom | Yes | A, B.1, B.2 | Separate territory from EU post-Brexit |
| United States | Yes | A, B.1, B.2 | Confirm repair cases with a licensed customs broker |
| Canada | Yes | A, B.1, B.2 | Provincial tax handled at federal entry |
| Mexico | Yes | A, B.1, B.2 | Administered with ANAM and chamber network |
| Chile | Yes | Limited scope | Confirm annex coverage before booking |
| China | Yes | A, B.1, B.2 | Strict General List matching at inspection |
| UAE | Yes | A, B.1, B.2 | Confirm coverage with your issuer before booking |
| Brazil | No | — | Use Receita Federal temporary admission |
| Colombia | No | — | Use DIAN temporary import regime |
The UK after Brexit
The UK is now a separate carnet territory from the EU. A single EU entry no longer covers a London trade show. You need a distinct white voucher set for the UK leg, and the Northern Ireland position should be confirmed with your issuer before you book.
Mexico, Chile and the Latin America gap
Mexico works. Carnets are administered with ANAM and the national chamber network. For land crossings, confirm with your broker how the carnet is presented at each border post.
Carnet countries
Mexico, Chile, Canada, the EU, the UK, China, Japan and the UAE all accept the document. You pay nothing at the border, file no local entry, and recover your security after discharge. Plan the voucher sets at application time.
Non-carnet lanes
Colombia (DIAN), Brazil (Receita Federal) and most of Central America need a national temporary admission regime. That means a local customs broker, a duty deposit and a country-specific filing for every entry.
Also watch territory exclusions inside member states. Overseas territories, some free zones and certain islands sit outside the carnet area even when the mainland accepts it.
For non-member Central American lanes, transit planning carries the whole job — our breakdown of shipping times from the USA to El Salvador shows how door-to-door schedules actually run on those routes.
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Request a quote →What Happens If You Don't Re-Export in Time?
Quick Answer: If goods are not re-exported before the carnet expires, foreign customs files a claim against the US guaranteeing association. You become liable for full import duty, taxes and penalties — often 10% above duty — on the items left behind. Proof of re-export can still regularize the file.
The claim chain is short and it ends with you. Foreign customs bills the national guaranteeing association. That association bills USCIB. USCIB draws on your security and invoices any shortfall.
Exposure is calculated on the items never accounted for, not the whole shipment. Duty plus local VAT or IVA on that item value, plus a penalty that can reach 10% on top.
How to regularize a claim
- A stamped re-export counterfoil from the country that issued the claim
- A proof-of-arrival certificate from a third country's customs service
- Evidence the goods were destroyed under customs supervision
- A copy of the definitive import entry if the goods were nationalized locally
Lost or stolen carnet? Request a replacement from your issuer immediately. The replacement keeps the original validity date and the original security — it does not reset the clock.
Goods sold abroad? A sale converts the temporary admission into a definitive import. Pay the duty voluntarily and get the entry documented before the carnet expires. Volunteering is always cheaper than a claim.
The expiry date is a hard limit
Do not plan on extending an ATA Carnet past its validity date; ask your issuer about any options. Otherwise the options are re-export, nationalize the goods and pay duty, or face a claim. Foreign customs can also set a shorter re-export deadline than the carnet's own expiry — read the date the officer writes on the white counterfoil.
ATA Carnet vs CPD vs Temporary Import Bond
Quick Answer: A CPD (Carnet de Passages en Douane) covers vehicles crossing borders under their own power. An ATA Carnet covers cargo and equipment. A Temporary Importation Bond or national regime covers countries outside the ATA system. Cost, paperwork and country coverage differ sharply across the three.
A CPD is a customs document for self-driven vehicles, issued by automobile associations. Security depends on the vehicle and the countries visited. A race car shipped inside a container travels on an ATA Carnet. The same car driven across a land border usually needs a CPD.
| Instrument | Security required | Duration | Country coverage | Issued by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATA Carnet | Set by the provider on declared value | Fixed validity, set at issue | ATA member countries | USCIB-appointed providers |
| CPD (vehicles) | Depends on vehicle and countries | Usually 12 months | Varies widely by country | Automobile associations |
| National temporary regime | Set by local customs | Country-specific | Single country only | Local customs broker |
| US TIB (inbound) | Customs bond | Confirm with a customs broker | USA only | Customs broker with CBP |
| Definitive export | None | Permanent | Worldwide | Exporter / forwarder |
When NOT to use a carnet
Skip the carnet
Low-value samples under informal entry thresholds, goods heading to non-member countries, anything that will be sold, and equipment moving under IMMEX in Mexico or inward processing in the EU. In those cases the carnet adds cost without adding protection.
Use the carnet
Multi-country tours, high-value professional equipment, repeat trade-show circuits, and any shipment where a local duty deposit would be painful. One booklet covering four shows beats four separate entries every time.
On the US-inbound side, foreign exhibitors use Temporary Importation under Bond, backed by a single-transaction or continuous customs bond; a licensed customs broker can confirm its terms and duration. Duty drawback is a different tool entirely: it recovers duty already paid on exported goods, not a substitute for temporary admission.
Booth and equipment volume also drives the freight decision. Our guide to the USA-Latin America FCL vs LCL 10 CBM breakpoint explains where a full container stops costing more than consolidated freight.
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Request a quote →How Do You Ship Carnet Cargo and Get a Quote?
Quick Answer: Carnet cargo moves by air, ocean or truck like any other freight — the difference is timing and paperwork control. The carnet must be stamped by CBP at export and travel with the shipment or with your broker. Submit your shipment details in the calculator on this page for a confirmed price.
Picking the right mode
- Air freight — broadcast kits, motorsport spares and medical demo sets on tight show dates
- LCL — a single booth, a demo unit, or two or three crates under 10 CBM
- FCL — full stage rigs, machinery and multi-crate exhibitions
- Truck — cross-border moves to Mexico using blue transit vouchers where needed
Your gateway drives price and transit
Florida ships through Miami. Texas and the central states through Port Houston. California and the Southwest through Los Angeles/Long Beach. The Northeast through New York/New Jersey. The Southeast through Savannah. The Midwest moves by rail via Chicago. Ontario goes through Toronto, Quebec through Montreal, Western Canada through Vancouver.
That choice changes both the rate and the sailing schedule. The calculator on this page prices your exact origin.
What your forwarder must handle
- Presenting the carnet to CBP before vessel or flight departure
- Managing blue transit vouchers on multi-country itineraries
- Returning the stamped booklet to the holder, tracked and signed for
- Coordinating show-site delivery windows with the venue freight desk
Pro Tip
Port cut-off is not vessel ETD. Documentation cut-off for US ocean exports closes 72 hours before the vessel's ETD, and a missed cut-off on a show-bound booth cannot be recovered. With thousands of shipments handled across the USA–Latin America corridor, our rule is simple: anything inside 21 days of the show date goes by air.
Cost drivers to plan around: chargeable weight versus volume, crating and case dimensions, the airport or port pair, dangerous goods declarations for lithium batteries in camera kits, and destination drayage or show-site delivery. Teams also moving personal belongings should read our guide to moving abroad from the USA, and anyone comparing consolidated freight can check LCL shipping from the USA to Guatemala.
MiamiMIA
Mexico CityMEX
HoustonUSHOU
ValparaísoCLVAP
Submit your request at Request a quote →. A specialist confirms space and the exact price with the carrier within one business day.
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Request a quote →The cuaderno ATA solves the customs half of a temporary export. The freight half still needs a forwarder who knows the cut-offs, the transit vouchers and the show-site delivery rules. Use the calculator on this page to submit your carnet shipment — origin, destination, crate dimensions and show date — and a specialist comes back with a confirmed price and a schedule that protects your validation deadline. For duty, tax or classification questions, work with a licensed customs broker; AB Group Shipping handles the freight and the documentation flow.
An ATA Carnet is an international customs document that lets you take goods out of the USA temporarily and bring them into member countries without paying duty or import tax. It covers commercial samples, professional equipment and goods for trade fairs, and allows unlimited trips until its expiry date. It is backed by the Istanbul Convention of 1990 and guaranteed in the USA by USCIB.
The cost has two parts: a provider issuance fee that rises with the declared value of your goods, and security based on that value, posted as cash, a letter of credit or a carnet bond. Issuance time depends on the provider and on how complete your application is. Freight is priced separately — submit your shipment in the calculator on this page and a specialist confirms the exact price within one business day.
Acceptance depends on each country's membership in the ATA system; confirm the current member list with your carnet provider before booking. The UK is now a separate carnet territory from the EU after Brexit, so a London stop needs its own voucher set. Brazil, Colombia and most of Central America are not members, so those lanes need a national temporary admission regime arranged with a local customs broker.
Foreign customs files a claim against the guaranteeing association, and you become liable for full import duty, local taxes and a penalty that can reach 10% on top. The claim is calculated only on the items that were never accounted for, not the whole shipment. If you can produce a stamped re-export counterfoil or proof the goods left the country, the file can still be regularized before payment is demanded.
An ATA Carnet covers cargo and equipment — samples, camera gear, booths, machinery — while a CPD, or Carnet de Passages en Douane, covers a vehicle crossing borders under its own power. CPDs are issued by automobile associations and require security that depends on the vehicle and the countries visited. A race car shipped inside a container normally travels on an ATA Carnet; the same car driven across a land border typically needs a CPD.
Sources
We checked the rules and figures in this guide against these sources on October 28, 2026.
- EUR-Lex / Official Journal of the European Communities: Convention on Temporary Admission (Istanbul, 26 June 1990) · 1993-05-27
- International Trade Administration (trade.gov): Brazil Customs Temporary Importation
- World Customs Organization Academy: The Istanbul Convention
- HM Revenue & Customs (GOV.UK): ATA Carnet technical handbook - General list of goods · 2026-06-01
- HM Revenue & Customs (GOV.UK): ATA Carnet technical handbook - Applying for an ATA Carnet - Guidance - GOV.UK
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (U.S. Office of the Federal Register / GPO): eCFR :: 19 CFR Part 192 -- Export Control
✓ Fact-checked by AB Group Shipping on October 28, 2026. Prices come from our own rate system. How we check our guides · Spotted an error? [email protected]