Digital milestone reached as first ever electronic ATA Carnet is processed

ICC commitments to simplify trade documentation processes have been bolstered by the first real use of a digital ATA Carnet – the widely used international trade facilitation tool allowing duty free movement of goods for up to one year.

Issued as part of the ‘Mercury II’ pilot project to digitalise the ATA Carnet – launched by ICC in 2018 – the pioneering Swiss ATA Carnet ‘CHBE20191834’ was digitally activated by customs officials at Zurich airport on 20 October 2019. It was followed by another digital transaction of exportation formalities on the same day. Two weeks later, on 1 November, the goods were re-imported to Switzerland from Canada, declared via the ICC ATA Carnet App and subsequently digitally processed by Zurich airport customs via the ATA Carnet Customs portal.

ICC ATA Manager Yuan Chai said: “We are delighted that the test case was a success, demonstrating that it is possible to handle ATA carnets digitally and that both the concept and digital tool can transform to work well in the real world.”

Commenting on the successful test, Christian Modl, President of Alliance des Chambres de Commerce Suisses (the National Guaranteeing Association for Switzerland) said: “Switzerland, being a founding member of the ATA carnet system, we are proud and humbled to now be part of paving the way into the digital future of the ATA carnet. We trust that the first transaction on an electronic carnet is merely the start into another 65 years and more of the success story that is the ATA system.”

ICC, as the international organization administering the ATA Carnet international guaranteeing chain, is leading the on-going project to digitalise the ATA Carnet in cooperation with the World Customs Organization (WCO). The real testing phase will continue for 6 months thanks to the support of six pilot countries: Belgium, China, Russia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Ms Chai added: “We are thankful to our project team members from the Alliance of Swiss Chambers of Commerce, the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Belgian Federation of Chambers, the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the United States Council for International Business and solutions provider UDITIS.”

Learn more about the ICC ATA Carnet lifecycle management system in this demo video available in five languages on ICC’s YouTube channel.