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Getting an ATA Carnet in Germany

The carnet process is the same across the EU - one customs territory, one stamp chain, explained in the EU carnet guide. This page covers the German implementation: ATA Carnets are issued exclusively by the regional chambers of commerce and industry (IHKs), never by customs (Zoll). Behind the IHKs stands the DIHK (Deutsche Industrie- und Handelskammer) as the national guaranteeing association, re-insured by Euler Hermes (Allianz Trade). Companies, freelancers and private individuals can all apply; IHK membership isn't required, though non-members pay a higher fee at some chambers. There's no legal entitlement to a carnet - the IHK decides - but in practice the process is routine.

Step 1: Find your IHK

You apply at the IHK responsible for your company's registered seat; private individuals go to the IHK of their place of residence. You can't shop around. The official locator is the IHK-Finder.

Step 2: Register once on e-ata.de

Most IHKs (about 73 of them) take carnet applications through the shared national portal e-ata.de. The one-time registration:

  1. Open e-ata.de and pick your IHK from the chamber selector.
  2. Click "Registrieren" and enter your company data plus a responsible person who will administer the account.
  3. Upload a copy of that person's ID (it's deleted after registration).
  4. Wait for the IHK to approve the account, then you can apply for carnets right away. The administrator can add further users.

Step 3: Apply for the carnet

For each carnet you fill in the application online (there's a chat function for questions to the IHK). The heart of it is the goods list:

Eligible goods are Union goods only (EU origin or duty-paid into free circulation) for the classic uses: exhibition goods, commercial samples, professional equipment. Never consumables, goods rented out abroad for payment, or goods that will be repaired or processed abroad. More on the robotics angle in carnets for robotics.

Step 4: Pay the fees

A German carnet costs four things: the IHK issuing fee, the ICC fee, the Euler Hermes insurance fee, and small form costs.

IHK issuing fee

This varies per chamber - roughly EUR 80 to 155 across the chambers we checked, and some use entirely different models. Always check your own IHK's fee schedule. Published examples (as of 12 June 2026):

IHKMemberNon-memberNotes
München und Oberbayern EUR 130 EUR 155 Form set EUR 3.00, insert sheets EUR 0.25
Region Stuttgart EUR 90 (no member split published) Printing EUR 0.50 per sheet + VAT
Berlin EUR 90 see fee schedule Optional Sofort-Service EUR 20 + VAT
Frankfurt am Main EUR 80 EUR 96 Booklet EUR 4.50, insert sheets EUR 0.70. Frankfurt's published fee block may be outdated - verify by phone

ICC fee

EUR 12 + VAT per carnet, invoiced in the name of the DIHK. This funds the international carnet chain.

The Euler Hermes insurance fee (Versicherungsentgelt)

Here's the big difference from Switzerland: German IHKs don't take a 20–40% deposit. Instead, every carnet pays a mandatory flat insurance fee to Euler Hermes (Allianz Trade), the DIHK's re-insurer, tiered by goods value. No cash gets locked up. The table valid from 1 January 2025:

Goods valueInsurance fee
up to EUR 9,999.99EUR 46
EUR 10,000 – 24,999.99EUR 79
EUR 25,000 – 49,999.99EUR 138
EUR 50,000 – 149,999.99EUR 250
EUR 150,000 – 299,999.99EUR 455
EUR 300,000 – 499,999.99EUR 750
each further started EUR 500,000+ EUR 500

Worked example from IHK Stuttgart for EUR 20,000 of goods: 90 + 12 + 79 = EUR 181 net (EUR 183.28 gross). Two things the insurance fee is not: it's not transport insurance, and it doesn't cover the duties you owe if the goods stay abroad. Insure those risks separately.

Step 5: Receive the carnet

The IHK checks the application, prints and issues. You pick the carnet up at the IHK or have it posted. Since 1 June 2026, carnets are issued digitally (eATA) for itineraries within the EU, Switzerland, Norway and the UK: the IHK gives you an eCarnet ID and PIN, and you load the carnet in the free ICC Carnet App. During the transition the IHK hands out a paper carnet alongside - sign it in field J.

How long does it take?

Honestly, it depends on the chamber: between a few days and a few weeks. IHK Stuttgart promises issue within three working days of a complete, error-free application; IHK München says allow at least a week and asks you not to phone about status. Berlin offers a paid Sofort-Service (EUR 20 + VAT) on demand. Add the one-time portal registration on top if this is your first carnet. Apply early, especially in trade-fair season.

Two German quirks worth knowing

And for longer stays: a carnet is valid one year minus a day and can never be extended. If the goods must stay abroad longer, the German route is a follow-up carnet (Anschlusscarnet): a new carnet number with the same goods list, issued so it overlaps the old one. Two caveats: not all countries accept it (clear it with the destination customs and your IHK first), and both carnets must be presented together to a customs office in the destination country, which marks the goods as transferred from old to new.

When the trips are done, return the carnet to your IHK as soon as you no longer need it, at the latest on expiry. The IHKs monitor returns: if a carnet isn't back by expiry or wasn't properly discharged, the IHK must notify Euler Hermes (Berlin charges EUR 25 + VAT for that).

One more check: export licences

A carnet is not an export licence. Goods on the German export list (Ausfuhrliste) need a licence from the BAFA (Bundesamt für Wirtschaft und Ausfuhrkontrolle) even for a temporary carnet trip. For robots that can mean autonomy features, cameras or encryption - run the dual-use check early, in parallel with the carnet application.

Where customs handles your carnet

Carnet handling in Germany is part of normal commercial-goods clearance at the customs offices (Zollämter). There's no special carnet counter and, unlike the Swiss directory, the official zoll.de office search (Dienststellensuche) has no "Carnet ATA" filter you can tick. So the practical advice boils down to two habits: open the carnet inland before you travel, and call the office before you drive anywhere unusual.

Rule number one: open it at your inland customs office

Before the goods leave the EU, the carnet must be opened by customs. Every IHK recommends doing this at your nearest inland customs office (Binnenzollamt), days before the trip, with the goods present. The inland office checks the goods, secures their identity and pre-processes the yellow export sheet so the EU exit office only adds a date - in any member state, not just Germany.

One more useful note printed on every zoll.de office page: for commercial goods, the binding opening hours are the ones published in the EU's Customs Office List (COL), the European Commission's database of all EU customs offices. When an office's general hours and your plans don't obviously match, the COL entry (and a phone call) settles it.

Frankfurt Airport

The customs office for Frankfurt Airport sits in the cargo area, not in the passenger terminals. It's competent for goods moved by air.

Zollamt Frankfurt am Main-Flughafen (HZA Frankfurt am Main, office code 3302)

Address
CargoCity Süd, Gebäude 53760549 Frankfurt am MainAlso reachable via Tor 25 CargoCity Nord, Geb. 451 (Lufthansa Cargo/Star Alliance) and Tor 26, Geb. 453 (couriers)
Opening hours
Officearound the clock, daily incl. holidays (00:00–23:59)
Commercial goodsper the EU Customs Office List (COL)

Hours as published on zoll.de, 12 June 2026.

Phone
+49 69 690-72556
Email
poststelle.za-ffm-flughafen@zoll.bund.de
Official links

The phone number above is the export desk; imports are on +49 69 690-72664.

Munich Airport

Zollamt Flughafen München (HZA München, office code 7650)

Address
Frachtgebäude Modul B, 5. OG85356 München-Flughafen
Opening hours
Mon07:30–23:00
Tue–Fri05:00–23:00
Sat–Sun08:15–16:00
Commercial goodsper the EU Customs Office List (COL)

Hours as published on zoll.de, 12 June 2026. A secondary directory publishes different (longer) weekend hours, and the airport operator places the office on a different floor (Ebene 00, before the security check) than zoll.de's 5th floor. Call before you go.

Phone
+49 89 975-90700
Email
poststelle.za-muenchen-flughafen@zoll.bund.de
Official links

Weil am Rhein-Autobahn: the road to Switzerland

The German side of the Basel/Weil A5 motorway crossing, the main truck-and-demo route into Switzerland. The Swiss side of the same crossing is covered in our Basel guide and the Swiss road borders page.

Zollamt Weil am Rhein-Autobahn (HZA Lörrach, office code 4055)

Address
Lustgartenstraße 179576 Weil am Rhein
Opening hours
General / commercialMon–Sat 05:00–22:00
Commercial freight on holidaysclosed
Traveler processingdaily 00:00–23:59

Hours as published on zoll.de, 12 June 2026. Whether carnets can be stamped in the 24/7 traveler lane outside commercial hours is not published - plan for the Mon–Sat 05:00–22:00 commercial window and call ahead for anything outside it.

Phone
+49 7621 701-0
Email
poststelle.za-weil-am-rhein-autobahn@zoll.bund.de
Official links

Two smaller offices sit nearby on the same border, Weil am Rhein-Friedlingen (4056) and Weil am Rhein-Otterbach (4057), both under the Hauptzollamt Lörrach. For a carnet trip, stick with the Autobahn office unless you've confirmed otherwise by phone.

Quick answers in the EU Carnet FAQ; recovery playbooks (claims, lost carnets, missed stamps) in fix a problem.

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.