Guides / Digital ATA Carnet (eATA) · Updated 19 October 2026

Digital ATA Carnet (eATA): what's changing and when

Everything written about ATA carnets until recently assumes a paper booklet of vouchers stamped at each border. That is changing. The digital ATA carnet, known as eATA, is a separate system built by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) with the World Customs Organization (WCO), and the UK is one of the countries now using it. Here is what it actually changes, what stays identical to the paper process, and the dates that matter.

This guide is specifically about the digitalisation initiative itself. If you need to know how to fill in the paper General List, see our guide on filling in the ATA carnet General List; if you are deciding between a carnet, temporary admission or a duplicate list, see our comparison of ATA carnet vs temporary admission. Neither of those covers eATA, because both describe the paper process that eATA is now running alongside.

What eATA actually is

The ICC describes its system plainly: "The eATA Carnet system digitalises the traditional paper ATA Carnets and their lifecycle management process." It is not a PDF version of the paper form. It is built from three linked components:

ATA Carnet Core – the central database and engine that exchanges data between the other two components.
ATA Carnet App – a mobile (and desktop) digital wallet where the carnet holder downloads their carnet and prepares each declaration before reaching the border.
ATA Carnet Customs – a web portal customs officers use to verify a carnet and approve the transactions declared against it.

At the border, instead of presenting a paper voucher and counterfoil for stamping, the holder presents a QR code generated by the app. The customs officer scans or enters the carnet data, checks its validity, verifies the goods and approves the transaction in the portal; the holder then gets a receipt and a notification to review what was recorded. The underlying rules are unchanged: a carnet, digital or paper, still runs for a maximum of 12 months with no extensions, still excludes goods for sale or paid repair, and still does not replace an export declaration or a commercial invoice.

Where it has actually been switched on

The ICC's own eATA page states that digital carnets were activated for the UK, all 27 EU member states, Norway and Switzerland on 1 June 2026, with the United Arab Emirates following on 9 November 2026. As of that June date, the ICC says 30 countries had confirmed readiness. This matters for anyone planning a route today: eATA is only usable between countries that have both confirmed readiness, and the ICC describes a transitional period in which issuing chambers may offer paper, digital, or a dual-format carnet depending on where the goods are travelling.

Gov.uk's own ATA carnet introduction guidance, as published, still describes the carnet only as "a single document with vouchers and counterfoils" and does not yet mention eATA. Treat the digital option as something to confirm with your issuing chamber before you apply, rather than assume from gov.uk's general guidance alone.

The target dates for full digitalisation

The ICC's Global Transition Plan, adopted by the WCO's ATA/Istanbul Convention Administrative Committee, sets two dates worth noting:

End of 2027: the ICC expects more customs administrations worldwide to have confirmed readiness by this point, building on the first-wave countries that went live in mid-2026.
1 January 2028: the ICC states that ATA carnet procedures are "expected to be fully digital worldwide" by this date.

Both dates depend on individual countries' own readiness declarations, which is why the transition is being run in waves rather than as a single global switch-over. If your route includes a country that has not yet confirmed readiness, your issuing chamber will still need to provide a paper carnet, or a hybrid, for that leg of the journey.

Background: a longer initiative than it looks

Digitalisation is not a 2026 idea. The ICC states that its eATA concept was first endorsed by the WCO back in 2016, with a pilot phase completed before the current rollout began. The 2026 activation dates mark the point at which a defined first wave of countries, rather than a handful of pilot participants, began accepting digital carnets for live movements.

What this means in practice

If your route covers only the UK, EU states, Norway or Switzerland from mid-2026 onward, ask your issuing chamber whether a digital carnet is available for your trip.
If any leg of the journey is outside that first-wave group, expect to need a paper carnet, or a dual-format one, until that country confirms readiness.
The General List, the 12-month validity ceiling and the rules on goods you cannot carry under a carnet are unchanged by the move to eATA; only how the document is presented and stamped at the border changes.
Build in time to ask your chamber directly, since gov.uk's published ATA carnet guidance has not yet caught up with the digital option at the time of writing.

Easy Clearance, a UK–EU customs clearance agency handling import and export declarations, T1/T2 transit and UK–Poland removals, covers the move to a digital ATA Carnet (eATA) in more depth, including the transition rules its chamber contacts have seen so far.

Related guides

Want the fuller picture on eATA?

Easy Clearance is a UK–EU customs clearance agency handling import and export declarations, T1/T2 transit and UK–Poland removals. Its sister site agencjacelna.uk, run by the same team, has a longer guide to the digital ATA Carnet rollout.

Read the eATA guide on agencjacelna.uk

Sources

General information, not legal, tax or customs advice. Rules change; confirm current requirements on gov.uk or with a registered agent before you ship.