Glossary of Carnet Terms
Terms, Definitions, and Abbreviations
Authorized Representatives: An entity authorized by the Holder to present the Carnet for customs clearance in the US and/or abroad.
Carnet Service Provider (SP): An organization authorized to issue Carnets under the direction of the Guaranteeing Association.
Claim: A notice from an importing customs authority that a violation of the Carnet system has occurred.
CS (Commercial Sample): Item for displaying or demonstrating to solicit orders.
Counterfoils and vouchers (color-coded sheets): Yellow for exit from/return to the U.S., white for entry into/departure from foreign countries, and blue for transit in foreign countries. Counterfoils and vouchers are issued in sets of two. There are no yellow vouchers for U.S. Carnets. The validation of a counterfoil and its corresponding voucher constitutes a single customs transaction.
Counterfoil: The Holder’s record of a customs transaction. There are three different sets of counterfoils: 1) exportation & reimportation, 2) importation & reexportation, and 3) transits.
Duties: Customs duties and all other taxes and charges payable from an ATA Carnet importation.
EF (Exhibition and Fair): Trade, industrial, agricultural or crafts exhibition, fair or similar show or display; exhibition organized for a charitable purpose or to promote learning, art, craft, sport, scientific or cultural activity, to promote friendship between peoples, religious knowledge or worship. Does not include exhibits for private purposes in shops or premises with a view to selling.
Expiration Date: The date for re-exportation given by the USCIB at the time the Carnet is issued. All merchandise must leave the country of importation before midnight on that date.
Final Date for Re-exportation: USCIB will set an expiration date at the time your Carnet is issued. However, a foreign Customs authority has the right to restrict any shipment and require that the goods leave prior to the date granted by USCIB. If a customs authority limits your stay, this will be noted on the importation counterfoil at the time of entry.
Green Cover: The principal page of a Carnet, which includes the Holder and Carnet information, Carnet Countries, customs certificate to initiate the Carnet, and the original General list.
Guaranteeing Association: The organization set up in every Carnet country to guarantee to customs authorities that all import duties, taxes, and penalties will be paid for any claim issued against a Carnet that was not properly utilized. The U.S. Treasury has authorized USCIB to be the Guaranteeing Association for all Carnets that originate in or enter the United States.
Holder: A corporation or individual on whose behalf the Carnet has been issued. A Holder must have a beneficial interest in the merchandise being exported; therefore, a customs broker or freight forwarder cannot be listed as a Holder of a Carnet even when acting in their professional capacity on behalf of a third party.
PE (Professional Equipment): Equipment for the press or television broadcasting; cinematographic equipment; equipment for testing or repair of machinery; other equipment for the exercise of a calling, tools of the trade.
Penalty: In addition to duty, a charge levied by a foreign customs authority against a Carnet which has not been utilized in conformance with all conditions of the Carnet system.
Premium: A non-refundable fee paid by a Holder to secure a surety bond..
Refundable Claim Deposit: A flat fee of $250, to be used as security, applicable to only Federal, state, and local government agencies.
Security Deposit: Cash, surety bond, Refundable Claim Deposit, or Written Agreement deposited with USCIB to indemnify USCIB as a result of USCIB’s payment on behalf of a Carnet holder.
Surety Bond: One form of security deposit, where the Holder pays a premium to secure the bond, which can be obtained from any of the 200 companies authorized by the US Treasury Department and admitted in New York State.
USCIB: United States Council for International Business
Voucher: The control document of Foreign Customs use. Customs will remove and retain the voucher upon completion of a customs transaction. There are two different sets of vouchers. 1) importation and reexportation, and 2) transits.
Written Agreement: A form of security available only to USCIB members.
(Digital) eATA Carnet Specific Terms
Digital Wallet: Repository for digital Carnets of which you’ve downloaded to your mobile device and prepared travels.
Carnet ID Code: An ID code assigned to each individual Carnet that is used to download an ATA Carnet into the app.
Carnet PIN Code: A PIN code assigned to each individual Carnet that is used to download an ATA Carnet into the app.
Carnet Travel: A digital representation of each leg of your trip with an eATA. This trip or “travel” would include the transaction codes for one activation/export/import. Before clearing customs on export, the Carner Holder needs to prepare a new travel in their digital wallet. Preparing a travel through the app will reserve a pair of counterfoil and vouchers from an ATA Carnet.
Transaction Code: Each clearance through customs is done by customs scanning this transaction QR code. A transaction/QR code will either pertain to activation, export, import, re-export, re-import, and/or transit so be sure to present the correct transaction.
Cancellation Code: A code to show to customs in case of mistake in a committed transaction. This cancels the transaction thus allowing customs to reprocess the transaction.
