Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will provide guidance on how ATA carnet rules will be applied when travelling between EU Member States for multi-country tours.

The ATA Carnet system is an internationally agreed method of moving certain goods between customs territories temporarily (i.e. a passport for goods). An ATA Carnet simplifies the customs formalities by allowing a single document to be used for clearing goods through customs in the countries that are part of the ATA Carnet system.

The ATA Carnet must be presented to customs for endorsement each time the goods enter or leave a customs territory (for customs purposes the EU is treated as a single territory) and is currently a manual, paper-based process. It is valid for one year and allows for movement of the goods shown on the Carnet as many times as required during the 12 months to any of the destinations applied for; this would allow for multi-country tours.

In the UK, ATA Carnets are administered by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry can be contacted directly to discuss particular needs, and further information is available on their website.