China > France (Spring 2015)

[bikerdoc]

A ATA Carnet is a Customs document that provides for tax free importation/travel (free from any import duties and local taxes) of goods, products including vehicles through member/participating countries.

The Carnet means that the owner of the vehicle must pay an amount as prescribed to a competent authority/organisation (for vehicles, this competent authority or organisation is usually a motoring association or similar in the vehicles domiciled country of registration), with the monies held by that authority/organisation on the owners behalf in a 'escrow' type account.

The money essentially becomes a bond in exchange for documents, declaration, vouchers etc which are used in the countries detailed prior. The bond is only refunded when the vehicle has been returned/reimported back to the domiciled country within the specified period from whence it came (usually 12 months), all documents, custom seals are intact, and there are no claims against the carnet by any member country etc. There are about 73 participating countries. The vehicle must be exported out of the countries visited and returned to the home country within the prescribed period otherwise all duties and taxes become payable on the vehicle, extensions can usually be organised as needed, up to a maximum period of an additional 12 months (at least that was the way it used to be).

I used a Carnet decades ago with a motorcycle (NZ-OZ-NZ), but not for PRC. AFAIK PRC only allow the use of Carnet's for fairs and exhibitions, and there are no provisions for issuing 'Carnet's' from within PRC to the best of my knowledge. A Carnet is not needed for most if not all the bordering countries to PRC, including a few that don't e.g. Thailand. This means that legally plated & registered vehicles are able to cross into neighbouring territories without the need for a Carnet. How one might fair for countries further afield in such circumstances - who knows.

ATA Carnet Federation
International Chamber of Commerce