URL: https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/us Last reviewed: 2026-07-06 Summary: How ATA Carnets work in the US: the federal CBP process, USCIB and its two service providers, the tiered fee and 40% security bond, and the exit-validation trap when your goods leave the country. # The ATA Carnet in the United States Say your company is flying a demo robot to a Las Vegas trade fair, or trucking one up to a customer in Toronto. An ATA Carnet lets that equipment leave the country and come back without paying import duties or posting a cash deposit at the border each time. It's the standard document for temporary exports, and it works at every US port. This guide walks through the whole thing, including the sharp edges: nobody stamps you out automatically when the goods leave, and trade-fair goods enter under a specific customs label. ## How the process works Two organisations share the job, and neither one is a state agency: - **USCIB issues and guarantees carnets.** The United States Council for International Business is the sole national issuing and guaranteeing association, appointed in 1969. It works through exactly two appointed service providers, [Roanoke and Boomerang Carnets](https://uscib.org/ata-carnet-export-service/apply/), who handle the applications. USCIB never stamps a carnet. - **CBP handles the customs side.** U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers validate and stamp carnets at ports of entry and departure. CBP never issues carnets, and it doesn't set the fees. From there the path is short: apply through one of the two providers, have CBP activate the carnet before your first trip, get it stamped on the way out, and present it again when the goods come home. The step-by-step guide below covers each stage. One thing companies often ask: the process is **the same in all 50 states**. Customs is federal, so CBP applies one rulebook at every border point, whether you fly out of New York, Chicago or Los Angeles. The only thing that changes from port to port is practical, opening hours and phone numbers, which is why "call the port before you travel" runs through this whole guide. By regulation, carnets are valid in the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, but not in Guam or the US Virgin Islands. > **⚠️ The exit-validation trap** > > Nobody will stamp your carnet on the way out unless you make it happen. There's no automatic exit check in the US. Present your carnet **and the goods** to a CBP officer **before checking in your baggage**, at the last airport where you still control the goods. Flying Las Vegas to LA and then overseas, with the robot checked through to the final airport? The stamp happens in Las Vegas, not LA. Call the port's CBP office the day before to make sure someone will be there; no official "arrive X hours early" figure exists, so build in real margin. ## The guide, step by step - [Get a carnet](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/us/get-a-carnet): USCIB's two providers, the tiered fees, the 40% security bond - [Use it at the border](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/us/using-your-carnet): Arrival validation, re-export deadlines, and getting that exit stamp - [Fix a problem](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/us/problems): Missed stamps, claims and liquidated damages, the TIB route for longer stays Quick answers instead? The [US ATA Carnet FAQ](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/us/faq) covers costs, deadlines, trade-fair rules and more in short Q&As. ## Where to get it stamped Any CBP port can validate a carnet; the law names no restricted list. The guide below pairs each major gateway with its address, phone and hours, plus the advice that runs through this whole section: call the port before you fly. - [US airports](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/us/airports): JFK, O'Hare, LAX, Las Vegas, Miami and more - CBP offices, hours, and why you should call ahead ## Key US facts - **Issued by**: USCIB, via two appointed service providers, Roanoke and Boomerang Carnets - **Typical cost**: Tiered by goods value, $255 to $545 basic fee (as published 2026-07-06, confirm with the issuer), plus security of 40% of the goods value, usually as a surety bond - **Validity**: 12 months, never extendable. The US doesn't accept replacement carnets either; converting to a TIB entry before expiry is the only longer-stay route - **Customs side**: CBP validates and stamps at ports of entry and departure; find yours in the [CBP port directory](https://www.cbp.gov/contact/ports) (English) - **Trade-fair quirk**: The US isn't a party to the Exhibitions & Fairs convention. Trade-fair goods still get in, but as commercial samples or professional equipment, never as "exhibition goods" 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), then come back here for the US specifics. ## 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. - [CBP - ATA Carnet FAQ](https://www.cbp.gov/trade/programs-administration/entry-summary/ata-carnet-faqs) (English, last modified June 2024) - [CBP - Directive 3280-013B, Acceptance of Temporary Admission Carnets](https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2017-Nov/3280-013B.PDF) (English, PDF, dated 2010, still the current version) - [eCFR - 19 CFR Part 114 (Carnets)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-19/chapter-I/part-114) (English) - [USCIB - ATA Carnet: how to apply](https://uscib.org/ata-carnet-export-service/apply/) (English) - [USCIB - ATA Carnet fees](https://uscib.org/ata-carnet-export-service/fees/) (English) - [USCIB - ATA Carnet FAQ](https://uscib.org/ata-carnet-export-service/faq/) (English) - [CBP - port of entry directory](https://www.cbp.gov/contact/ports) (English) --- 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.