Guide
An ATA carnet is a customs document that lets exhibition goods, commercial samples, and professional equipment enter a member country temporarily without duty or import tax, as long as the goods leave again within the time allowed. Chinese exhibitors apply through CCPIT (CCOIC), the China guaranteeing association, with an exact goods list and a security deposit; goods that will be sold, given away, or consumed must not be listed on the carnet. Since June 1, 2026, the EU, UK, Switzerland, and Norway accept only the digital eATA carnet, and the UAE follows on November 9, 2026. Yihang Shipping plans freight so the packing list, carnet list, and cargo match piece by piece.
Published 2026-10-16 · By Delia Qu, Deputy General Manager
Receiving deadline in, latest cargo-ready date out.
Temporary import without a carnet GuideTemporary import when a carnet will not work: US TIB, deposits, Brazil admissão temporária, and when normal import is simpler for show cargo from China.
After the show GuideThe three endings for exhibition cargo, return shipment, local sale, or abandonment, what each costs, and the move-out deadlines that cause most of the trouble.
Move-in timing GuideHow to work out the latest cargo-ready date for a trade show: the receiving window, advance warehouse or direct to show, release, and the sailing.
Packing, fumigation, insurance GuideCrates that survive a return trip, ISPM 15 and fumigation declarations, lithium batteries in demo units, loading photos, and cargo insurance through PICC.
Group and pavilion shipping GuideSeveral exhibitors, one container, one delivery slot: how a pavilion or delegation consolidates exhibits, with separate packing lists and carnets per exhibitor.
Show-to-show freight GuideTouring exhibits from one trade show to the next across countries: carnet routing, time limits, storage between shows, and Yihang’s agent network outside China.
Ship stands, machines, and samples from a Chinese factory to a trade show abroad and back: ATA carnet, move-in count-back, group shipping, and the return or sale.
Exhibiting in China DirectionBring exhibits into China for CIIE, bauma CHINA, or the Canton Fair import pavilion, or ship what you bought at a Chinese fair home. Carnet, fumigation, and retention.
Exhibiting in a third country DirectionInternational exhibitors going to a show in a third country, or touring several shows: one file, Yihang’s 180+ overseas agents, and carnet routing.
Linked pages are the publishers’ own. Dates and rules follow the organizer’s and customs’ latest notices.
It covers exhibition goods, commercial samples, and professional equipment that will leave the country again. Several countries can be listed on one carnet, usually for up to a year unless a country sets a shorter limit. It does not cover goods sold at the show, giveaways, brochures, food samples, or anything consumed.
The holder applies online with CCPIT / CCOIC, with model and serial numbers on the goods list. Review and issue usually take a few working days each once the list is right; a security deposit is paid on approval. For freight into China, the broker registers the carnet electronically with CCPIT before declaring.
No. Since June 1, 2026, the EU, the UK, Switzerland, and Norway accept only the digital eATA carnet. The UAE moves to eATA on November 9, 2026. Ask the issuing chamber for the digital version before the goods move.
Remove them from the carnet and declare them as a normal import on a separate packing list before they are sold. Mixing sale goods into carnet goods is the most common reason a return file fails at customs.
