ATA Carnets and certificates of origin
Chambers of commerce issue two documents that exporters use all the time. ATA Carnets let you take goods abroad temporarily without paying duty, and certificates of origin prove where goods were made.
Part 1: ATA Carnets, a "passport for goods"
An ATA Carnet is an international customs document that lets you temporarily take goods into other countries without paying import duty or VAT, and bring them home again without duty.
What it covers
- Professional equipment, such as film and broadcast kit, tools, test equipment and survey instruments
- Commercial samples for showing to customers (not for selling)
- Exhibition and trade fair goods
It doesn't cover goods for sale, consumables, goods for processing or repair, or perishables.
Where it's accepted
Over 80 countries and territories accept ATA Carnets, including the EU, the US, China, Japan, Australia and most of the Middle East. They don't all accept every category, so check the destination's rules before you apply.
How to get one in the UK
- The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) is the UK's National Guaranteeing Organisation (through its UKNATACO team) and the largest issuer. You apply online through LCCI's eCarnet portal. Local chambers in the network also issue carnets, so it's worth asking yours, which you can find with the British Chambers of Commerce chamber finder.
- You'll need to list every item on the general list (description, quantity, weight, value and country of origin, plus serial numbers where possible) and every country you'll visit, including transit.
What it costs
- Issuing fee: LCCI's 2026 price list shows £225 + VAT for members and £370 + VAT for non-members, with an express service available at a higher price. GOV.UK still shows older, lower figures, so check the chamber's current price list.
- Security: this covers foreign customs claims if goods aren't brought back. You can pay a refundable cash deposit or banker's draft, provide a bank guarantee, or buy LCCI's non-refundable Carnet Security Scheme (CSS). The CSS price depends on the value, the type of goods and the itinerary.
Digital ATA Carnets (from 1 June 2026)
Since 1 June 2026 the UK, the EU, Norway and Switzerland accept digital ATA Carnets. Instead of a paper document being stamped, the holder presents QR codes from the ATA Carnet app (or the desktop app) to customs, who scan them and record the endorsement electronically. LCCI says backup paper carnets are no longer needed from 13 July 2026 when the itinerary includes only digital countries.
- Paper carnets are still used for countries that have not yet moved to digital, for carnets issued before 1 June 2026, and when arriving from a paper country. The front cover of your carnet and the app show which format each customs office needs.
- On the first exit from the UK, present both the validation and exportation QR codes.
- Other countries are joining in phases. All ATA countries are due to be digital from 1 January 2028, and 31 December 2027 is the last date a paper carnet can be issued.
Validity, counterfoils and vouchers (paper carnets)
- A carnet is valid for up to 1 year, and you can use it for as many trips as you like in that time.
- It contains coloured counterfoils and vouchers: green for the cover, yellow for UK export and re-import, white for foreign import and re-export, and blue for transit. On a paper carnet, customs stamp a counterfoil and keep a voucher at every border crossing. With a digital carnet the same endorsements are recorded when the QR codes are scanned.
- When you get back, return the carnet to the issuing chamber so it can be discharged and your security released.
Common mistakes
- Not getting the carnet stamped (paper) or scanned (digital) when you leave the UK and come back, including at ports and airports where you have to find customs yourself.
- Descriptions or serial numbers that don't match the goods, or items added later by hand.
- Leaving out a transit country or running out of vouchers.
- Selling or giving away items abroad. That makes duty payable, and the chamber will claim it from your security.
- Letting the carnet expire while goods are still abroad.
Part 2: Certificates of origin
"Origin" is the economic nationality of the goods. That isn't always the country they're shipped from. There are two very different kinds of proof:
Non-preferential certificate of origin
Issued and stamped by a chamber of commerce. Many countries (often in the Middle East, Africa and Asia) need one for import, and letters of credit, embargo and trade-remedy checks often ask for it. It doesn't reduce duty. Most UK chambers issue them as e-certificates: you apply online and print or send the certified PDF, which the importer can verify online.
Preferential origin
This gets reduced or zero duty under a trade agreement, such as the UK–EU TCA, CPTPP or the deals with Japan, Australia and others. The goods must meet the agreement's rules of origin. Usually the exporter makes a statement on origin on the invoice, with no chamber stamp. Some agreements and partner countries still use a EUR.1 movement certificate, which chambers issue.
Which one do I need?
- Is the buyer claiming a lower duty rate under a trade deal? Then you need preferential proof: a statement on origin or a EUR.1, as the agreement requires. Keep evidence that the goods qualify.
- Does the buyer's customs, bank or letter of credit ask for a "certificate of origin"? Then you need a non-preferential certificate from a chamber.
- Sometimes you need both.
Useful links
- LCCI: ATA Carnet UK: applications through eCarnet, security and fees.
- LCCI: Digital ATA Carnets: key dates for the move to digital.
- British Chambers of Commerce: Find a chamber: your local accredited chamber for certificates of origin and carnets.
- GOV.UK: Taking goods out of the UK temporarily (ATA Carnets).
- GOV.UK: Check your goods meet the rules of origin.
- GOV.UK: Get proof of origin for your goods.
Guidance only. Fees and accepted countries change, so check with the issuing chamber and the destination's customs before you travel or ship.