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Something went wrong. Now what?

Carnet problems are fixable, but the fixes are deadline-driven. These playbooks are for carnets issued in the EU; the same problem on a Swiss carnet has different procedures (see the Swiss page). One rule applies to every scenario below, in every member state: your issuing chamber is the single point of contact - the IHK in Germany, the CCI in France. The chamber sits in the guarantee chain, it has seen every one of these problems before, and the earlier you call, the cheaper the fix. The second rule: act immediately.

"I'm back, but I missed a stamp on the way"

Maybe the foreign re-export stamp, maybe the yellow EU re-import. Either way the carnet's paper trail has a hole, and a hole becomes a duty claim if you leave it. The Istanbul Convention obliges customs to accept alternative proof of re-exportation, as long as it's dated before the re-export deadline. What counts:

What does not count: forwarder statements, affidavits, bills of lading and other non-official documents. Customs rejects them unless they carry a customs stamp.

"A claim arrived from foreign customs"

A claim starts when the re-export counterfoil never reached the foreign import office, or goods were re-exported late or only partly. It travels through the guarantee chain to your national guaranteeing association - in Germany the DIHK with Euler Hermes (Allianz Trade) behind it, in France CCI Paris Île-de-France.

  1. Inform your chamber immediately, especially if foreign customs contacted you directly. Don't negotiate alone.
  2. Gather your proof: the carnet (or photos of every page), the yellow re-import counterfoil, and in Germany an inspection certificate if the goods are home.
  3. The guarantor settles the claim and then recovers everything from you: duties, taxes, late interest, fines, regularisation charges and handling fees. In Germany, Euler Hermes handles the claim itself without an extra handling fee, but you reimburse any foreign duties it pays out.
  4. Know the cost of inaction: if a German carnet isn't returned by expiry or wasn't properly discharged, the IHK must notify Euler Hermes - IHK Berlin charges EUR 25 + VAT just for that notification.

"The goods are staying abroad" (sold, gifted, stolen, destroyed)

A customer kept the robot, or it was stolen from the demo van. Commercially very different; customs-wise the same problem: the goods won't re-export, and the foreign import duties become due - theft and destruction included. That's why carnet goods should be insured for the customs exposure on top of their value.

  1. Tell your chamber, and the customs authorities on both sides, without delay.
  2. The fix is a definitive import in the destination country (France calls it the mise à la consommation): the local duties and taxes are paid there, before the re-export deadline, and the payment is receipted or annotated in the carnet. For a sale, the buyer pays - but you stay liable until that's actually done, regardless of what the buyer promises.
  3. German carnets: additionally file a belated export declaration (Ausfuhranmeldung), required for values over EUR 1,000.

Planning to sell from the start? Then a carnet was the wrong tool - see the robotics guide.

"I lost the carnet"

  1. Goods still abroad: call your chamber. It can establish a replacement: Germany's Ersatzcarnet (identically completed, same number, same validity, with an official seal and covering letter; present it at the customs office that did the original identity check so the identity note is transferred), France's duplicata. Neither country publishes a fee for this - the chamber will tell you.
  2. Lost after you're back: in Germany, ask the EU border office or your Binnenzollamt for a copy of the processed yellow re-import sheet, then get an inspection certificate for the goods. Together that's your evidence against any later claim. In France, call your CCI and assemble the same kind of evidence.
  3. A duplicate replaces the booklet, not the stamps already collected. So photograph every page after every stamp from now on - it costs nothing and turns a lost booklet from a crisis into an errand. Prevention is embarrassingly cheap: a dedicated folder with a GPS tracker in it.

"The carnet expires but the goods must stay abroad"

A carnet can't be extended, anywhere. Contact your chamber before expiry. The German route is a follow-up carnet (Anschlusscarnet): same goods list, new number, overlapping validity, with old and new presented together to a customs office in the destination country. France's CCIs handle it case by case: ask whether the destination country permits an extension or replacement arrangement and on what conditions. Either way, not every country plays along, so confirm with the destination customs first. Letting the carnet lapse with the goods still abroad turns into the claim scenario above, with duties attached.

"I'm at the border and there's a problem right now"

"I need a carnet urgently"

Not a disaster, just tight. In France, GEFI's express option issues in under 24 hours for €40 on top of the normal fees. In Germany it depends on the chamber: Berlin offers a Sofort-Service (EUR 20 + VAT), Stuttgart promises three working days for a complete application. Remember the carnet still needs its customs opening at the inland office before first use, so "urgent" means the carnet and a customs visit.

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.