Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to reduce the cost of the ATA Carnet for cultural goods.

The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and its operational unit, the UK National ATA Carnet Organisation, is responsible for the issue of ATA Carnets in the UK. Issuing Chambers charge their own fees to cover their administration costs. The cost of an ATA Carnet also reflects the cost of providing a guarantee through an International Guarantee Chain, which covers any customs charges potentially due on goods in the countries to be visited.

The UK is currently participating in a pilot exercise to digitalise ATA Carnets and their processes as part of a World Customs Organisation (WCO) and International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) initiative. The Digital Pilot was launched in February 2019, initially involving the UK and five other countries. To date, the UK has successfully processed a number of e-ATA Carnets from Heathrow and is looking to collaborate with more ports to make digital Carnets more readily available.

There are other options for temporarily moving goods between the UK and EU which may be more cost-effective than an ATA Carnet, depending on the specific circumstances. The EU’s Temporary Admission procedure can be used in conjunction with the UK’s Returned Goods Relief to claim relief on goods which are temporarily imported into the EU, and subsequently re-exported back into the UK. More information can be found on GOV.UK.