The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the World Customs Organization (WCO) announced the launch of the digital ATA Carnet, as of June 1, 2026, to facilitate temporary admission of goods.
The 30 initial participating countries include the 27 members of the European Union, plus Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. More countries and customs territories will join as they confirm readiness. ATA Carnet procedures are expected to be fully digital worldwide by January 1, 2028.
The ATA Carnet is a customs document secured in the seller's country, which guarantees the importing country that it will be compensated for the duties and taxes applicable if the goods it covers are not re-exported. It is valid for a maximum of one year. ATA is a French and English acronym of "Admission Temporaire/Temporary Admission." Carnets are commonly used by sales people and manufacturers to bring their wares into foreign countries to show as commercial samples to potential customers or to display at trade fairs and exhibitions.
The introduction of the digital ATA Carnet will further strengthen the trade system by improving security, increasing transparency, enhancing data quality, and enabling faster and more efficient processing for Customs administrations and traders alike. The transition from paper to digital formats will enable Customs administrations to receive the pre-arrival notices and monitor the transaction history through the system, allowing them to detect potential risks and streamline the temporary admission process for more efficient risk management.
Customs administrations around the world will not shift to a digital procedure on the same day. That's why the eATA Global Transition Plan (GTP), created by ICC, was adopted by WCO ATA/Istanbul Convention administrative committee to support customs while transitioning to eATA.
During the digital transition, at the issuing step, issuing chambers of commerce will issue ATA Carnets either in paper format (paper carnet), in digital format (digital carnet) or in both formats depending on the requirements and the digital readiness status of the countries/customs territories involved in the itinerary.
Link: eATA Carnet