Chamber International blazes new online ATA Carnet service trial
6 February 2015
Overseas trade specialist Chamber International, which led a UK-wide drive to enable businesses to get official documentation for their exports faster, launches a major new initiative next month.
The move to enable exporters to apply for ATA Carnets online is expected to save businesses which exhibit at overseas trade shows, travel abroad with product samples or ship professional tools and equipment to carry out work overseas, significant office time and get approved documents to them faster.
Chamber International played a vital role in helping British Chambers of Commerce to develop its online export documentation platform and is also UK leader in the British Chambers network for online export transactions.
ATA Carnets, which translates to "book of temporary admission tickets", can be used for temporary exports – where goods are not to be sold - to fast-track customs in more than 80 countries belonging to the Carnet scheme without the need to pay duty and/or local tax on their arrival.
Chamber International provides scores of ATA Carnets annually for businesses throughout the UK wanting to take items abroad as commercial samples, for presentations, display at exhibitions or trade fairs, and for professional equipment used by people working abroad such as theatre companies and touring rock bands.
Once issued, Carnets can be used for multiple international trips and are valid for a year. Countries, and territories, which accept them are in Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Oceania.
Head of the Carnet team at Chamber International, Alison Holmes, says "The new digital application revolutionises the application process at a time when more countries are a joining the international Carnet scheme and more businesses are looking to trade overseas.
“Until now, companies applying for an ATA Carnet have contacted us and we have sent them the form to complete, usually after scanning into a PC. However, because precise and detailed information is required, many businesses have found it hard to format the document correctly so their information matches the questions on the forms and this has led to wasted time, frustration and delays.
“Our new online system makes the whole process far easier as companies applying for ATA Carnets can download the document quickly and, crucially, this method automatically formats the document as it is completed for submission to us for verification and authorising. We do expect more companies to apply as a result of this easier, more efficient system.”
Chamber International will remain responsible, through an international chain of guaranteeing associations, for paying any charges which become due on goods covered by Carnets its has issued and a security fee will remain payable with applications. This will be fully refundable as long as there is no breach in the conditions of use.
One regular user of the Chamber International ATA Carnet system, which sees huge benefits in the system moving online, is award-winning national opera company, Leeds-based Opera North.
Opera North technical and operations director, Ric Green (pictured right with Alison Holmes, Trade Procedures Manager, Chamber International), says: ”We do co- productions or rentals with opera companies in Europe, Australasia and the USA. Sometimes they are overseas for quite short period but they can stay for two years.
“We are currently sending Katya to Boston, our production of Norma is in Chemnitz and then goes to Bordeaux, while our production of Pinocchio went to Chemnitz and Moscow and is now in Bonn.
”We always check if ATA Carnets are required and if we are visiting a participating country. Productions which go overseas vary in value but usually fall between £250,000 and £500,000.
“We find Chamber International knowledgeable and helpful and Alison Holmes, in particular, is quite brilliant. Online Carnet services will enable much quicker collation and processing of the information which will be a real benefit to us. We are very pleased Alison and her team have had the foresight to do it.”
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