Did you know that about 190 000 ATA Carnets covering merchandise valued at R449.87-billion are issued by 80 countries or customs territories each year? More importantly, do you know what an ATA Carnet is?

The acronym ‘ATA’ is a combination of the initial letters of the French phrase ‘Admission Temporaire’ and the English phrase ‘Temporary Admission’. An ATA Carnet is an international customs document that permits the duty- and tax-free temporary importation of merchandise for up to one year. It contains pre-prepared unified customs declaration forms to be used at each country’s customs border offices and serves as a guarantee for duties and taxes. The ATA Convention and the Istanbul Convention are trade facilitation tools. An ATA Carnet cuts red tape by simplifying and unifying customs border crossing regulations for temporary import and export.

In South Africa, ATA Carnets are issued by the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

An ATA Carnet enables exhibitors, salespeople, artistes, athletes, television crews, technicians, event participants and business travellers to travel through customs without paying import duties (the collective for all duties payable on importation or exportation) or taxes at each customs border office; to use one unified document for all declarations at home and abroad; to use one document for multiple destinations and trips throughout its one-year validity; and to make advance customs arrangements at predetermined costs.

ATA Carnets are mainly issued to cover merchandise for use at trade fairs, shows and exhibitions; professional equipment; commercial samples; and personal effects and goods for sports purposes.

Customs authorities accept an ATA Carnet in accordance with the scope of application that they ratified. The merchandise must not go through any changes while in the country of temporary importation. The ATA Carnet does not cover perishable or consumable items, goods for processing or repair, or certain means of transport defined in the Istanbul Convention.

According to the World Customs Organisation (WCO), the ATA Carnet is widely welcomed by countries wishing to boost international cooperation and take full advantage of the global economy.

On November 15, the WCO announced its Joint ATA/Istanbul Convention Administrative Committee, and its preparations for the transition from a paper to a digital Carnet system. At the meeting, the WCO expressed its appreciation to the International Chamber of Commerce World Chambers Federation (ICC WCF) for its part in leading the preparation of the electronic ATA Carnet system. The WCO stressed the importance of digitalisation of the ATA Carnet for simpler, safer, cheaper and more efficient ATA Carnet procedures for both customs and private-sector stakeholders. Further, the WCO welcomed the electronic Carnet de Passages en Douane, developed by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile for greater facilitation of the temporary management of vehicles.

Based on the result of the electronic ATA pilot project and collaboration with the ICC, the committee approved the Global Transition Plan for moving to a digital Carnet system, including the transition roadmap and consideration for six cases of paper and digital Carnet usage during the transition period. The next Joint ATA Istanbul Administrative Committee meeting takes place in September 2023.

The eATA Carnet project aims to digitalise ATA Carnets and their life-cycle management process – from issuance and declarations to transactions and claims. The ICC first developed its eATA concept in 2016.

The eATA tools include a smartphone application, the ATA Carnet app, which enables Carnet holders to carry and declare digital versions of their customs documents, and the ATA Carnet Customs portal, which enables customs officers to verify Carnets and approve digitally declared transactions.

The pilot is being implemented by Belgium, Canada, China, Germany, Norway, Russia, Switzerland and the UK. It’s disappointing that no developing country, including South Africa, is part of the pilot project.

For more information on the project, please visit www.iccwbo.org/resources-for-business/ata-carnet/e-ata-carnet-project/