ATA Carnet
eATA Carnet
The eATA Carnet project aims to digitalise ATA Carnets and their lifecycle management process – from issuance and declarations to transactions and claims.
What is eATA Carnet?
First developed by ICC in 2016 with the support of the World Customs Organization, eATA Carnet was launched to provide various digital tools tailored for a range of stakeholders including:
- A smartphone application, the ATA Carnet app, enabling Carnet holders to carry and declare digital versions of their customs documents.
- ATA Carnet Customs, enabling customs officers to verify Carnets and approve digitally declared transactions.
- The ATA Carnet Core, the central engine and database of the whole ATA Carnet System.
- The ATA Gateway, a lightweight issuing module made available to NGAs and IAs to issue paper and digital carnets.
How does the eATA system work?
Step 1 When a Carnet is 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).
Step 2 The holder then downloads the ordered Carnet into their smartphone wallet using the official ICC ATA Carnet app. If necessary, the Carnet can be shared with a customs representative. For security purposes, the Carnet is encrypted and never transmitted in ‘open format’ on the network.
Step 3 When crossing a border, the ATA Carnet 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.
Step 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 validate the transaction via the ATA Carnet Customs Portal.
And finally… The transaction is recorded and a confirmation is sent to the holder or customs representative’s smartphone.
The eATA pilot phase
Once basic functionalities of the system were built, an eATA project pilot phase ran from June 2019 to June 2023. The goal of the pilot phase was to test the system with selected NGA members and their respective customs authorities to collect feedback and improve the system to its production standard.
After thorough testing and constant enhancements over three years, the production version of the eATA system was launched in July 2023. An eATA Global Transition Plan was prepared and endorsed by the World Customs Organization ATA/Istanbul Convention Administrative Committee which set up a common strategy for all stakeholders to gradually digitise the ATA Carnet procedure.
The eATA global transition preparation phase
Following the end of eATA pilot phase on 30 June 2023, the eATA project entered its global transition preparation phase. Stakeholders may start preparing the official use of digital carnets via the eATA system deployed by ICC. During this phase Customs offices may continue practicing with the system. However, the main focus has now shifted from giving feedback to preparing official implementation.
Tasked by the WCO ATA/Istanbul Convention Administrative Committee, ICC is has made available the following resources for Customs preparation:
Based on dynamic result analysis at each step of the preparation, the global transition kick-off is scheduled to start in early 2025 and the ATA Carnet procedure is expected to go fully digital by 2027.
Practice with digital carnets
Holders may carry out eATA transaction practice exercises together with Custom ports that have given their availability and are listed below.
Caution: When utilising digital carnets, Customs procedures must be conducted primarily using the paper ATA Carnet, as it is the only legally recognised form of the carnet.
| COUNTRY | STARTING FROM | TRANSACTION PORTS | MEANS OF TRANSPORT | REQUIRES PRE-TRAVEL NOTIFICATION |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 10-04-2024 | Lustenau | Passenger and cargo | Yes -send your notification now |
| Vienna airport | Passenger and cargo | Yes - send your notification now | ||
| Belgium | 09-12-2019 | Brussels International Airport | Passenger and cargo | |
| Liège Airport | Cargo only, including horses | |||
| Czech Republic | 15-05-2024 | Customs office Praha Ruzyne | Passenger and cargo | Yes - send your notification now |
| Customs office for the Moravian-Silesian Region - branch Cargo Mošnov | Passenger and cargo | Yes - send your notification now | ||
| Customs office for South Moravian Region - branch Airport Tu?any | Passenger and cargo | Yes - send your notification now | ||
| Customs office for the Moravian-Silesian Region - branch Paskov | Passenger and cargo | Yes - send your notification now | ||
| Customs office for South Moravian Region – branch Brno – Slatina | Passenger and cargo | Yes - send your notification now | ||
| Estonia | 01-09-2023 | EE1310EE - Airport Customs Office Valukoja 32/3, Tallinn 11415 | Cargo | Yes - send your notification now |
| Germany | 15-03-2022 | Main customs office Potsdam: Customs office Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) | Passenger and cargo | Yes - send your notification now |
| Main customs office Berlin: Customs office Marzahn, Customs office Dreilinden | Cargo | Yes - send your notification now | ||
| Main customs office Lörrach: Customs office Appenweier Customs office Freiburg Customs office Weil am Rhein | Cargo | Yes - send your notification now | ||
| Main customs office Lörrach: Customs office Rheinfelden-Autobahn Customs office Weil am Rhein-Autobahn | Passenger and cargo | Yes - send your notification now | ||
| Main customs office Münich: Customs office Garching-Hochbrück Customs office Flughafen-München | Cargo | Yes - send your notification now | ||
| Main customs office Hamburg: Customs office Hamburg | Cargo | Yes - send your notification now | ||
| Main customs office Augsburg: Customs office Ingolstadt | Cargo | Yes - send your notification now | ||
| North Macedonia | 05-05-2023 | N/A | N/A | |
| Norway | 01-04-2022 | Oslo Harbour, Customs Office: Utstikker II | Passenger and cargo | |
| Oslo Harbour, Customs Office: Hjortnes port | Passenger and cargo | |||
| Stavanger Customs Office, Airport Sola | cargo and passenger | |||
| Stavanger Customs Office, Risvika port | cargo and passenger | |||
| 01-09-2022 | Gardermoen Airport | cargo and passenger | ||
| United Kingdom | 10-05-2022 | Heathrow Airport | Passenger and cargo | Yes - send your notification now |
| 08-08-2024 | Edinburgh Airport | Passenger and cargo | Yes - send your notification now | |
| Russia | 30-10-2020 | Domodedovo International Airport, Moscow | Passenger and cargo | |
| Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow Oblast | Passenger and cargo | |||
| Specialized Customs point (internal customs post), Smolnaya st. 12, Moscow | Passenger and cargo | |||
| Multilateral automobile checkpoint (MAPP) Ubylinka Border Crossing Station | Cargo | |||
| Slovenia | 01-04-2024 | Ljubljana Airport (LJU) | Passenger and cargo | |
| Customs office Ljubljana | Passenger and cargo | |||
| Sweden | 23-03-2023 | N/A | N/A | |
| Switzerland | 20-10-2019 | 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 | Yes - send your notification now |
| 02-12-2024 | Basel/Weil am Rhein-Autobahn, St. Margrethen Freilager | Passenger and Cargo | Yes - send your notification now | |
| 02-12-2024 | St. Margrethen Freilager | Passenger and Cargo | Yes - send your notification now | |
| 02-12-2024 | Au | Passenger and Cargo | Yes - send your notification now |
| COUNTRY | STARTING FROM | TRANSACTION PORTS | MEANS OF TRANSPORT | REQUIRES PRE-TRAVEL NOTIFICATION |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 02-01-2020 | Beijing Capital International Airport | Passenger and cargo | |
| Beijing Daxing International Airport | Passenger and cargo |
*Sweden NGA and North Macedonia NGA are 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 eATA participants. Carnet users or customs officers involved in the project can direct questions or receive support, by contacting the NGA in their country.
View details in the ATA Carnet page
