Digital ATA Carnets: What the 2026 transition means for US companies moving goods internationally
Navigating the shift to digital ATA Carnets
The ATA Carnet system has operated largely unchanged since the 1960s. On June 1, 2026, that changed. Thirty countries – all 27 EU member states, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom – began accepting the eATA, the fully digital version of the document that allows goods to cross borders temporarily without paying duties or taxes.
For US companies moving professional equipment, trade show materials, touring gear, prototypes, or broadcast assets across those borders, the implications are operational, not theoretical. Paper carnets issued in the United States remain valid. Digital readiness at every border post is not guaranteed. And the US has not yet launched digital carnet issuance – USCIB, the US guaranteeing body, is still finalizing system requirements.
This page explains what changed, what it means for different types of shippers, and how to navigate routes that now span both digital and paper carnet environments.
What is a digital ATA Carnet?
An ATA Carnet -- short for Admission Temporaire/Temporary Admission -- is an international customs document that allows the temporary import and export of goods across participating countries without paying duties or taxes, provided the goods return within a defined period of up to one year. The system operates across 90+ countries and territories worldwide and is administered by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) World Chambers Federation.
The digital ATA Carnet, known as the eATA Carnet, is a full digitalization of that document's lifecycle. Instead of a physical stamped booklet, the carnet is issued, stored, and presented electronically through the ATA Carnet App, with customs declarations submitted via QR code at the border.
The legal purpose is unchanged. What changed is the format, the process, and the infrastructure required at every point in the journey.
The road to fully digital carnet system
The ICC's eATA system went live on June 1, 2026, across 30 countries: all 27 EU member states, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. This is the result of more than a decade of joint development between the ICC and the World Customs Organization (WCO). The WCO's ATA/Istanbul Convention Administrative Committee first endorsed the eATA initiative in 2016. (ICC, June 2026)
As of the launch, ATA Carnet holders traveling to participating digital countries are expected to present a digital carnet. Customs authorities in those countries have agreed to exercise flexibility for travelers from countries that have not yet implemented digital issuance. The full global transition is targeted for January 1, 2028. (ICC, June 2026)
The US position – what American shippers need to know right now
The US has not launched eATA issuance. USCIB, the national guaranteeing association that issues ATA Carnets in the United States, is finalizing technical requirements. No US launch date has been confirmed just yet.
What this means for a US company shipping into the EU, UK, Norway, or Switzerland:
- Your carnet will be paper, issued in the US
- Digital countries are required to accept paper carnets during the transition period
- If customs questions the absence of a digital carnet, the correct response is to explain that the US has not yet completed the technical requirements for digital issuance
- Carrying your paper carnet with all documentation in order is the appropriate and legally sufficient approach
What this does not mean:
- You do not need to delay international shipments
- You do not need to apply for a carnet in a digital country to obtain a digital version
- Customs flexibility provisions exist precisely for this scenario
The practical advice from ICAT's carnet team: travel with complete paper documentation, have named contacts at the carnet desk reachable in real time, and build extra time into customs clearance for any crossing at a border post that has recently transitioned to digital processing.
Which countries now accept digital carnets?
As of June 1, 2026, the eATA system is live in all 27 EU member states, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Additional countries are expected to join before the end of 2027. US adoption is in progress, with USCIB targeting full implementation before the January 2028 global deadline.
For multi-country routes that pass through both digital and non-digital countries, the format requirement depends on each individual crossing. A single tour itinerary may require a paper carnet for some legs and a digital format for others -- or documentation in both formats at every border during the transition period.
How the eATA system works at the border
Where digital carnets are operational, the process works as follows: the carnet holder -- or their logistics representative -- prepares travel declarations in the ATA Carnet App before the crossing. At the border, the app generates a QR code that customs officials scan and validate against the digital carnet record. There is no physical booklet to stamp.
For the carnet holder, preparation happens before the vehicle or shipment reaches the border, not at it. This is a meaningful operational shift for productions and touring companies accustomed to presenting physical booklets on arrival.
During the transition period, individual ports and airports are at different stages of digital readiness, and paper backup documentation remains the reliable standard.
Mixed-format routes – when digital and paper both apply
The eATA rollout is not simultaneous or uniform. A single itinerary may cross into a digital country, then proceed to a non-digital country, then return through a digital entry point. Each crossing has its own format requirement based on that border's current status.
ICAT's carnet team advises the following for any route spanning both digital and non-digital countries:
- Apply for and carry a paper carnet for the full itinerary
- Maintain digital documentation where your specific route requires it
- Confirm the digital readiness status of each specific port or airport on your route before departure
- Do not assume readiness. Confirm it.
For touring productions, broadcast crews, or exhibition teams moving assets across multiple borders in a single engagement, this mixed-format planning is not optional.
ATA Carnet system is connecting more than 90 countries and territories in its network, enabling seamless temporary imports worldwide
Decades of live events carnet experience across the ICAT team ensure precision, speed, and confidence for your global moves
Who needs a digital carnet strategy?
The eATA transition affects any organization that regularly moves goods temporarily across international borders. The industries most directly affected:
Live events and music touring. Equipment crossing into the EU or UK from the US now enters a digital carnet environment, even if the carnet itself is paper. Truck drivers, production managers, and freight agents all need to understand how to present documentation in both formats.
Exhibitions and trade shows. High-value and irreplaceable objects moving under a single international guarantee require complete documentation at each crossing. Mixed-country exhibition schedules now require route-level carnet planning.
Film, TV, and broadcast. Camera kits, broadcast infrastructure, and production equipment crossing multiple borders under tight editorial deadlines cannot absorb clearance delays.
Defense and aerospace. High-stakes cargo moving to or from military installations and specialized facilities in Europe and the UK now operates within the digital carnet environment. ICAT's ITAR/DTTC registration and C-TPAT certification remain relevant checkpoints alongside carnet compliance.
Technology and high-value equipment. Prototypes, data center hardware, demonstration units, and specialized instruments moving internationally for client projects require clean carnet documentation at every crossing.
How ICAT manages carnets through the transition
ICAT has been operational with the new system since June 1, 2026. The carnet team handles digital, paper, and mixed-format itineraries and conducts pre-border compliance review on each shipment route before departure.
Named carnet specialist contacts are available for complex or time-critical situations. For productions or shipments working to immovable deadlines, that contact reachability is the operational protection paper documentation alone cannot provide.
ICAT's carnet services cover digital carnet processing for UK, EU, Norway, and Switzerland crossings; traditional paper ATA Carnet issuance and management across 90+ countries; mixed-format itinerary planning; pre-border compliance review and documentation checks; multi-territory routing across full tour or exhibition calendars; and temporary import documentation for touring production, broadcast, exhibition, and defense cargo.
For US companies shipping into digital countries, ICAT bridges the gap between the US paper carnet environment and the EU and UK digital validation system.
FAQs
Yes, but the ability to do so is being phased out in many countries starting as of June 2026. The US has not yet launched digital carnet issuance; USCIB is finalizing technical requirements. US-issued paper carnets are valid in digital countries during the transition period. Customs authorities in participating digital countries have committed to flexibility for holders from non-digital issuing countries. Travel with complete paper documentation and maintain a direct contact at your carnet desk.
If a digital system is unavailable or has a technical issue at a specific border post, your paper carnet is the reliable fallback. ICAT recommends holding both formats where possible and building direct communication lines with the carnet team for real-time support at crossings with known transition issues.
USCIB has not confirmed a US launch date. The US full transition is targeted before the global January 1, 2028 deadline. Until then, US-issued carnets will remain paper. ICAT will update clients as the US launch date is confirmed.
Professional equipment, touring production assets, broadcast gear, exhibition materials, commercial samples, and goods for trade shows and events. Carnets do not cover consumable or disposable items or goods intended for sale. The carnet must list all goods by description and value.
ICAT handles the full carnet process: coordination with the issuing body, documentation review, route planning for mixed-format itineraries, and named specialist contact for crossings in progress. For productions or shipments working to hard deadlines, ICAT's carnet team functions as an operational layer between the shipper and the border.
Big stage, big wins
.jpg)
Get in touch with our carnet team
Whether your next move is a world tour, an international exhibition, a broadcast deployment, or a defense project crossing into Europe, ICAT's carnet specialists can advise on format, route, and documentation before you reach the border.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
96°59'21.1"W
Coppell,Texas
