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US airports and borders

Any CBP port can validate a carnet, so the practical question is which office to use at your gateway and when it's open. Look up your port in CBP's official port directory (a state map; each port page lists an address, a phone number and usually per-weekday office hours), call the passenger-operations number before you fly, and arrive early.

The routine, in and out

Full walkthrough in using your carnet; the short version:

  1. On arrival: present the carnet and the goods to a CBP officer at your first US airport. The same procedure applies whether the robot travels as carry-on, checked baggage or cargo.
  2. On departure: customs before check-in. USCIB's rule is to present carnet and goods to CBP before checking your baggage, even if your flight connects through another US city. The stamp happens where you last have control of the goods: flying Dallas to JFK to Heathrow, you get stamped in Dallas.
  3. Finding the officer is your job. USCIB is blunt about it: arrive early, it's the carnet holder's responsibility to locate an inspector. Nobody stamps you out automatically. And no official "arrive X hours early" figure exists, so build in real slack and call the port the day before.

Chicago O'Hare

Chicago's port page names a carnet desk outright: the Public Counter in Terminal 5 handles outward carnet endorsements.

CBP Public Counter, O'Hare Terminal 5 (port 3901)

Address
Terminal 5, Lower Level, near baggage carousel #1210000 Bessie Coleman Drive, Chicago
Opening hours
Mon–Sunpassenger processing 24 hours (Central)

Between 8:00pm and 7:00am, report to the office door and call (773) 686-2800 x3668.

Phone
(773) 686-2800
Official links

The same page lists carnet processing at Chicago Midway (5700 South Cicero Avenue), 8:30am–11:30pm daily.

The other major gateways

For the airports below, here's the CBP office, phone and published hours to start from. Call the passenger-operations number before you fly to confirm a carnet officer will be available.

New York JFK

CBP, JFK Airport (port 4701)

Address
Building 77JFK International Airport
Opening hours
Mon–Fri8:00am–5:00pm EST

Call ahead to confirm a carnet officer will be available.

Phone
+1 718-487-5164
Official links

Passenger Operations: (718) 553-1643. There's also a Watch Commander reachable around the clock on (718) 553-1648, useful for awkward departure times.

Newark

For Newark, carnet provider Boomerang (guidance updated September 2024) directs passengers departing from Terminals A and C to Terminal B for validation. That's provider advice, not CBP's, so call ahead to confirm before you plan a tight Newark departure around it. The nearest CBP office in the directory is the New York/Newark seaport (1210 Corbin Street, Elizabeth NJ, Mon–Fri 7:00am–4:00pm ET).

Boston Logan

CBP, Boston Logan (port 0417)

Address
500 Terminal ELogan International Airport
Opening hours
Mon–Sun7:00am–12:00am ET

Call ahead to confirm a carnet officer will be available.

Phone
+1 617-568-1810
Official links

Open seven days a week until midnight.

Los Angeles LAX

The directory lists a Cargo Operations office (port 2720): Mon–Fri 8:00am–4:30pm PST, +1 310-665-4560. If you're flying out of LAX with carnet goods as baggage, call that number and ask where and when a passenger validation can happen.

San Francisco SFO

CBP's office is in the International Terminal, "G" side, second level (port 2801). Call +1 650-877-4000 before travel to confirm timing.

Las Vegas

The gateway for CES and the other big trade shows.

CBP, Las Vegas (port 2722)

Address
5757 Wayne Newton BlvdLas Vegas
Opening hours
Mon–Fri8:00am–4:00pm PT

Call ahead to confirm a carnet officer will be available.

Phone
(702) 730-6100
Official links

The phone number above is Passenger Operations, staffed 8:00am–midnight seven days a week.

Miami

CBP, Miami Airport (port 5206)

Address
Concourse D, North Terminal, 2nd FloorMiami International Airport
Opening hours
Mon–Fri8:00am–5:00pm ET

Call ahead to confirm a carnet officer will be available.

Phone
+1 786-476-3100
Official links

Passenger Operations runs 4:00am–midnight, seven days a week.

Washington Dulles

Dulles publishes conflicting hours, so call (703) 661-2800 to confirm before you travel.

Atlanta

CBP, Atlanta (port 1704)

Address
157 Tradeport DriveAtlanta
Opening hours
Mon–Fri8:00am–4:00pm EST

Call ahead to confirm a carnet officer will be available.

Phone
+1 404-765-5841
Official links

Passenger Operations: 5:00am–10:00pm daily. After hours, the same number reaches the Duty Supervisor on extension 8.

Sending the robot as freight

If someone presents the carnet who has no interest in the goods (a freight forwarder, a courier's agent), CBP will only accept it from a licensed customs broker. That's CBP Directive 3530-002A, dated 2001 but still the published version. So either name your representative in Box B on the carnet's green cover, or send them with a power of attorney or an authorization letter on your company letterhead (that advice comes from carnet provider Roanoke).

Land borders from Canada

Driving an inspection robot down from a Toronto demo? Land crossings use the same port directory. As an example of what's published, Buffalo (port 0901) lists its port office at 7:00am–11:00pm ET seven days a week (+1 716-843-8521), and its bridges (Peace, Lewiston and Rainbow Bridges, 716-843-8300) operate seven days a week. Call the port ahead, and prefer a major commercial crossing during business hours over a small one at night.

Trucking freight across? Since March 24, 2026 carriers can pre-declare a carnet in the ACE Truck Manifest. That's advance notice only: the physical carnet still gets validated at the border.

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.