eATA Carnet Project

The eATA Carnet project aims to digitalise ATA Carnets and their lifecycle management process – from issuance and declarations to transactions and claims.

ICC first developed its eATA concept in 2016. With the support of the World Customs Organization, a pilot project was launched to move from academic research to development and implementation. A brand-new ATA Carnet system has now been developed, comprising various digital tools tailored for a range of stakeholders.

These eATA tools include:

• A smartphone application, the ATA Carnet app, enabling Carnet holders to carry and declare digital versions of their customs documents
• The ATA Carnet Customs Portal, enabling customs officers to verify Carnets and approve digitally declared transactions.

How the eATA system works

1. When a Carnet is being issued, holders will also obtain a digital ATA Carnet, generated from the National Issuing and Claims Systems (NICS), which is run by a National Guaranteeing Association (NGA).
2. The holder then downloads the ordered Carnet into his or her smartphone wallet using ICC’s ATA Carnet app. If necessary, they can share it with his or her customs representative. For security purposes, the Carnet is encrypted and never transmitted in ‘open format’ on the network.
3. When crossing a border, the holder, or their customs representative, unlocks the downloaded Carnet and prepares a declaration using the ATA Carnet app. A QR code is generated for each declaration to present to the customs officer upon travel.
4. The customs officer then scans the QR code, reviews the declared elements via the ATA Carnet Customs Portal and determines if the goods can enter or exit the border. If the declaration is correct and accepted, the customs officer will the transaction via the ATA Carnet Customs Portal.
5. The transaction is then recorded and a confirmation is sent to the holder or customs representative’s smartphone.

Learning about the eATA pilot phase

While basic functionalities of the system have been built, the project is currently running a pilot phase with selected NGA members and their respective customs authorities.

Currently, the pilot is implemented in the following countries:

COUNTRY	PARTICIPATION	STARTING FROM	TRANSACTION PORTS	MEANS OF TRANSPORT
Belgium	NGA (issuing) + Customs (transaction)	2019-12-09	Brussels International Airport	Passenger and cargo
			Liège Airport	Cargo only, including horses
Canada	NGA (issuing) + Customs (transaction)	2022-04-11	Montréal-Trudeau International Airport	Cargo
China	NGA (issuing) + Customs (transaction)	2020-01-02	Beijing Capital International Airport	Passenger and cargo
			Beijing Daxing International Airport	Passenger and cargo
Germany	NGA (Issuing only)*	2022-03-15	N/A	N/A
Norway	NGA (issuing) + Customs (transaction)	2022-04-01	Oslo Harbour, Customs Office: Utstikker II	Passenger and cargo
			Oslo Harbour, Customs Office: Hjortnes port	Passenger and cargo
			Stavanger Customs Office, Airport Sola	Passenger and cargo
			Stavanger Customs Office, Risvika port	Passenger and cargo
		2022-09-01	Gardermoen Airport	cargo and passenger
Russia	NGA (issuing) + Customs (transaction)	2020-10-30	Domodedovo International Airport, Moscow	Passenger and cargo
			Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow	Passenger and cargo
			Specialised Customs point (internal customs post), Smolnaya st. 12, Moscow	Passenger and cargo
			Multilateral automobile checkpoint (MAPP) Ubylinka Border Crossing Station	Cargo
Switzerland	NGA (issuing) + Customs (transaction)	2019-10-20	Zurich Airport Customs offices located at: – Check-In 1 – Airside Centre – Arrival 2 – General Aviation Centre Above locations can be found on the Zurich Airport website	Passenger
United Kingdom	NGA (issuing) + Customs (transaction)	2022-05-10	Heathrow Airport	Passenger and cargo

*Germany NGA (2 issuing offices: CCI Munich and CCI Freiburg) will start issuing ATA carnets digitally to help boost eATA transactions (test results) in other pilot countries

Finding support

NGAs act as ICC’s national coordinators for pilot participants. If you are a Carnet user or a customs officer involved in the project and have questions or would like to receive support, please contact the NGA in your country. Contact details are provided in the table above.