An ATA carnet is an international customs document that lets you take goods temporarily into and out of around 80 countries without paying import duty or import VAT — provided the goods leave again, unchanged, within the carnet's validity. It works under the WCO/ICC ATA Convention and Istanbul Convention, and is the standard way to move trade fair exhibits, professional tools and equipment, or commercial samples across a border without the cash-flow hit of a full import.
What it covers
Three typical uses:
- Trade fair and exhibition goods — stand materials, demo units, display samples that go to a fair abroad and come straight back.
- Professional equipment — tools, cameras, testing or repair equipment carried abroad for a job and brought home again.
- Commercial samples — goods shown to prospective buyers without being sold.
The carnet acts as a single customs document valid across every member country on the route, replacing a separate temporary-admission declaration at each border. It is valid for up to one year, and every crossing (export, re-import at destination, re-export, final re-entry) is stamped on its vouchers by customs at each point.
Applying for one in the Netherlands
In the Netherlands, ATA carnets are issued by the Chamber of Commerce (KVK), not by Dutch Customs directly. You apply with a full itemised list and value of the goods, KVK checks and issues the carnet, and a security (bank guarantee or deposit) covers the duty/VAT that would be due if the goods were not re-exported in time. Losing the paperwork trail, missing a stamp, or overstaying the validity period is what turns a duty-free temporary movement into a real duty bill.
eATA: the digital carnet (from 1 June 2026)
The paper carnet is being replaced by a digital carnet (eATA), built by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) with the World Customs Organization (WCO) after more than a decade of pilots. Key dates:
- 1 June 2026 — digital carnets go live and are officially accepted by customs in the EU's 27 member states, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom (30 jurisdictions).
- Through end 2027 — remaining ATA Convention countries switch over gradually.
- 1 January 2028 — the ATA carnet procedure is expected to be fully digital worldwide.
In practice: you apply for the carnet the same way as before (via KVK in the Netherlands). Once approved, you get a Carnet ID and access code and install the free ICC ATA Carnet app (iOS/Android); the digital carnet lives in the app as a QR code that customs officers scan and confirm at each crossing, instead of stamping a paper voucher. During the transition, KVK still prints and posts the physical carnet alongside the digital one — it is not yet fully paperless, and chambers can issue paper, digital, or both depending on how ready each destination country is. Carry the physical document until you are certain every country on your route accepts the digital-only version.
What this means in practice
For anyone regularly sending equipment or exhibition stands into the EU, UK, Norway or Switzerland, the digital carnet mainly changes how the crossing is tracked and confirmed — a QR-code scan instead of a physical stamp, and a status you can check in the app rather than a stack of stamped vouchers. It does not change what qualifies for a carnet, the one-year validity, or the security KVK requires. Outside the 30-jurisdiction group, expect a paper carnet for now.
Official sources: ICC — Digital ATA Carnet launches in 30 countries · ICC — eATA Carnet · KVK — digital ATA carnet application guide · evofenedex — ATA carnet now digitally available. Related: Customs · Shipping Documents · Importing Into The Netherlands