menu

What is ATA Carnet?

ATA Carnet is an international customs document that allows taxableproducttemporary (for up to one year) import duty-free. It consists of unified forms of customs declarations that allow identifying goods that are used at each border crossing point. This is a worldwide guarantee for customs duties and taxes, which can replace the security deposit required by each customs authority. The ATA carnet can be used in several countries on several trips up to the entire validity period

ATA Carnet is an A4 book with a green cover, made up of sheets of different colors depending on the number of operations and countries (but no more than 10 temporary import operations). ATA carnet contains two main types of sheets - tear-off sheets and non-breakable roots.

They have different colors, which vary depending on the type of customs operation:

  •  green - cover of the ATA carnet;
  •  yellow - for operations of export from the territory of the Russian Federation and return import;
  •  white - for importation into the territory of a foreign state and re-export;
  •  blue - for the transit of goods.

The composition of the carnet is determined by the route and the nature of the operation. At the same time, it is collected together and issued such a number of leaflets of various types that the declarant needs. ATA Carnet is filled in in English or, as directedCCIIn Russia, in another language of the country where the goods are temporarily imported using the ATA carnet.

ATA is an acronym for the French "Admission Temporaire" and English "Temporary Admission" terms denoting temporary importation. 

The ATA Carnet is jointly managed by the World Customs Organization (WTO) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) through its World Federation of Chambers. 

ATA Carnet allows participants toForeign economic activityminimize the time of customs clearance of goods and reduce the costs associated with the payment of customs duties and customs clearance.

How it all started

In 1955, Charles Aubert (the first director of the Swiss Chamber of Commerce and Industry) conceived the idea of creating a document that simplifies and accelerates the temporary use of goods in another country. He based his idea on the existing bilateral system between Switzerland and Austria. This idea was supported by the Customs Cooperation Council (the predecessor organization of the WTO) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). The Customs Convention on ECS books for commercial samples was adopted and entered into force on 03.10.1957 by joint efforts The World Customs Organization and the International Chamber of Commerce. ECS means the combined English and French words Echantillons Commerciaux - Commercial samples.

In 1961, the WTO adopted the Customs Convention on the ATA Carnet for the Temporary Import of Goods (ATA Convention), which entered into force on 30.07.1963. ATA books are considered an updated version of ECS books, which were no longer limited to commercial samples. More specific agreements for the types of permitted goods were subsequently developed and agreed upon by the WTO .

The States that have signed this Convention are convinced that the adoption of common procedures for the temporary duty-free import of goods will provide significant benefits for international commercial and cultural activities and will ensure a higher degree of harmony and uniformity in customs.

The ATA International System includes77 countries, including 28 EU member states. More than 165 thousand ATA carnets are issued annually in the world. The Russian Federation has been a party to customs conventions on temporary importation under the ATA Carnet since 1995. Since 2012, the ATA carnet has been used in Russia as a customs declaration for temporarily exported goods.

ATA Carnet in Russia

In Russia, the functions of issuing and guaranteeing ATA carnets of the association are performed by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, which is connected with the established international practice, according to which the associations - guarantors of the functioning of the ATA system in the countries participating in customs conventions are, as a rule, national chambers of Commerce, forming the international ATA guaranteeing network of the World Federation of Chambers (WWF).

Russia applies a simplified procedure for customs clearance and customs control of temporary importation for those categories of goods that are regulated by the following annexes of the 1990 Convention to which it has acceded, namely:

  • Appendix B.1 "On goods for demonstration or use at exhibitions, fairs, conferences or similar events"
  • Appendix B.2 "About professional equipment"
  • Appendix B.3 "On containers, pallets, packages, samples and other goods imported in connection with a commercial operation"
  • Appendix B.5 "On goods imported for educational, scientific or cultural purposes.

The following goods can be moved on the ATA Carnet

  • Goods for exhibitions, showrooms, fairs and other similar events, products necessary for the display and arrangement of the exposition on forums;
  • Medical devices and instruments;
  • Electronic equipment for repair, testing and testing;
  • Samples of new clothing collections;
  • Installation, testing, start-up, monitoring and verification equipment for the repair and maintenance of vehicles;
  • Business equipment, devices and gadgets (PCs, audio/video devices);
  • Devices and devices for photographing (cameras, exposure meters, optics, tripods, batteries, chargers, monitors, lighting equipment, etc.);
  • Different types of multi-turn containers.

Advantages of using ATA carnet

  • ATA Carnet replaces the customs declaration and releases the declarant from the need to submit an electronic declaration;
  • ATA carnet provides accelerated customs clearance, which boils down to the fact that a customs officer makes special marks on the corresponding carnet sheets;
  • ATA Carnet exempts the declarant from paying customs duties, including fees for customs clearance, ensuring payment of customs duties;
  • ATA Carnet is an international financial guarantee for the payment of customs duties (the guarantor is the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Russia);
  • ATA Carnet gives the opportunity to visit up to 10 countries during the entire validity period of the document (one year).

List of documents required to obtain an ATA Carnet

  1. A cover letter in a standard form with a request to issue an ATA carnet (with the seal and signature of the head of the applicant organization).
  2. A guarantee application in a standard form (signed by the head of the applicant organization and persons duly authorized to represent the interests of the carnet holder)
  3. A power of attorney to grant the right to sign a Guarantee Statement (original) and represent the interests of the carnet holder in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
  4. Power of attorney for granting the right to sign the ATA carnet and the rights to perform actions on behalf of the carnet holder in the customs authorities (in English and Russian).
  5. Copies of documents confirming the applicant's legal status: • A copy of the charter, notarized; • A copy of the registration certificate, notarized.
  6. Copies of documents on the basis of which goods are imported/exported signed and stamped by the head of the applicant organization (the contract, invitation to the exhibition, etc. with translation into Russian).
  7. Documents confirming the actual commercial value of the goods (proforma invoice, copy of the invoice, invoices, price lists or other documents determining or confirming the value of the goods (signed and stamped by the head of the applicant organization and the chief accountant).
  8. Notification–an application for insurance of risks associated with the issuance of an ATA carnet.
  9. The general list of goods, in the form in which it will be indicated on the back of the cover of the ATA carnet (in printed and electronic form). The general list is presented separately in English and Russian.
  10. Receipt for payment of CCI services for issuing ATA carnet.

To import goods via ATA Carnet to Vladivostok , it is necessary

  1. Analyze the characteristics of the goods and determine the list of documents required for import.
  2. To issue the necessary documents.
  3. Delivercargoto Vladivostok.
  4. After passing customs clearance, receive the cargo from the customs warehouse.
  5. Before the expiration of the ATA Carnet, take the goods out of the Russian Federation.

ATA carnet registration and filling procedure

  1. The ATA carnet document includes a cover on two sheets and unbroken tear-off pages. The document contains multi-colored sheets according to the number of operations (no more than ten) and the states of temporary importation. The order of drawing up a carnet depends on the route and type of operations. The applicant is given and collected a certain number of sheets of different colors, depending on the needs of the Declarant.
  2. Filling in the carnet is carried out in English or in the language of the state to which the temporary import of products is planned using this document.
  3. All the collected sheets in the ATA carnet are filled in the same way. At the same time, various corrections or additions in the form of footnotes and stickers are not allowed. The information on the carnet sheets must correspond to the data on the cover of the document and cannot be changed in the future. Printing and other methods of applying information that ensure normal readability can be used to enter data into the carnet sheets. The signature of the holder of the carnet is affixed to the cover and additional sheets. The remaining sheets are filled in during customs control.
  4. Features filling of the cover of the ATA carnet and its sheets:
    • The front part:
    • Field "A" - Holder: The surname and address data of an individual or the name and address of the company that owns the products entered in the carnet are indicated.
    • Field B - Representative (carrier): Surname and address data of the person who accompanies the products at customs control (data of the drivers who presents the ATA carnet at customs).
    • Field C - The purpose of moving goods: Demonstration materials necessary for certain purposes; industrial designs or professional equipment.
    • Depending on the variant of the imported goods, the applicable Annex of the Convention is selected.
    • The reverse part:
    • Field 1 - Serial number: All the goods listed in the list are numbered, so the serial number of the last name must correspond to the number of goods being moved.
    • Field 2 - Product description: the brand, name, type, serial numbers and other data providing accurate identification of imported products must be clearly indicated.
    • Field 3 - Quantity: It is necessary to specify the exact quantitative data. The indication of mass and volume is required only for importation into Switzerland.
    • Field 4 - Cost: cost data (without duties) are indicated in US dollars or in other monetary units in which settlements with foreign buyers can be made.
    • These figures are rounded to integers (up to a dollar, etc.)
    • Field 6 - State of origin of products: the country is indicated in the codesISO.
    • Field 7 is not to be filled in.
  5. After the list of products on the back of the cover, as well as each of the sheets, the following inscription must be made: "This list contains "N" goods with a total value of "N" $ (or in another currency without taxes). Products that have an equal value and a similar description can be included in the list under one number. Consumables and products that will be consumed during the planned events (products, promotional materials, samples intended for distribution, etc.) are not specified in the ATA carnet.
  6. After receiving the required carnet sheets, it is necessary to fill out the documentation for submission to the authorities that carry out the final registration of the carnet.
  7. Features of the design of the carnet. All the sheets need to be folded in the required order, after which:
    • it is necessary to number the sheets;
    • after the product list on the front and back of the cover, as well as on additional sheets (if available), the specialist who issues the carnet indicates the name, date and certifies the records with a signature and seal;
    • with the help of printing on the front of the cover and the sheets of the carnet (field A), its number containing the country code is affixed;
    • the name of the authority that issued the carnet is indicated in the prescribed place of field B (front part of the cover and sheets);
    • the date until which the carnet is valid is indicated in the A field of the front cover in this form: year/month/day, for example: 01 / 02 / 19 , the carnet is valid for 1 year.
  8. The general list specified in the carnet cannot be changed, supplemented or corrected.
  9. A copy is taken from a duly issued carnet, which is stored together with the documentation provided by the recipient for three years. 

Requirements that the ATA carnet holder must comply with

  1. The sale of products imported under the ATA carnet is prohibited. All goods included in the list must be exported back after the end of the stay, the period of which is determined by the customs service issuing entry. At the same time, the date determined for the export of products cannot be later than the expiration date of the carnet.
  2. The recipient of the carnet undertakes to comply with all the norms that are established for the use of the ATA carnet, as well as the requirements of the customs services of the destination country. The holder of this document receives the necessary marks at entry/exit. The absence of customs marks leads to the imposition of prescribed duties and other payments.
  3. The holder of the carnet must ensure compliance with the rules of registration of carnet border services.
  4. The holder of the carnet is liable to the association for any expenses that it may incur as a result of the provision of guarantees.
  5. If, when leaving a foreign country, the fact of the absence of goods contained in the carnet list is discovered (due to damage, theft, theft, etc.), they are automatically subject to customs duties. If the carnet itself is lost, you should contact the police or customs office to obtain the appropriate certificate.
  6. At the end of the validity period or after the scheduled operation is completed, the carnet must be returned to the issuing authority for verification.
  7. In case of violation of the conditions of issuance, registration or application, issues must be resolved with foreign customs authorities, while paying customs duties.

What are the customs authorities monitoring when checking the ATA carnet

  1. Validity of the document by expiration date (subsection c) "Valid until/Valid jusq'au" of the G field on the front of the cover of the carnet;
  2. The legitimacy of using the ATA carnet in relation to imported products;
  3. The presence on the front cover of the document of a mark on the possibility of its application in this state (field P of the front cover of the ATA carnet) and prescriptions at the top of the back of the final leaf of the ATA carnet green;
  4. Correct filling in and registration of the product list and additional leaflets;
  5. Registration of carnet stubs and tear-off vouchers (the data in them must match those specified in the accompanying documentation);
  6. The presence of marks on the customs clearance of imported goods on the yellow spine of the carnet, which has an entry at the top - "have been exported" or "ont ete exportees".
  7. Subject to the existing requirements for the registration of a carnet, an authorized customs officer accepts such a document.
Until recently, it was possible to provide information about goods transported using ATA carnets only on paper. This greatly complicated customs procedures, made them longer and limited the ability to control the movement of goods. The solution to the problem was to provide data on ATA carnets in electronic form.

The form provided by the Alta-Soft company allows you to issue an xml version of the Carnet without using additional software.

Regulatory framework:

  • Customs Convention on ATA Carnet for Temporary Import of Goods dated 06.12.1961
  • Convention on Temporary Importation of 26.06.1990
  • Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1084 dated 02.10.1995 "On the Accession of the Russian Federation to the Customs Convention on the ATA Carnet for the Temporary Import of Goods and the Convention on Temporary Import"
  • Order of the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation No. 2675 dated December 28, 2012 "On approval of methodological recommendations on the use of the ATA Carnet"
  • Order of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation No. 16n dated 31.01.2017 "On Establishing the Competence of Customs authorities to Perform Customs Operations with Goods Transported using ATA Carnets" (as amended. Order of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation dated 31.01.2018 N 17n
  • The proforma form of the ATA carnet issued in the Russian Federation is given in Appendix N 1
  • Order of the Federal Customs Service of Russia dated 25.07.2007 N 895 (ed. dated 30.07.2012) "On approval of Methodological recommendations on the use of the ATA Carnet" (together with the "Customs Convention on the A.T.A. Carnet for Temporary Import of Goods", "Convention on Temporary Import" (concluded in Istanbul on 26.06.1990))
We will help you arrange the goods by ATA Carnet in Vladivostok.
Send a request