ATA

You would like to win the new buyers and new markets abroad?

In that case, the samples of your products need to be temporary taken abroad, for the presentation to your potential buyers or to be displayed at fairs and exhibitions. What you really need is a fast and simple transit through the state borders, duty free and without special guarantees, which an ATA Carnet can provide.

What is ATA Carnet? 

The ATA Carnet is a simple international customs document, which enables the temporary import of the world’s most traded group of goods. The ATA Carnet allows flow of non-customed goods for up to one year in the customs territory of the country, which has adopted the Convention on temporary admission and without filling in the customs forms, paying taxes or deposits, generally required in the regular procedure for the temporary export or import. On the global level, the ATA Carnet referred to as a ”Merchandise Passport” or “Passport for Goods”.

The initials “АТА“ are an acronym of the French and English words “Admission Temporaire/Temporary Admission”, which means temporary import.

What are the benefits of the ATA Carnet?

• Simplifying the customs procedures by using a single document for all the customs transactions (temporary export, transit, temporary import, re-export and re-import).
• Payment of custom duties and other contributions, taxes or placing deposits, which is ordinary in temporary import in some countries, becomes unnecessary.
• Validity of the ATA Carnet for up to one year enables the Carnet to be used several times for temporary import to one or more member countries of the ATA system with the same goods.
• For the customs offices, the use of the ATA Carnet entails less administrative work and increased certainty that the payment of import duties will be collected, unless the goods are re-exported.

How to get an ATA Carnet? 

The Carnets are issued exclusively by chambers, which are members of the ATA international guarantee chain. Web page (www.iccwbo.org) is a window into the world of ATA Carnets. The click on the ATA Carnet icon will get you to the data on the organization issuing ATA Carnet in each member country of the ATA chain.

E-mail, address, phone number and fax – all those data may be found on the ICC internet page, as well as the internet pages for each state. The national chamber of each state provide information where and how the ATA Carnet can be obtained.

With moderate costs and minimal formalities, the ATA Carnet is issued by the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro.

Basic information

The holder of the ATA Carnet can only be a domestic legal entity or individual.
The holder of the ATA Carnet may have one or more representatives.
A representative is a person who travels with the Carnet, i.e. accompanies the goods. They can be the carriers themselves or another person authorized by the holder, and multiple persons can be designated. If the representative is a foreign person or unknown at the time, the field “Representative” should be filled in with Letter of authority instead of a name.

The Chamber of Economy of Montenegro – ATA Department provides a template for the Letter of Authority form, which the representative must show to customs officials every time they perform an export/import/transit operation with the ATA Carnet.

Conditions for using the ATA Carnet

Goods moving under the ATA Carnet cross borders quickly and simply (without engaging a freight forwarder), but certain rules and conditions must be obeyed:

1. a) All goods exported or imported under the ATA Carnet must be re-exported/re-imported entirely in the same condition in which they were exported/imported (it is not intended for sale, rental, commercial maintenance, processing, repair, internal transport, industrial packaging or production, construction, commercial exploitation of natural resources, etc.)
2. b) All goods exported or imported under the ATA Carnet must be easily identified during export/import and re-export/re-import (a detailed description of goods must be provided in the Goods List).
3. c) All values of the included goods must represent the true commercial value in the country of issuance.
4. d) All holders must comply with the national laws and regulations of the country of departure, the countries visited, and transit countries.
5. e) All goods covered by the carnet are subject to customs inspection – Note 9 on the back green cover – and whenever inspection is required by the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro.
6. f) The validity period of the ATA Carnet is determined by the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro in accordance with the period prescribed by the Convention, i.e. up to 12 months from the date of issue. However, customs authorities of ATA chain member countries may set a shorter validity period in accordance with their national regulations and relevant Conventions.

The use of the ATA Carnet is also foreseen for transit through a country, under the conditions set out in the ATA Convention.

Main categories of goods for which ATA Carnets are issued

• Fairs, exhibitions, and presentations
• Professional equipment
• Other (sports events, animals, etc.)

According to data provided by Chambers of Economy of Montenegro, which manage the ATA system, the main categories of goods temporarily imported under ATA Carnets include: antiques, machinery, machine tools, hospitality equipment, canned food, footwear, toys, computers, office equipment, transformers, electricity generators, electrical/electronic and scientific equipment, surgical and dental equipment, jewellery and items made of precious metals/gemstones, music stands, audiovisual devices, photographic and film equipment, lasers, musical instruments and records, exhibition materials, aircraft, films, motor vehicles and accessories, racing motorbikes, heating and lighting equipment, agricultural machinery, furniture, earthenware, paintings and other works of art, umbrellas, racehorses, suitcases, perfumes, theatrical effects and props, concert and musical instruments, leather and sports goods, clothing, yachts and boats, exhibition stands.

Under the ATA Carnet, it is NOT ALLOWED to import consumable and perishable goods, goods intended for processing, treatment, or repair, nor advertising materials, which will be distributed at fairs or exhibitions in the temporary import territory. ATA Carnet is not issued for exhibitions organized for private purposes in stores or business premises for the sale of foreign goods.

The number or quantity of each item must be reasonable and consistent with the purpose of import.

Unless permitted by the national legislation of the temporary import country, goods guaranteed for temporary import must not:

1. a) be lent or used in any way for rental or gain,
2. b) be moved from the location where the event takes place.

In brief, temporary import under the ATA Carnet refers to goods to be re-exported in the same condition as when imported.

The following countries apply the ATA system: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Czech Republic, Chile, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Croatia, India, Iran, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Israel, Japan, South Africa, Canada, China, Cyprus, Korea, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Hungary, Macao, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Morocco, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Germany, Norway, New Zealand, Ivory Coast, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, USA, Senegal, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, United Kingdom.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR ISSUING ATA CARNETS FOR LEGAL ENTITIES:

1. Completed Application and Declaration form;
2. Completed form for recording business partners (Tax Identification Number, Company Registration Number, Activity Code, Bank Account, VAT number… of the legal entity – applicant)
3. Goods list with quantity, weight, and value for each individual item – to be submitted via email to: ata@pkcg.org;
4. Certified copy of registration in the business register or copy with original for inspection including all amendments;
5. Confirmation of VAT registration;
6. Confirmation of Tax Identification Number  registration;
7. *If the carnet holder (director, president, owner, etc.) is unable to personally sign and collect the ATA Carnet, the person who will do that must have a power of attorney “for signing and taking the Carnet” (on company memorandum) along with an ID card for verification;
8. Authorization “to represent the ATA Carnet at customs” for the Representative – persons who travel and declare the ATA Carnet at customs (one or more persons) with ID cards for inspection;
9. Proof of payment (receipt or certified bank statement);
10. Specimen signature card.

FOR NATURAL ENTITIES:

1. Completed Application and Declaration form;
2. ID card for inspection;
3. Proof of payment (receipt or certified bank statement).

*Music groups are treated as individuals unless registered as legal entities, and all travelling group members must sign the Application and Declaration.

Appearance of the ATA Carnet

The ATA Carnet consists of green covers (front and back) and sheets of different colours inside. All pages and covers are A4 format and together form one ATA Carnet booklet. The number of sheets inside depends on the number of countries through which the goods travel or are temporarily imported.

Contents of one ATA Carnet can be summarized as:

1. Front green cover;
2. Talons (yellow, white, blue);
3. Coupons (yellow, white, blue);
4. Additional sheets for the Goods List (yellow, white, blue);
5. Back green cover.

The green front and back covers always remain with the Carnet and are valid for one year from the date of issue by the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro. These covers may be used for multiple trips during the validity period, provided the goods listed on the back of the front green cover (Goods List) are always exported.

Yellow talon is exclusively for domestic customs use (export/re-import) and is designed for 4 trips. It must remain in the Carnet and cannot be detached. If more than 4 trips are planned, additional yellow talons are purchased.

White talon is exclusively for foreign customs use (import/re-export) and is designed for 4 trips. It must remain in the carnet and cannot be detached. Additional yellow talons can be purchased if more than 4 trips are planned.

Blue talon is for customs certification of entry and exit from transit countries and is designed for 8 transits. It must remain in the Carnet and cannot be detached. Additional blue talons can be purchased once used up.

Yellow coupon (EXPORT/RE-IMPORT) is perforated and kept by custom officer upon exit of the Carnet from Montenegro and when returning.

White coupon (IMPORT/RE-EXPORT) is perforated and kept by custom officer at entry or exit from the temporary import country.

Blue coupon (TRANSIT) is perforated and kept by custom officer upon entry and exit of the Carnet from transit countries.

Additional sheets (yellow, white, blue) are printed if the back of the front green cover is insufficient for the complete list of goods.

ATA Carnet Price

The price of the Carnet depends on the travel method to the temporary import country and the value of the goods listed in the application.

The basic price includes:

• Service fee of the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro for printing and issuing;
• Fee payable to ICC (International Chamber of Commerce) – ATA Secretariat;
• Basic package of 9 sheets for the ATA Carnet;
• VAT 0%;
• Insurance premium 0.3% of total goods value.

Note: The insurance premium covers the guarantee of customs duty payment, not insurance of the goods during transport or against damage, theft, etc.

• Insurance premium tax of 9% on the insurance premium amount.

The basic price for goods valued up to 5,000 euros amounted to 80.15 euros in 2024.

Payment Method

After completing the Application and Declaration, the Carnet price is calculated and an invoices issued, based on which payment is made at a bank branch or post office.

Contact persons:

Blažo Đurović and Srđa Vujošević
Phone: +382 20 230 422 or 230 545
Email: ata@pkcg.org

Note:

The speed of obtaining an ATA Carnet depends solely on the applicant. It is recommended to start the procedure at least 3 days before the trip.

DOCUMENTS:

• Application
• Declaration
• Sample filled for Goods List for paintings
• Sample filled for Goods List for musical instruments
• Sample filled for Goods List – closed
• Business Partner Recording Form
• Authorization for collection
• Authorization for representation
• Letter of Authority