URL: https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/eu Last reviewed: 2026-06-12 Summary: How ATA Carnets work in the EU: the 27 member states form one customs territory, so a carnet is only for travel outside the EU - Switzerland, the UK, the US and beyond. The shared lifecycle, who issues, eATA, and the country guides for Germany and France. # The ATA Carnet in the European Union If your company sits anywhere in the EU, the single most important carnet fact is this: **the EU-27 is one customs territory**. There are no customs formalities between member states, so you never need a carnet for a demo in France, Italy or the Netherlands. Your carnet's "departure territory" is the whole EU, and the carnet itself is for travel **outside** it: Switzerland, the UK, the US, Canada, Japan and the other non-EU destinations. > **ℹ️ The odd exceptions: special fiscal territories** > > A few territories belong to EU member states but sit outside the EU's fiscal territory: the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla, and the French overseas departments (Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Réunion). Trips there are treated like third-country trips, carnet included. ## Who issues, who stamps - **National chambers of commerce issue carnets.** Each EU country runs its own issuing network with its own national guaranteeing association: in Germany the regional chambers of commerce and industry (IHKs) under the DIHK, in France the regional chambers (CCIs) under CCI Paris Île-de-France, and so on. You apply in the country where your company is based. - **Customs opens and stamps.** The customs administration checks the goods, opens the carnet before first use, and stamps it at each crossing. Customs never issues carnets. ## The lifecycle - the same in every member state The booklet (or its digital twin) works identically wherever in the EU it was issued. For a simple round trip: 1. **Open the carnet inland, before travel.** A fresh carnet must be opened by customs before the goods leave the EU. Germany calls this the Binnenzollamt route, France the domiciliation rule; the idea is the same everywhere. The inland office checks the goods against the list, secures their identity (serial numbers, or seals if you didn't list any), and pre-processes the yellow export sheet. Your departure-day customs stop then shrinks to a date entry. 2. **EU exit stamp (yellow).** Where the goods leave the EU - an airport, the Swiss border, a ferry port, in *any* of the 27 - the exit office completes the yellow export sheet. You must actively visit the customs desk; nobody will wave you over. 3. **Import and re-export abroad (white).** The destination's customs processes the white import sheet on arrival and the white re-export sheet when you leave. Check the officer's entries on the spot, especially any re-export deadline shorter than the carnet's validity, written in **box 2 of the counterfoil**. That shorter date is binding. 4. **EU re-import stamp (yellow).** Coming home, the yellow re-import sheet is stamped at whichever EU border office you enter through. It doesn't have to be where you exited, and it doesn't have to be in your own country. This stamp is your proof if a foreign administration later claims the goods never left. 5. **Return the carnet to your chamber** as soon as you no longer need it, at the latest on expiry. The chamber checks the counterfoils and discharges the carnet. Driving through a third country on the way (a trade fair in Switzerland is the classic example)? That's a transit, handled with **blue transit sheets** used in pairs: one at entry, one at exit. Order enough when applying; the list of sheets is fixed once the carnet is issued. > **💡 One EU stamp covers all 27** > > Leaving the EU through Germany towards Switzerland is the same customs exit as leaving through a French border post. And a single import stamp at first EU entry covers the whole territory on the way in. Plan your stamps around the EU's edge, not around national borders. ## The digital carnet (eATA) Carnets issued from **1 June 2026** are digital by default in the launch countries (the EU-27, Switzerland, Norway and the UK): the carnet lives in the free ICC Carnet App, and customs steps happen by QR code. Paper hasn't disappeared, though. Carnets issued before that date stay paper, paper continues for non-eATA destinations, and the chambers hand out paper backups during the transition. The remaining ATA countries are due to switch by around 2028. If your itinerary mixes eATA and non-eATA countries, ask your chamber what you'll physically carry. ## Pick your country Everything above is shared. What differs per country is the practical part: which portal you apply on, what it costs, and which customs offices to use. One page per country: - [Germany](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/eu/germany): Your IHK and e-ata.de, the fee and insurance tables, Frankfurt and Munich airports, Weil am Rhein - how to apply, fees, offices - [France](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/eu/france): The GEFI portal, the national tariff, Paris CDG and Orly, the Calais/Eurotunnel route to the UK - how to apply, fees, offices Country pages for the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain are planned. Based elsewhere in the EU? The lifecycle on this page still applies; your national chamber of commerce is the place to ask about issuing. ## Quick answers and recovery playbooks - [EU Carnet FAQ](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/eu/faq): Costs, validity, serial numbers, batteries, selling abroad - short Q&As - [Fix a problem](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/eu/problems): Missed stamps, claims from abroad, lost carnets, goods that stay ## Key facts, EU-wide - **Customs territory**: One: the EU-27. No carnet for trips between member states (except the special fiscal territories) - **Issued by**: National chambers of commerce (IHKs in Germany, CCIs in France), each with a national guaranteeing association. Customs only opens and stamps - **Exit / re-entry**: EU export and re-import stamps work at any EU border office, in any member state - not just your own - **Validity**: 12 months, never extendable; destination customs can set shorter re-export deadlines (box 2 of the counterfoil) - **Security**: Germany and France both charge a flat, non-refundable insurance-style fee scaled to the goods value - no Swiss-style percentage deposit - **Digital (eATA)**: Carnets issued from 1 June 2026 are digital by default (ICC Carnet App + QR code); paper continues alongside during the transition - **Where it works**: Almost 80 countries; issuance towards Russia, Ukraine and Belarus is currently suspended New to carnets entirely? Start with [What is an ATA Carnet?](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/what-is-an-ata-carnet) and the [robotics guide](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/ata-carnet-for-robotics). Heading to Switzerland or the UK? The other side of the trip is covered in the [Switzerland](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/switzerland) and [United Kingdom](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/uk) sections. ## Sources Every factual claim on this page comes from the sources below, checked on the "last reviewed" date in the footer. Official resources are linked in whatever language they are published in. - [Zoll - Carnet ATA overview (issuers, scope, EU territory)](https://www.zoll.de/DE/Fachthemen/Zoelle/Zollverfahren/Voruebergehende-Verwendung/Carnet-ATA/carnet-ata_node.html) (German) - [Zoll - Carnet ATA export and re-import (opening, exit office, re-import at any office)](https://www.zoll.de/DE/Fachthemen/Zoelle/Zollverfahren/Voruebergehende-Verwendung/Carnet-ATA/Ausfuhr-Wiedereinfuhr/ausfuhr_wiedereinfuhr_node.html) (German) - [douane.gouv.fr - Carnet ATA (admission temporaire)](https://www.douane.gouv.fr/fiche/carnet-ata-admission-temporairetemporary-admission) (French) - [CCI - Le carnet de passage en douane ATA, mode d’emploi (domiciliation, vouchers, transit sheets)](https://www.cci89.fr/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Mode-demploi-carnet-ATA.pdf) (French, PDF) - [IHK Region Stuttgart - Carnet ATA (EU territory, special fiscal territories)](https://www.ihk.de/stuttgart/fuer-unternehmen/international/import-export/carnet-ata-cpd/carnet-ata-675258) (German) - [IHK Frankfurt am Main - Carnet ATA (Binnenzollamt recommendation, transit sheets)](https://www.frankfurt-main.ihk.de/international/import-export/carnet-a-t-a-5271730) (German) - [European Commission - Customs Office List (COL)](https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds2/col/col_home.jsp) (English) - [ICC - eATA digital carnet](https://iccwbo.org/business-solutions/ata-carnet/eata-carnet/) (English) - [CCI Paris Île-de-France - the e-Carnet ATA enters into force](https://www.entreprises.cci-paris-idf.fr/actualites/le-e-carnet-ata-entre-en-vigueur-une-nouvelle-ere-pour-les-operations-temporaires) (French) --- This is an independent guide for robotics companies, not an official government resource. Customs rules, fees, locations and opening hours change, so always confirm details with the linked official sources (customs administrations and chambers of commerce) before you travel.