Guidance
Find out which goods an ATA Carnet will cover
You can only import certain goods using an ATA Carnet to claim relief under temporary admission in the UK. Some goods have special conditions attached.
List of goods covered by an ATA Carnet in the UK
| Item No | Goods and uses | Conditions and additional information |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Travellers personal effects needed for use during a journey and goods for sports purposes for use by travellers in sports contests, demonstrations or training. | Travellers must be non-UK residents. |
| 2 | Welfare material for seafarers engaged in international maritime traffic. | None. |
| 3 | Disaster relief material for the purposes of countering the effects of disasters and similar situations within the UK. | Goods must be for use by state bodies or organisations approved by state bodies. |
| 4 | Goods for humanitarian purposes including medical, surgical and laboratory equipment and relief consignments. | Items must be intended for use by hospitals or other medical institutions in urgent need of the equipment. |
| 5 | Live animals for: - dressage, training, breeding, shoeing, weighing, veterinary treatment - veterinary examination or trial for example, with a view to purchase - participation in shows, exhibitions, contests, competitions or demonstrations - entertainment (circus animals and so on) - touring (including pet animals of travellers) - police dogs or horses, detector dogs, guide dogs - rescue operations - transhumance or grazing - medical purposes for example delivery of snake poison and so on |
Animals must be owned by a person resident outside the UK. |
| 6 | Sound, image or data carrying media for the purpose of presentation prior to commercial use, or provided free of charge for use in data processing, or provision with a soundtrack, dubbing or copying. | None. |
| 7 | Publicity material. | Exclusively used for publicity purposes. |
| 8 | Professional equipment necessary for the exercise or calling, trade or profession of a person visiting the UK to perform a specified task including vehicles designed or specially adapted for such purposes. The following are excluded, equipment for: - the industrial manufacture or packaging of goods - exploitation of natural resources (except for hand tools) - construction, repair or maintenance of buildings, earth moving and like projects |
Goods must be: - owned by a person established outside the UK - imported by a person established outside the UK or an employee of the non-UK owner - used solely by or under the personal supervision of the person visiting the UK |
| 9 | Pedagogic (educational) material and scientific equipment used exclusively in teaching, vocational training or scientific research. | Goods must be: - owned by a person established outside the UK - imported by a public or private scientific, teaching or vocational training establishment which are essentially non-profit making - not used for purely commercial purposes |
| 10 | Moulds, dies, blocks, drawings, sketches, measuring, checking and testing instruments used in a manufacturing operation by a person established in the UK. | Goods must be: - owned by a person established outside the UK - at least 75% of goods produced in manufacturing must be exported outside the UK |
| 11 | Special tools and instruments made available free of charge to a person established in the UK for the purpose of manufacturing goods. | Goods must be: - owned by a person established outside the UK - all goods produced must be exported outside the UK |
| 12 | Goods of any kind imported for tests, experiments or demonstrations. | Goods must not be for modification, testing to destruction or subject to tests that would make their re-export nonviable. |
| 13 | Goods imported subject to satisfactory acceptance tests in connection with a sales contract. | The maximum period of use is 6 months. |
| 14 | Goods used to carry out tests, experiments or demonstrations without financial gain. | None. |
| 15 | Samples solely for the purpose of demonstration - representative of a particular category of goods already produced or which are examples of goods the production of which is contemplated | Samples should not include identical articles brought in by the same individual, or sent to a single consignee, in such quantity that, taken as a whole, they no longer constitute samples under ordinary commercial usage. |
| 16 | Replacement means of production made temporarily available free of charge to a customer pending delivery or repair of similar means of production. | Must be re-exported within 6 months of import. |
| 17 | Goods for display or use at an exhibition, fair, meeting or similar event. | None. |
| 18 | Works of art, collectors’ items and antiques imported for the purposes of exhibition, with a view to possible sale. | None. |
| 19 | Spare parts, accessories and equipment for use in repair, maintenance, including overhaul and adjustment of ATA carnet goods. | None. |
| 20 | Cars, boats, yachts, aeroplanes and motorbikes for the following uses: 1. Trade fairs and exhibitions 2. Professional equipment - vehicles for racing, test driving or race support 3. Professional equipment - specially adapted vehicles such as broadcasting vehicles |
1. The holder should provide the issuing chamber with a copy of the exhibitor permit confirming that the vehicle will be exhibited at the specific event. 2. The holder should provide written confirmation from the race organisers showing that the holder is taking part in a race or providing support vehicles for the race. 3. The holder should provide the foreign customs confirmation that accepts the vehicle on an ATA Carnet. |
Goods that cannot be imported to the UK using an ATA carnet
| How the goods are used | Further information |
|---|---|
| Goods imported with a view to sale by auction. | Alternative procedures for claiming relief are available, see Customs special procedures. |
| Goods temporarily imported for processing or repair. | Relief may be available under Inward Processing relief. |
| Goods temporarily exported for processing or repair. | Relief may be available under Outward Processing Relief . |
| Means of transport imported for private or commercial transport use in the UK. | Alternative procedures for claiming relief are available under Temporary Admission Relief. |
| Alcoholic beverages, tobacco goods and fuel for consumption. | Alternative procedures for claiming relief are available, see Customs Special Procedures. |
| Goods imported by post. | Notice 143: guide for international post users. |
| Containers, pallets and packaging. | Relief may be available under Temporary Admissions Relief. |
Updates to this page
Published 16 January 2019Last updated 25 February 2021 + show all updates
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Boats, yachts and aeroplanes have been added to the list of goods that are covered by an ATA Carnet in the UK.
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Cars and motorbikes have been added to the list of goods covered by an ATA Carnet in the UK.
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First published.