URL: https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/what-is-an-ata-carnet
Last reviewed: 2026-09-14
Summary: The ATA Carnet explained from zero: what it is, where you get one (in your own country, before you leave), what it costs in Switzerland, Germany, France, the UK and the US, how long it lasts, the new digital eATA, and which countries accept it.

# What is an ATA Carnet?

An **ATA Carnet** (from French/English *Admission Temporaire / Temporary Admission*) is an international customs document that lets you take goods into around 80 countries **temporarily**, for up to one year, without paying import duties or VAT, and without depositing money at each border. People often call it a *"passport for goods"*, and honestly that's the right way to think about it: one document, recognised in many countries, stamped on the way in and out.

Without a carnet, bringing an expensive robot into a foreign country, even just for a three-day trade fair, means one of two things. Either you pay import duties and VAT (often 20–40% of the value, partly refundable at best), or you arrange that country's national temporary-import procedure with a cash deposit or bond, in the local language, at the border. A carnet replaces all of that with a stamp.

## Who runs the system

The carnet system is based on two international treaties, the [ATA Convention (1961)](https://www.wcoomd.org/en/topics/facilitation/instrument-and-tools/conventions/pf_ata_system_conven.aspx) and the [Istanbul Convention (1990)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:21993A0527(01)), and is administered by the [International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) World Chambers Federation](https://iccwbo.org/business-solutions/ata-carnet/). In each member country there's a **national guaranteeing association**, usually the chambers of commerce. It issues carnets and, crucially, *guarantees* to its national customs that duties will be paid if a foreign carnet holder breaks the rules.

That guarantee chain is the whole trick. When you show up at a foreign border with a carnet, customs doesn't need your money as security. It already has a standing guarantee from its own national chamber association, which in turn can recover from the chamber that issued your carnet, which in turn recovers from **you**. That's why your chamber takes a security deposit or insurance premium when issuing. The associations' liability is capped at the duties plus 10%.

## Where do I get a carnet?

**In the country where you're based, before the goods leave.** That's the short answer, and it's the one people get wrong most often. You can't pick a carnet up at the airport or ask for one at the border, and customs doesn't issue them at all. Your national guaranteeing association does, which in nearly every country means a chamber of commerce.

| Where you're based | Who issues | Where you apply |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Switzerland | 17 cantonal and regional chambers of commerce | [ataswiss.ch](https://www.ataswiss.ch/) ([step by step](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/switzerland/get-a-carnet)) |
| Germany | your regional IHK, guaranteed nationally by the DIHK | [e-ata.de](https://www.e-ata.de/), which covers around 73 IHKs ([step by step](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/eu/germany)) |
| France | your CCI, guaranteed by CCI Paris Île-de-France | [GEFI](https://www.formalites-export.com/Produits/Carnet-ATA) ([step by step](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/eu/france)) |
| United Kingdom | 21 issuing chambers; the London Chamber is the national guarantor | [ecarnet](https://www.ecarnet.co.uk/Lccicarnet/Index) ([step by step](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/uk/get-a-carnet)) |
| United States | USCIB, through two appointed providers (Roanoke, Boomerang) | [uscib.org](https://uscib.org/ata-carnet-export-service/apply/) ([step by step](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/us/get-a-carnet)) |
| Anywhere else | that country's national guaranteeing association | [ICC country directory](https://iccwbo.org/business-solutions/ata-carnet/ata-carnet-in-your-country/) |

"Where you're based" is a real rule, not just a convenience. German IHKs issue to companies with their registered seat in their district, and to private individuals where they live. Swiss chambers cover firms domiciled in their canton. USCIB says that "in most instances, it is not possible to obtain a US Carnet without legal residence and Taxpayer ID". So a German company shipping a robot to Chicago applies to its own IHK and uses that German carnet in the US. It doesn't get a US one. For France and the UK we couldn't find a published rule on foreign applicants either way, so if that's your situation, ask the chamber before you plan around it.

### How early should you apply?

Days, not hours, and sometimes rather more. The London Chamber turns carnets around within 24 hours of submission (2 hours if you pay for express), Geneva's chamber within a business day, IHK Stuttgart within three working days. But IHK Munich asks you to plan at least a week and runs no express service, and in the US the usual figure is about two business days once your security is approved.

Your first carnet takes longer than the numbers above suggest. Nearly every portal wants a one-time account registration first, which means an approval step (in Germany) or a signed contract sent by post (in Switzerland). Your security has to be in place before the carnet gets printed. And once you're holding it, your own customs still has to activate it before the goods travel. Start two to three weeks out and none of that hurts.

## What a carnet covers (and what it never covers)

Carnets are accepted for three broad categories of goods:

- **Goods for exhibitions and trade fairs** - your robot on a booth;
- **Commercial samples** - demo units shown to win orders;
- **Professional equipment** - tools and machines you bring and operate yourself for work abroad.

The golden rule behind all three: **everything must come back, unchanged, within the deadline.** That rules out:

- **Goods for sale**, or even goods you'll *probably* sell;
- **Consumables and giveaways**: brochures, stickers, demo materials that get used up;
- **Perishables**;
- **Goods sent abroad for repair or processing** (routine maintenance during the trip is fine);
- **Goods you rent out** or otherwise charge money for while abroad.

> **ℹ️ Countries interpret the categories differently**
> 
> Swiss customs puts it bluntly: the application areas "are interpreted differently in the individual countries". The USA, for example, never signed the exhibitions annex, so fair goods enter the US as commercial samples or professional equipment instead, and UK chambers reclassify them at issuing time for exactly that reason. When in doubt, ask the chamber that issues your carnet.

## What the document looks like

A classic **paper carnet** is a colour-coded booklet:

- a **green cover** with your details and the **General List**, the full inventory of goods (descriptions, serial numbers, values). Once customs activates the carnet, this list is frozen forever;
- **yellow sheets** for exportation from and re-importation into the home country;
- **white sheets** for importation into and re-exportation from each visited country;
- **blue sheets** for transit through countries you only pass through.

Each sheet comes as a pair: a **voucher** (*Trennabschnitt*) that the customs officer detaches and keeps, and a **counterfoil** (*Stammabschnitt*) that gets stamped and **stays in your booklet permanently**. The stamped counterfoils are your proof that everything was done right. Never remove them.

## The digital carnet (eATA), live since 1 June 2026

On **1 June 2026** the digital ATA Carnet went live in 30 countries: Switzerland, all 27 EU member states, Norway and the United Kingdom. Carnets issued in those countries from that date must generally be presented **digitally**. Instead of a paper booklet, you load your carnet into the free ICC **ATA Carnet App** using a Carnet ID and PIN from your chamber, prepare the declaration in the app, and show a **QR code** at the border, which customs scans.

- Paper carnets issued up to 31 May 2026 remain valid in paper form until they expire.
- Most of the world is still on paper, and the US is one of those countries (USCIB's plan, not a promise, is to switch in late 2026). A trip there runs on paper even if your home country went digital, so ask your chamber for the paper booklet as well.
- German IHKs go further and advise opening both the digital and the paper version at customs during the transition, unprompted.
- The ICC targets worldwide digital coverage by 1 January 2028.

## Validity: exactly one year, no extensions

A carnet is valid for exactly **12 months** from the day it's issued, and it can never be extended. Within that year you can make **unlimited trips** with any subset of the listed goods. Three important wrinkles:

- The customs office of the country you visit can impose a **shorter re-export deadline** than the carnet's validity (it's noted on your import counterfoil, so check it). Some countries, such as India, Mexico and Singapore, generally limit stays to six months.
- If goods must stay abroad longer than a year, some countries accept a **replacement carnet** ("Anschluss-Carnet") that is arranged *before* the original expires and stretches the total stay to about two years. Ask the foreign customs office and your chamber early.
- The US is the exception to that: CBP doesn't accept replacement carnets issued abroad. A longer US stay means converting to a Temporary Importation under Bond before your carnet expires, which is a customs-broker job.

## What it costs

Two things, in every country: a fee to whoever issues the carnet, and security. The fee is the small, predictable part, roughly €100 to £450. The security is the big number, and how it gets charged is the single biggest difference between countries. There are two models:

- **You lock money up.** A refundable deposit, cash or a bank guarantee, sized as a percentage of your goods value, released once the carnet is properly discharged. That's the Swiss default, and an option in the UK and the US.
- **You buy a guarantee.** A flat, non-refundable premium of a few hundred, with nothing frozen. Germany and France work this way by default, and the UK's Carnet Security Scheme and the US surety bond do the same job.

| Country | Issuing fee | Security |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Switzerland | CHF 95 (members) or CHF 130 (non-members) plus 1‰ of the goods value at most chambers. Geneva charges a percentage of the carnet value instead: 0.8% members, 1.2% non-members. | Refundable deposit, typically 20–40% of the goods value. Some chambers accept guarantee insurance instead. |
| Germany | IHK fee of €80–155, depending on the chamber and whether you're a member, plus a €12 ICC fee. | No deposit. A flat insurance fee to Allianz Trade, by value band: €46 up to €10k, €250 for €50k–150k, €455 for €150k–300k, €750 for €300k–500k, then +€500 per further €500k. |
| France | €75 base, plus a €30 international guarantee levy, plus €30 per return trip. | No deposit. A flat, non-refundable *prime de cautionnement* by value band: €70 up to €11k, €500 for €100k–150k, €1,500 at €500k, and 0.22% above that. |
| United Kingdom | London Chamber: £270 for members, £444 for non-members. Other chambers set their own. | The highest duty and tax rate of any country you'll visit, plus 10%. For EU trips that's a flat 40% of value. Pay it as cash or a bank guarantee (refundable), or buy the Carnet Security Scheme instead (non-refundable, priced by quote). |
| United States | USCIB fee by value tier: $255 up to $10k, $365 for $50k–150k, $425 for $150k–400k, up to $545 above $1m. | 40% of the General List value (India 55%, vehicles more), usually posted as a surety bond with a non-refundable premium of about 1%. |

Figures as published when we checked them: Switzerland 11 June 2026, Germany, France and the UK 12 June 2026, the US 6 July 2026. Tariffs change at the turn of the year, so confirm the current one with your issuer. Watch for the extras too: express handling, additional voucher sheets, postage and, in France, every trip beyond the first.

### The same robot, five countries

Say your goods list comes to 150,000 in your own currency. We're not converting between currencies here, because the fee bands are set in local currency anyway. Roughly what you'd pay:

- **Switzerland:** about CHF 245 in fees, plus CHF 30,000–60,000 parked as a deposit (or an insurance premium, if your chamber offers one).
- **Germany:** around €550–620 all in, nothing frozen.
- **France:** around €635 all in (€135 in fees plus a €500 premium), nothing frozen.
- **United Kingdom:** £270 in fees, plus £60,000 in cash or a bank guarantee for an EU trip. Or swap that for a Carnet Security Scheme quote.
- **United States:** $425 in fees, plus roughly $600 for a $60,000 surety bond.

Set that against the alternative. Import duties plus VAT commonly run 20–40% of the value, at every border, and the UK's 40% security rate for EU destinations is itself an estimate of exactly that. A carnet converts a recurring five-figure exposure into a few hundred in fees and a deposit you get back.

## Which countries accept carnets

About 80 countries and customs territories, including the whole EU, Switzerland, Norway, the UK, the USA, Canada, China, Japan, Australia and many more. The authoritative, current list is the [ICC country directory](https://iccwbo.org/business-solutions/ata-carnet/ata-carnet-in-your-country/). Three things worth knowing:

- **The EU counts as one customs territory.** One import stamp at your first EU entry covers all 27 member states; you re-export once when you finally leave the EU. No formalities at internal EU borders.
- **Notable gaps:** most of Latin America (only Chile, Mexico and Peru participate; Brazil left the system end of 2021), most of Africa, and parts of the Middle East and Central Asia. For those countries you fall back on national temporary-import procedures with deposits.
- **The UK remained a full carnet country after Brexit.** In fact, carnets became the standard way to move equipment temporarily between the EU and the UK.

## The lifecycle at a glance

1. **Apply** at your national issuer with a complete goods list.
2. **Activate** the carnet at a customs office in your own country before first use. Every country has its own name and office type for this step, and every country wants it done before you travel.
3. **Export stamp** when leaving your home country (or, from the EU, when leaving the EU).
4. **Import stamp** on arrival in the destination country.
5. **Re-export stamp** when leaving the destination, before the deadline.
6. **Re-import stamp** when coming home.
7. **Return the carnet** to your issuer; it checks the stamps, discharges the carnet and releases your security.

Every step, with the office types, opening hours and local vocabulary that actually apply to you, is in the country guides: [European Union](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/eu), [Switzerland](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/switzerland), [United Kingdom](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/uk), [United States](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/us).

## Alternatives: when a carnet isn't the right tool

- **You might sell the goods abroad:** a carnet is the wrong tool, because the goods have to come home. National temporary-import procedures are friendlier here. Switzerland's ZAVV, for instance, explicitly allows an "uncertain sale". A definitive export may be simpler still.
- **Goods stay longer than 12 months:** consider the destination country's own temporary-admission procedure or definitive import. The Swiss ZAVV runs two years and is extendable; in the US the route is a TIB.
- **Low-value single trip:** the fixed fees and the deposit lock-up may cost more than just paying duties.
- **Destination not in the carnet system:** you'll need that country's national procedure (deposit or bond) regardless.

Next: [what all of this means specifically for robotics companies →](https://carnet-ata-for-robotics.com/ata-carnet-for-robotics)

## 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.

- [ICC - ATA Carnet overview](https://iccwbo.org/world-chambers-federation/chamber-services/ata-carnet/) (English)
- [ICC - ATA Carnet country directory](https://iccwbo.org/business-solutions/ata-carnet/ata-carnet-in-your-country/) (English)
- [ICC - eATA digital carnet](https://iccwbo.org/business-solutions/ata-carnet/eata-carnet/) (English)
- [Istanbul Convention on Temporary Admission - full text](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:21993A0527(01)) (English)
- [WCO - the ATA system conventions](https://www.wcoomd.org/en/topics/facilitation/instrument-and-tools/conventions/pf_ata_system_conven.aspx) (English)
- [European Commission - customs transit / ATA temporary admission](https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/customs/customs-procedures-import-and-export/what-customs-transit/customs-transit-ata-temporary-admission_en) (English)
- [Swiss customs (BAZG) - ATA Carnet: goods movement and customs formalities](https://www.bazg.admin.ch/en/ata-carnet-goods-movement-and-customs) (EN/DE/FR/IT)
- [Swiss customs (BAZG) - Carnet ATA (German page incl. eATA launch details)](https://www.bazg.admin.ch/de/carnet-ata-warenverkehr-und-zollformalitaeten) (German)
- [Swiss customs (BAZG) - temporary admission (ZAVV)](https://www.bazg.admin.ch/de/voruebergehende-einfuhr) (German)
- [ATASwiss - Swiss application portal and chamber chooser](https://www.ataswiss.ch/) (DE/FR/IT)
- [IHK St.Gallen-Appenzell - Merkblatt "Benutzung Carnet ATA" and fee tariff](https://www.ihk.ch/wp-content/dokumente/Export/Carnet%20ATA/Merkblatt%201%20-%20Benutzung%20Carnet%20ATA.pdf) (German, PDF)
- [e-ata.de - German IHK carnet portal](https://www.e-ata.de/) (German)
- [IHK München - Carnet ATA (fees, Allianz Trade insurance table, processing time)](https://www.ihk-muenchen.de/ratgeber/internationalisierung/exportdokumente-zoll-exportkontrolle/carnet-ata/) (German)
- [IHK Region Stuttgart - Carnet ATA (costs, processing, paper backup during the eATA transition)](https://www.ihk.de/stuttgart/fuer-unternehmen/international/import-export/carnet-ata-cpd/carnet-ata-675258) (German)
- [GEFI - French Carnet ATA product page](https://www.formalites-export.com/Produits/Carnet-ATA) (French)
- [National GEFI carnet tariff as of 01/01/2025](https://www.ccinordisere.fr/sites/g/files/mwbcuj1006/files/2025-01/TARIFS%20ATA%20GEFI%202025.pdf) (French, PDF)
- [National guarantee-premium schedule (prime de cautionnement) as of 01/01/2023](https://www.ccinordisere.fr/sites/g/files/mwbcuj1006/files/2023-01/PRIME%20DE%20CAUTIONNEMENT%20ATA%20au%2001012023.pdf) (French, PDF)
- [UK Government - apply for an ATA Carnet](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-ata-carnet) (English)
- [LCCI - ATA Carnet fees, FAQs and processing times](https://www.londonchamber.co.uk/international-trade/trade-documentation/ata-carnet/) (English)
- [UKNATACO - Security Rate Chart](https://uknataco.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Security-Rate-Chart-June-2025.pdf) (English, PDF, June 2025)
- [USCIB - ATA Carnet fees and security](https://uscib.org/ata-carnet-export-service/fees/) (English)
- [USCIB - ATA Carnet FAQ (foreign applicants, US residence and Taxpayer ID)](https://uscib.org/ata-carnet-export-service/faq/) (English)
- [CBP - Directive 3280-013B (no inbound replacement carnets, TIB route)](https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2017-Nov/3280-013B.PDF) (English, PDF)
- [US ITA - ATA Carnet (turnaround, what the carnet replaces)](https://www.trade.gov/ata-carnet) (English)

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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.