The WCO Secretariat has reported that the customs administrations of the European Union, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom have confirmed their readiness to activate the eATA Carnet system (digital ATA carnet) deployed by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

 From June 1, 2026, the eATA system will become operational in these customs territories (30 countries), marking the start of the global transition to the digital ATA carnet. Consequently, the global issuing network must be prepared for the issuance of digital ATA carnets destined for these territories from that date.

 From that moment on, the digital ATA Carnet will replace the paper format as the operational document for customs transactions, and the customs authorities will require the holder to filing the corresponding QR code for procedure, which represents a significant change for all users of the system.

 In practical terms, this project involves the transition from a system based on the sealing of a paper-format booklet —comprising a cover, back cover, matrices and flyers of different colors— to a system based on the scanning or reading of QR codes associated with the different operations carried out under an ATA booklet (validation, temporary export, temporary import, re-export, re-import and transit).

 The ATA Carnet procedure is scheduled to be fully digital by the end of 2027, so all Contracting Parties should prepare for this digitization.