As life continues to return to ‘normal’ and the world starts to open up again, we are seeing a substantial rise in the requests for ATA Carnets.
Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce was the first Chamber in more than 20 years to be awarded a licence to issue ATA Carnets in 2020 and the first in Scotland to deliver the service digitally.
An international customs document, which allows goods to travel duty and tax free across countries for up to one year, a Carnet provides an alternative to the time-consuming task of completing customs documents for each country goods are passing through. It provides a guarantee to overseas Customs officials that if temporarily admitted and items are not re-exported, duties will be paid.
If you are looking to exhibit at a trade show or thinking about how to transport goods or equipment for an exhibition, if you are carrying commercial samples or transporting professional equipment, an ATA Carnet is the best way to temporarily take goods out of the UK.
ATA Carnets facilitate temporary exports to foreign countries and reimportation into the UK. It is worth noting that the Carnet can only be used for goods which will be re-imported in the same state as they were exported. Items for sale, hire, processing and repairs are not covered however.
By presenting an ATA Carnet document to foreign customs, your goods travel duty free and import tax free into any of the 87 countries that are part of the ATA Carnet convention and eliminate the need for customs declarations at border points.
The Chamber helps North-east firms export goods worth around $900m (USD) to more than 100 countries around the world every year. With customs arrangements coming to the fore for many organisations in 2020, the Chamber took the decision to undertake the rigorous licence application to further increase its support services for local business – and that foresight is paying dividends for our members!
AVC Immedia are one such company. Group operations director Keith Robertson said: “We are delighted with the service now being offered by Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce.
“We regularly complete filming projects around the globe and having the assurance that we can quickly and efficiently secure the required customs paperwork means a much smoother pre-production process and most importantly a far easier entry at destination.
“Having the ability now to complete the forms digitally has been a huge improvement for us as a business and vastly reduces the amount of administration paperwork pre-trip.”
If you need international trade support, give us a call.