URL: https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/us/get-a-carnet Last reviewed: 2026-07-06 Summary: Getting a US ATA Carnet: USCIB's two service providers (Roanoke and Boomerang Carnets), the General List, the fee tiers from $255, the 40% security via surety bond, and why you should have CBP activate Box H before you fly. # How to get an ATA Carnet in the United States > **ℹī¸ This page is for US-based companies** > > That includes US subsidiaries of foreign firms. Getting a US carnet needs **US legal residence and a US Taxpayer ID** in most instances (USCIB handles the exceptions case-by-case). If your company sits outside the US, you apply through your home issuer instead and simply [use that carnet in the US](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/us/using-your-carnet). US carnets are not issued by customs. The issuing and guaranteeing body is the **United States Council for International Business (USCIB)**, appointed in 1969, and the whole application runs online through one of two service providers. CBP, the federal customs agency, only comes in at the end, to activate and stamp the document. ## Step 1: Pick your issuing route USCIB has appointed exactly **two service providers** that issue carnets on its behalf. Either one works; they issue the same document. - **Roanoke** - applications through its portal at [carnet.roanoketrade.com](https://carnet.roanoketrade.com/), phone 1-800-CARNETS (1-800-227-6387). - **Boomerang Carnets** (legally the Corporation for International Business) - applications through [webapp.atacarnet.com](https://webapp.atacarnet.com/). > **💡 Don't mix up the websites** > > The domain **atacarnet.com belongs to Boomerang Carnets**, not to Roanoke, despite what the generic name suggests. Both are legitimate USCIB-appointed providers; just know whose portal you're on. ## Step 2: Build the goods list (the "General List") The list is the heart of the carnet, and it is **frozen once the carnet is issued**. No extra items can be added later, so list everything that might travel. - **Include serial numbers or model numbers whenever possible.** USCIB's own warning is blunt: an imprecise or incomplete description may cause a customs inspector to question the importation, and possibly seize the goods. For a mobile-robotics startup shipping an inspection robot plus controllers, chargers and spares, that means itemising each unit with its serial. - **Prototypes without serial numbers:** we found no US-specific rule (unlike the UK's "NSN" convention). Describe model and version markings precisely and ask your provider how to list them. - **Split shipments are fine.** Not every listed item has to travel every trip; you cross out the non-traveling items on the voucher when you go. So err on the side of listing more. ## Step 3: Pay the fee and provide the security USCIB's basic processing fee is tiered by the total value of the General List. These are the figures as published on 2026-07-06 (providers state them effective 1 February 2022); confirm the current schedule with your issuer. | General List value | Basic fee | | --- | --- | | $1 – $9,999 | $255 | | $10,000 – $49,999 | $300 | | $50,000 – $149,999 | $365 | | $150,000 – $399,999 | $425 | | $400,000 – $999,999 | $480 | | Over $1,000,000 | $545 | The basic fee includes up to four sets of counterfoils and vouchers. Extras: continuation sheets cost **$12 per page**, and additional voucher sets are **$25 per set** if ordered with the carnet, with an **$80 minimum** if you order them after issuance. On top of the fee comes the **security: 40% of the General List value** as standard. It's higher for some destinations (India is 55%) and substantially higher for vehicles; the exact add-ons differ between the providers' published tables, so confirm with your issuer. You can post the security as a certified check, but most applicants use a **surety bond** instead: a non-refundable premium of roughly **1% of the bond amount**, with small minimums. As a worked example: a $100,000 list means a $40,000 bond, so about a $400 premium. **Turnaround:** the published figures conflict a little between sources, so treat it as "as fast as 24 hours, typically about two business days" once your application and security are in and approved. Paid expedite options exist at both providers if you need same-day. ## Step 4: Have CBP activate the carnet (Box H) A fresh US carnet isn't ready to travel yet. **Box H on the green front cover must be validated by CBP** before or at the time of first exportation. You have two options: the airport CBP desk on departure day, or, much better, **the nearest CBP cargo office in advance**. Both come straight from CBP's carnet directive. We'd push you hard toward the advance option. Activate early at a CBP cargo office on a calm weekday, then travel without gambling on finding the right officer at the airport under time pressure. Find your nearest office and its hours in [CBP's port directory](https://www.cbp.gov/contact/ports), and call ahead; CBP itself tells you to verify hours locally. The carnet is then valid for **exactly one year, with unlimited entries and exits, and it cannot be extended**. Full stop; US regulations say so explicitly, even though you'll find looser wording elsewhere. ## When the carnet comes home - **Return the carnet to USCIB after your last trip - even if you never used it.** That's a formal requirement, not a courtesy. - Your security is **released 13 months after the carnet's expiration date**, provided no customs claim has been filed. Budget for that money (or bond) being tied up well past the carnet's own year. ## Two US quirks worth knowing - **No yellow vouchers.** US-issued carnets don't carry yellow exportation/re-importation vouchers; the home leg is handled differently. Your provider's instructions cover what to present where. - **Replacement carnets exist, one-way.** If you're a US exporter and your goods need to stay abroad past the year, a replacement carnet ($275 application plus $175 activation) can work, but only in destination countries that accept them. The US itself accepts **no replacement carnets inbound**; foreign visitors needing longer in the US have a different route, covered in [using your carnet in the US](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/us/using-your-carnet). ## 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. - [USCIB - Apply for an ATA Carnet (providers, five-step process)](https://uscib.org/ata-carnet-export-service/apply/) (English) - [USCIB - ATA Carnet fees and security](https://uscib.org/ata-carnet-export-service/fees/) (English) - [USCIB - ATA Carnet FAQ (foreign applicants, serial numbers, return, 13 months)](https://uscib.org/ata-carnet-export-service/faq/) (English, entries dated Feb 2026) - [CBP - ATA Carnet FAQ (issuers, no yellow vouchers)](https://www.cbp.gov/trade/programs-administration/entry-summary/ata-carnet-faqs) (English, last modified Jun 2024) - [CBP - Directive 3280-013B, Acceptance of Temporary Admission Carnets (Box H activation, no inbound replacement carnets)](https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2017-Nov/3280-013B.PDF) (English, PDF, dated Aug 2010 but still the published version) - [CBP - port of entry directory (offices, hours, phones)](https://www.cbp.gov/contact/ports) (English) - [19 CFR Part 114 - Carnets (frozen General List, one-year validity, no extension)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-19/chapter-I/part-114) (English) - [trade.gov - ATA Carnet (turnaround)](https://www.trade.gov/ata-carnet) (English) - [Boomerang Carnets - US carnet bonds (surety bond mechanics)](https://www.atacarnet.com/us-carnet-bonds) (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.