Structure of the ATA Carnet
This section describes what is contained in the paper ATA Carnet.
The paper ATA Carnet is an A4 paper document made up of a green cover, coloured vouchers and matching counterfoils. Each voucher is used once and is removed by customs when the goods are exported, imported, transited, re-exported or reimported. The counterfoils remain in the Carnet to provide a record of movements.
The green front cover shows the:
- details of the holder and their representative
- intended use of the goods
- countries where the Carnet may be used
- period of validity
It must be signed by the holder and endorsed by the issuing chamber.
The back of the green cover contains the general list — a detailed list of all items covered by the Carnet. As space on the cover is limited, extra sheets may be added to show the full list.
The vouchers and counterfoils are printed on coloured paper to indicate how they should be used. Each voucher includes a declaration that the holder or their representative must complete and sign whenever the Carnet is presented to customs. Customs will remove the voucher and stamp the corresponding counterfoil. The colours are:
- yellow — re-export and re‑import vouchers for the United Kingdom
- white — import and export vouchers for use in the country of temporary
admission - blue — transit vouchers for movements through an intermediate country
Not all journeys require blue vouchers, but some customs authorities insist on them to cover movements from the frontier to the office where import procedures are completed.
As Customs remove a voucher each time the goods move, holders must estimate how many exports, imports and transits they will make. Holders should order sufficient vouchers when the Carnet is issued. Extra vouchers may be purchased later if the Carnet is still valid, but no new goods or countries can be added after issue.