The Implementation of the Digital Carnet

What is an ATA Carnet?

It is an export document allowing for the temporary movement of goods between countries without paying the associated duties and taxes.

It is used for exhibitions, professional equipment and commercial samples. 

As the world moves towards digitalisation, export documentation is no exception. 

As of 1^st June 2026, the Digital Carnet scheme has been live in the UK, EU, Norway and Switzerland.

This new system allows for faster processing, reduced paperwork and easier tracking.

You may however have noticed that you still receive a paper carnet alongside your digital carnet.

There could be 2 reasons for this:

1. The destination country is not yet part of the digital carnet rollout, so a paper carnet is still required.

2. The destination country are a part of the digital scheme, but paper carnets are still being issued as a back up document in case there are issues with the phasing in of their digital counterparts.

The paper carnet should only be used in instances where the digital carnet cannot be processed by the customs agent. Note these will also be phased out over time as the digital system becomes more established.

Get in Touch  

If you have any questions or need further support, please feel free to contact the Export Documentation team at Greater Manchester Chamber:  

Email: exportdocs@gmchamber.co.uk   

Call us: 0161 393 4314