At the beginning of June, Finland introduced the electronic ATA Carnet (eATA Carnet). The first wave of digital implementation includes EU countries, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Switzerland. While the reform brings many changes, the big picture is clear: it simplifies temporary exports for Finnish companies and improves the monitoring of export movements. During 2026–2027, both digital and paper ATA Carnets will be used in parallel, depending on the destination country.
What is an ATA Carnet?
An ATA Carnet is often referred to as a “passport for goods.” It enables companies to temporarily export professional equipment, exhibition goods, and commercial samples without paying customs duties or VAT, provided that the goods are returned to Finland or the EU within the validity period of the carnet.
An ATA Carnet is valid for one year and can typically be used for up to 8–12 round trips. Some destination countries may also have specific national requirements.
Traditionally, the ATA Carnet process has relied entirely on paper documents that must be stamped at every border crossing. This process is time-consuming and increases the risk of both errors and loss of documents.
What is eATA?
The eATA Carnet is the digital version of the ATA Carnet. If a customer is travelling to a country that supports eATA (currently the United Kingdom, Switzerland, or Norway), instead of receiving a paper document, the holder is issued a digital carnet that can be downloaded to a mobile device or desktop computer through the ATA Carnet application.
It is important for carnet holders to understand the different stages of using an eATA Carnet:
- Issuance
The Chamber of Commerce issues the ATA Carnet and uploads the eATA Carnet, along with a QR code and ID and PIN credentials, to the ATA Carnet service.
Please note: These codes are only used to access the carnet in the application and are not intended to be shown to customs authorities.
- Download
The holder downloads the digital carnet to the ATA Carnet application on a mobile device or desktop computer.
- Preparing the Journey in Advance
This step generates the QR codes required at customs checkpoints.
Create a new trip and add the departure and destination countries, the goods being transported (selected from the goods list), and any additional required information. For example, if your route is Finland–Switzerland–Finland, you should create two separate trips: Finland–Switzerland and Switzerland–Finland.
The codes generated for prepared trips can also be shared with freight forwarders and other logistics partners.
- Customs Clearance with QR Codes
When leaving Finland, customs officers scan the Validation and Export QR codes.
Upon arrival in the destination country, the Importation code is scanned.
When leaving the destination country, the Re-exportation code is scanned, and upon returning to Finland or the EU, the Re-importation code is scanned.
- Digital Confirmation
The transaction is recorded in the system, and a confirmation is immediately sent to the holder’s phone.
eATA in Finland
Since the beginning of June, all ATA Carnets issued in Finland have had a digital counterpart. So far, more than 30 digital eATA Carnets have been activated through customs, and approximately one hundred successful digital customs transactions have been recorded across these carnets.
The electronic eATA Carnet streamlines the temporary export process for companies. For example, there is no longer a need to mail paper documents or collect them from a Chamber of Commerce office. Furthermore, eATA enables the sharing of codes between carnet holders and freight forwarders, while also making it easier to track the movement of goods, in some cases almost in real time.
In Finland, the eATA system has been welcomed positively, although adopting it requires learning new procedures and becoming familiar with the eATA platform. Nevertheless our customers will quickly adapt to the new system and that the use of eATA will become standard practice over time. From a broader perspective, this reform represents an important leap toward more modern temporary exports.
Training and Support
During autumn 2026, the Finland Chamber of Commerce will organize eATA information sessions to provide practical guidance on using electronic carnets and to answer customers’ questions.
The Chamber’s ATA Carnet website is also being continuously updated, and customers can download support materials from the eATA section: eATA Support Materials
In addition, local Chambers of Commerce provide guidance and support for the use of eATA.
For more information about eATA Carnets and related services, visit ATA Carnet Finland.
