Glossary › ATA Carnet
ATA Carnet
An international customs document for temporarily taking professional equipment into other countries.
An ATA Carnet (often just "carnet") is an international customs document that lets you take professional equipment, like a band's instruments and gear, into participating countries temporarily without paying duties or import taxes, as long as it all comes back out. It's sometimes called a "passport for goods."
The carnet lists every item with serial numbers and values. It's stamped by customs when you leave home, enter and leave each country, and return. In the US, carnets are issued through the U.S. Council for International Business. Rules, fees and which countries accept carnets for which goods are set by the issuing organizations and customs authorities, so check the official sources.
Example
A band flying to Europe lists guitars, pedalboards, a bass rig and a merch-free case of cables on a carnet. At each border, customs stamps the voucher; back home, US customs signs off that everything returned. (EXAMPLE.)
Read more
See our international tour paperwork field notes, which link to official sources, and keep your gear inventory current. Merch for sale is generally not covered by a carnet.