Category / Temporary Admission

by Mike Poverello

ICC – First e-ATA Carnet Successfully Tested

International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) commitments to simplify trade documentation processes have been bolstered by the first real use of a digital ATA Carnet – the widely used international trade facilitation tool allowing duty free movement of goods for up to one year.

Issued as part of the ‘Mercury II’ pilot project to digitalise the ATA Carnet – launched by ICC in 2018 – the pioneering Swiss ATA Carnet ‘CHBE20191834’ was digitally activated by customs officials at Zurich airport on 20 October 2019. It was followed by another digital transaction of exportation formalities on the same day. Two weeks later, on 1 November, the goods were re-imported to Switzerland from Canada, declared via the ICC ATA Carnet App and subsequently digitally processed by Zurich airport customs via the ATA Carnet Customs portal.

ICC ATA Manager Yuan Chai said: “We are delighted that the test case was a success, demonstrating that it is possible to handle ATA carnets digitally and that both the concept and digital tool can transform to work well in the real world.”

Commenting on the successful test, Christian Modl, President of Alliance des Chambres de Commerce Suisses (the National Guaranteeing Association for Switzerland) said: “Switzerland, being a founding member of the ATA carnet system, we are proud and humbled to now be part of paving the way into the digital future of the ATA carnet. We trust that the first transaction on an electronic carnet is merely the start into another 65 years and more of the success story that is the ATA system.”

ICC, as the international organization administering the ATA Carnet international guaranteeing chain, is leading the on-going project to digitalise the ATA Carnet in cooperation with the World Customs Organization (WCO). The real testing phase will continue for 6 months thanks to the support of six pilot countries: Belgium, China, Russia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Ms Chai added: “We are thankful to our project team members from the Alliance of Swiss Chambers of Commerce, the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Belgian Federation of Chambers, the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the United States Council for International Business and solutions provider UDITIS.”United States Council for International Business Ms Chai added: “We are thankful to our project team members from the Alliance of Swiss Chambers of Commerce, the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Belgian Federation of Chambers, the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the United States Council for International Business and solutions provider UDITIS.”

Learn more about the ICC ATA Carnet lifecycle management system in this demo video available in five languages on ICC’s YouTube channel.

Source: iccwbo.org

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by Mike Poverello

Indonesia paves the way for ATA System implementation

ATA-Carnet_sourceAs part of Indonesia’s move towards globalization, Indonesian Customs, jointly with ICC Indonesia and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is preparing the implementation of the ATA System in Indonesia.

They aim to announce Indonesia’s ratification of the Convention on the temporary admission of goods (the so-called Istanbul Convention) at the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference, being held in Bali in December, as well as to implement the ATA Carnet System for the temporary duty and tax-free import and export of goods in Indonesia in early 2014.

Indonesia features among the 10 priority target countries where businessmen from countries already operating the system would like to be able to use their ATA Carnets. To meet these expectations, Indonesian governmental authorities and business organizations invited Ms Lee Ju Song, Director of ICC Asia, to conduct a two-day workshop and series of meetings in Jakarta on 1-5 July 2013 to understand the technical intricacies of the ATA System operation. They benefited from very practical and technical training, as well as from guidance on steps they should take to finalize their affiliation to the ATA Chain.

The ATA Carnet System – celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013 – is jointly administered by the World Customs Organization, holding the international conventions on the temporary admission of goods, and the ICC World Chambers Federation (WCF), acting as the administrator of the ATA International Guarantee Chain. This chain comprises the chambers of commerce and other similar business organizations appointed in their respective countries to guarantee and issue Carnets.

ATA Carnets remove the need for exporters to provide Customs authorities with the otherwise necessary guarantees required for goods to cross borders. In the 73 countries where they are currently accepted, Carnets allow all kinds of goods to be temporarily transported. This usually pertains to professional equipment, commercial samples and material for trade fairs and exhibitions. Some examples of note include: a prototype solar car, World Cup yachts, Giorgio Armani apparel, McLaren Grand Prix cars, Munich Symphony Orchestra instruments, Australian Olympic horses, Harley Davidson motorcycles and equipment for the Bolshoi Ballet, Cirque du Soleil, BBC and CNN. More than 175,000 ATA Carnets are issued yearly for thousands of customs transactions worth over US$ 25 billion. Source: International Chamber of Commerce