You Know What A Carnet Is – But Where Do You Get The Damn Thing Stamped?

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In short: The carnet is a passport for your artist’s equipment, and it has to be cleared every time the gear crosses a customs border: on the way out of the UK, on arrival abroad, on leaving, and again on the way home. Since 1 June 2026 that can mean a paper carnet stamped by an officer, a digital eATA carnet scanned from a phone, or, on a mixed itinerary, both.

This guide is for UK-based artist managers who are responsible for getting their artist’s equipment in and out of the UK. It assumes you already know broadly what an ATA carnet so I am not going over that here. Instead, I’m going into the ‘dark arts’ of knowing where and when to get the carnet ‘stamped’ – the vital action of getting the gear exported and re-imported.

This is knowledge you can pass onto your artist and your concert tour manager (CTM) if they are unsure.

How the carnet document ‘works’

The ATA carnet is a set of vouchers with counterfoils.

The green front cover shows the holder’s details and the list of participating countries. [1]

Inside, you have sets of coloured pages:

  • Yellow – UK Export and Re-import vouchers + counterfoils.
  • White – foreign Import and Re-export vouchers + counterfoils. [1][2]
  • Blue – Transit vouchers, used when you pass through a carnet country en route to another. [2]
  • The General List – the inventory, or manifest, of gear – is printed on the back of the cover and on the vouchers. [1]
a picture of an ata carnet from live music business

Once a voucher is used and removed by customs, it’s gone and you can’t reuse it. [2][6]

Your job (or your CTM’s) is to:

  • Make sure there are enough vouchers for the route. [6]
  • Use the correct colour and type at each crossing. [2]

Keep the carnet intact, legible and travelling with the gear. The carnet should not be buried in a trailer, or given to someone who is not with the gear at all times.

You should think of the carnet as a bound sequence of “episodes” in your gear’s journey. Each episode – export, import, re-export, re-import – exchanges one voucher for one stamp. If an episode is missing, the story doesn’t make sense to customs.

Paper or digital? The eATA carnet

Everything above describes the paper carnet, and if your artist’s carnet was issued before 1 June 2026 it remains valid until it expires. But the UK, the EU, Norway and Switzerland all switched on digital carnets that day, and that changes what “getting stamped” actually means. [15][16]

With an eATA carnet there are no coloured vouchers to tear out. Before each crossing, whoever holds the carnet creates a “travel” in the app, selecting the goods that are moving, and the app produces a QR code which the customs officer scans. The app then needs synchronising so the movement is recorded against the carnet. In practice that means the person standing at the customs desk needs a charged phone, the right QR code for that particular crossing, and a Letter of Authorisation to present the goods on the holder’s behalf. [15][18]

There are issues and challenges as territories are in transistion between the two systems. Countries outside that first group are still on paper, so if the tour goes from a European run to a fly-date in the US or Japan, the issuing chamber will give you both a paper and a digital carnet, and your tour manager will need to know which one is used at which border. (It is expected that the rest of the carnet world will go digital by the end of 2027, so this will settle down, but not this touring season.) [18]

Basically, don’t tell your driver to “take the carnet to customs.” Tell them which office they’re going to, which movement they’re making, and whether they’re carrying paper, digital, or both.

PART A: The carnet and touring by road in splitter vans, sleeper buses with trailers, and trucks

Your artist, and their gear, will most likely be travelling by road. This is what you need to know when leaving the country.

Post-Brexit reality: UK vs EU

The UK is now a third country to the EU. Temporary movements of professional equipment from Great Britain into the EU are treated like any other export/import; an ATA carnet is the recognised way to handle temporary admission and re-import. [7][8]

The key points for you and your artist team:

  • Someone must stamp the carnet each time you enter or leave the EU customs territory (including the UK side) to show that movement. [2]
  • The EU is one customs territory. Once you’re in, you can normally move between EU member states without re-stamping, although Switzerland and Norway are separate. [9]

UK outbound – Dover, Eurotunnel, Holyhead, and other ports

For splitter vans, sleeper buses with trailers, and trucks, load the vehicle(s) in GB in line with the General List. Someone, usually a CTM, should oversee the packing of the van or trailer. Do not pack any items that are not on the carnet.

You then get the yellow Export voucher and counterfoil stamped before you leave Great Britain. [2] [3]. This is the dreaded ‘stamping’ we talk about in touring.

Finding the place to get your carnet stamped is difficult, and I have listed what I know below.

Dover and Eurotunnel (Folkestone)

If your artist’s van or bus is crossing via Dover or Le Shuttle, the carnet has to be cleared at an Inland Border Facility both on the way out and on the way back. For most of us that means Sevington, just off junction 10a of the M20 near Ashford, where Border Force will stamp the paper carnet or scan the digital one. Everyone getting out of the vehicle there will need a hi-vis vest, so keep a couple in the door pocket. A commercial haulier will also need a Goods Movement Reference (GMR) for both directions. Your entertainment transport company should handle that, but it’s worth asking them directly rather than assuming. [3][16]

Many tour managers, me included, have preferred the Motis facility at Dover Western Docks to Sevington. Motis now say it’s only for their registered customers. I can’t confirm this as I’ve not been there yet this year (2026). Let me know in the comments if this is the case!

The Facebook group

The ‘UK Touring Crew‘ group on Facebook is invaluable in finding out about changes to stamping procedures. You are advised to request to join the group; once ‘admitted’, a simple search of ‘carnet stamping’ in the group will give you the up-to-date picture of conditions and wait times at Sevington and Dover Marina.

Holyhead – Ireland/EU via Dublin

Holyhead IBF at Parc Cybi, by the A55 junction, is open around the clock and clears carnets in both directions. You must pre-notify UK and Irish customs at least 24 hours before you travel. On the way back from Ireland you’ll also need a Pre-Boarding Notification. Neither of these can be sorted at the port on the morning of the sailing. [3][10][16]

Other GB ports (Portsmouth, Poole, Plymouth, Harwich, Hull, Liverpool, etc.)

Most other UK ports and airports can stamp or scan a carnet, but pre-notification and local procedures vary from port to port. The safe assumption is still “freight customs office near the lorry check-in, not the tourist car lane.” Find it on Google Maps the night before, and phone ahead if you can. [4][8][16]

It is good practice to photograph the stamped counterfoil before leaving any official office. That way, you have some proof the gear left the UK under the carnet.

EU entry and exit – road, ferry, Eurotunnel

You must get the carnet stamped again when entering the EU at the ferry port or rail terminal.

EU IN (first entry into EU)

At Calais, Coquelles (Eurotunnel), Hook of Holland, Rotterdam and similar ports:

Follow signs for Customs / Douanes.
Present the carnet and vehicle.

The EU customs officer will:

  • stamp and take the white Import voucher, and
  • stamp the white Import counterfoil. [2]

Take a photo of all paperwork before you leave the office, just in case.
Once that’s done, you’re legally in the EU customs territory.

EU OUT (leaving the EU customs territory)

When you leave the EU back to GB (or into a non-EU state):

  • Stop at EU customs at the last exit point (e.g. Calais, Rotterdam).
  • Present the carnet for the white Re-export voucher + counterfoil stamping. [2]

Helpful customs or embarkation staff may wave you through before you can explain about the need to get your carnet stamped. If this happens you should:

  • Park safely after the lanes.
  • Walk to the customs office and insist on the Re-export stamp.

Without EU OUT, customs records may show the gear entered the EU but never left – which is exactly the scenario that triggers duty/VAT questions.

Switzerland and Norway by road

Both Switzerland and Norway sit outside the EU customs union and treat carnets very seriously.

Switzerland

At entry (e.g. Basel, Chiasso, Geneva), Swiss customs use the white Import voucher + counterfoil. [9][11]

At exit, they must stamp the white Re-export voucher + counterfoil.

Swiss border and customs agents keep regular office hours, and you may find the offices closed if you arrive during the night. You should plan not to cross these borders between 21:00 and 05.00am if you can help it.

Norway

You must treat Norway as a separate customs territory if entering from Sweden by road or into Norway by ferry.

You need white Import and later white Re-export stamping at Norwegian customs. [11]

Again, If you enter either country without proper stamping, you are effectively importing gear without declaration. This will cause immense problems when you try to re-enter the EU zone and again when going back into Britain. [2][11]

The carnet and touring with multiple vehicles

The tour may have one or more production trucks, or perhaps a truck and a sleeper with a trailer. All the equipment carried on all vehicles needs clearance for customs, so you must decide on:

  • One carnet per vehicle or load (safest at the border), or
  • One primary carnet. This will mean brutal discipline over which case is in which vehicle, and both vehicles always travelling and crossing at the same time.

From a risk perspective, separate carnets per primary vehicle is the safer option and more expensive.

One thing to raise with your transport company before you book: oversized and hazardous-goods vehicles that Sevington won’t accept are sent to Stop 24 instead, and Stop 24 doesn’t clear carnets. If your production truck falls into that category, get a clear answer from your carnet issuer or freight forwarder on where it will be cleared before the tour is routed around Dover. [3]

When things go wrong with carnets on the road

Travelling with gear under a carnet is not easy. These are common things that happen in my experience:

  • The customs office is closed on arrival. In this case you either divert to another open office or wait. Never cross without the stamp.
  • You, or the customs officer, uses the wrong voucher or colour. You should ask for an immediate correction when this happens. Get some kind of written note and take photographs of the ‘soiled’ pages, plus the corrections.
  • Missed EU-OUT or CH-OUT. This is common and you should expect to be told to go back to correct the sequence. This will obviously add hours to the artists’ journey, and they may miss sound check.
  • Losing the carnet. Call the issuing chamber at once if you lose the carnet. Replacements are possible but slow; customs may treat the equipment as undeclared, resulting in fines. [6]
  • If you get home and realise the carnet wasn’t stamped or scanned on re-import, call HMRC’s National ATA Carnet Unit on 0300 322 7064 (Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm) or email [email protected]. They deal with exactly this problem, and with certificates of location if a foreign customs office wants proof of where the gear is. The sooner you call, the easier it is. [17]

Before the vehicle boards at Dover or Le Shuttle

  • The right carnet is in the cab: paper, digital, or both
  • Everything loaded is on the General List, and nothing else is
  • The GMR or pre-notification is done, where it applies
  • The driver knows whether it’s Sevington or Motis, and how to get there
  • The export stamp or scan is done, and photographed
  • For eATA: the app is synced and shows the movement as endorsed

PART B: The carnet and flying with equipment

You will probably rent backline locally for fly-dates and foreign festival appearances. However, your artist may insist on flying with various hard-to-rent items. You will need a carnet for these pieces of equipment.

I recommend you don’t raise a manifest and carnet yourself through your local chamber of commerce, especially if flying to the USA. You should instead use a music-related freight forwarding company such as Rock-it, Freight Minds, or EFM.

Outbound from the UK

Whether you’re flying with racks and instruments as checked baggage, or pallets and cases as air cargo, you must get the yellow Export voucher + counterfoil stamped when the goods leave Great Britain. [2][3]

For accompanied baggage:
Stamping is usually at a Merchandise in Baggage (MIB) or customs desk in the passenger terminal.

For cargo:
The carnet is normally presented at the freight customs office by your forwarder (Rock-it, Freight Minds etc.). [12][13]

The carnet must physically travel with the gear or the person presenting the gear. Having the carnet in your hand luggage while the pallet flies the night before is a classic mistake! Your forwarder will advise you on all this.

Entry abroad – USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, EU airports

On landing:

Cargo – your freight agent presents the carnet at the cargo customs office.

Accompanied baggage – officials may route you through a red channel or secondary inspection. The foreign customs officer will:

  • stamp and keep the white Import voucher, and
  • stamp the white Import counterfoil with date and port. [2][5]

Exit abroad and UK return

Customs must complete the white Re-export voucher + counterfoil at the foreign airport or land border nearest the end of the tour.

When the goods re-enter GB, you must present the carnet for yellow Re-import voucher + counterfoil stamping (at passenger customs or a freight customs point/IBF, depending how the gear returns). [2][3]

If that inbound yellow stamp is missing, UK customs can treat the gear as imported without relief, with duties, VAT or even seizure.

When things go wrong with the carnet at airports

Things can go wrong with airfreight, even with a forwarder involved.

  • The carnet and the gear get separated. The freight arrives, but the carnet doesn’t. Here, the gear will sit in a bonded storage racking up charges. You have used a forwarder, so it’s their job to track down the carnet. And to pay any resulting charges!
  • Finding the relevant office. Where do you actually go to get ‘stamped’? For example, the Customs Border Protection (CBP) offices are in the arrivals hall of each terminal at airports in the USA. This is inconvenient when you are flying out of the airport!
  • Multi-leg confusion. The gear arrives at one EU airport, but they never properly import it before onward travel. The carnet is now out-of-sequence. This can happen when flying the gear in the hold on festival-fly dates. The CTM must make sure there is plenty of time to get the paperwork done during the layover.

APPENDIX: UK CARNET STAMPING LOCATIONS — CHECK BEFORE EVERY TOUR

A quick look-up section of ports and other facilities.

A. Inland Border Facilities (road/ferry/rail)

Sevington IBF (Ashford, Kent)

  • Main IBF for Dover ferries and Eurotunnel (Folkestone) although consider Motis at Dover
  • Handles ATA carnet export and re-import checks for HGVs and smaller vehicles. [3][4][7]

Holyhead IBF (Parc Cybi, Anglesey)

  • Handles ATA carnets for Holyhead–Dublin traffic, both outbound and inbound. [3][10]

Birmingham, Warrington, Ebbsfleet, North Weald and the Dover Western Docks IBF have all closed. Stop 24 does not clear ATA carnets. [3]

B. Ports (non-IBF customs offices)

Still carnet-active via on-site customs offices on the freight side:

Portsmouth, Poole, Plymouth, Harwich, Hull, Liverpool, Immingham, Newcastle, and others listed in the LCCI “ATA Carnet Ports/Airports 2024” PDF. [4][8]

Rule of thumb:
Assume Sevington/Holyhead for Dover / Eurotunnel / Holyhead routes; assume port customs office (near freight check-in) for other ports, and always check current instructions before routing a show around a specific port.

C. Eurotunnel & Eurostar

Eurotunnel (Folkestone/Calais)

  • UK side: via Sevington IBF.
  • French side: Calais/Coquelles freight customs (Douanes). [4][7][8]

Eurostar (London St Pancras)

  • Pre-notify Border Force on 020 7841 6410. There are no customs officers available for the 6am departure. [16]

D. Airports (passenger baggage & cargo)

Heathrow (LHR)

  • Merchandise in Baggage/customs points in terminals; if unmanned, use the phone to call Border Force.
  • Terminal 5 has a Border Force desk behind check-in with a dedicated procedure for ATA carnets. [12][14]

Gatwick (LGW), Luton (LTN), Birmingham (BHX), Manchester (MAN), Glasgow (GLA), Edinburgh (EDI), London City (LCY)

All handle ATA carnets via customs/MIB desks or call-out, plus cargo customs for freight. [4][8][13]

REFERENCES

[1] Boomerang Carnets (n.d.) What does a carnet document look like? Available at: https://www.atacarnet.com/carnet-document (Accessed 28 November 2025).

[2] HM Revenue & Customs (2024) How to use your ATA carnet. GOV.UK, 17 April. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-use-your-ata-carnet (Accessed 28 November 2025).

[3] HM Revenue & Customs (2025) Attending an inland border facility. GOV.UK, 15 January. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/attending-an-inland-border-facility (Accessed 28 November 2025).

[4] London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (2024) ATA Carnet Ports/Airports List 2024. LCCI. Available at: https://www.londonchamber.co.uk/LCCI_Media/LCCI/Media/Trade-Documentation/ATA-Carnets/ATA-Carnet-List-of-UK-Ports-Airports-2024.pdf (Accessed 28 November 2025).

[5] Cargo Clear (2024) Using ATA Carnet for luggage – Airport procedures & contacts. Available at: https://www.cargoclear.co.uk/ata-carnet-hub/using-ata-carnet-for-luggage (Accessed 28 November 2025).

[6] HM Revenue & Customs (2022) Apply for an ATA carnet. GOV.UK, 14 March. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-ata-carnet (Accessed 28 November 2025).

[7] ATA-Carnet.uk (2024) ATA Carnets at Port of Dover and Eurotunnel. Available at: https://www.ata-carnet.uk/information/port-of-dover-and-eurotunnel (Accessed 28 November 2025).

[8] Media Carnets (2024) UK & Europe Border Force Locations. Available at: https://www.mediacarnets.co.uk/uk–europe-border-force-locations.html (Accessed 28 November 2025).

[9] Paddles Up Training (2024) Carnets and Brexit: Carnets & implications since the UK left the EU. Available at: https://paddlesuptraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/01032023PUTBrexitAndCarnetV1-0DEC2024.pdf (Accessed 28 November 2025).

[10] Business West (2023) Important information for ATA Carnet drivers/hauliers. Available at: https://www.businesswest.co.uk/export/ata-carnet/important-info-drivers (Accessed 28 November 2025).

[11] HM Revenue & Customs (2025) Temporary admission: customs technical handbook – ATA carnets. GOV.UK, 4 August. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/temporary-admission-customs-technical-handbook/ata-carnets (Accessed 28 November 2025).

[12] ATA-Carnet.uk (2023) Using ATA carnets with hand luggage or baggage. Available at: https://www.ata-carnet.uk/information/goods-in-luggage (Accessed 28 November 2025).

[13] Cargo Clear (2024) ATA carnet hub – UK airport customs contacts. Available at: https://www.cargoclear.co.uk/ata-carnet-hub (Accessed 28 November 2025).

[14] Media Carnets (2023) UK Customs Border Force – London Heathrow Terminal 5. Available at: https://www.mediacarnets.co.uk/uk-customs-border-force-london-heathrow-terminal-5.html (Accessed 28 November 2025).

[15] HM Revenue & Customs (2026) How to use your ATA Carnet. GOV.UK, updated 1 June. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-use-your-ata-carnet (Accessed 7 October 2026).

[16] HM Revenue & Customs (2026) ATA Carnet: ports, border facilities and logistics. GOV.UK, updated 1 June. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ata-carnet/ports-border-facilities-and-logistics (Accessed 7 October 2026).

[17] HM Revenue & Customs (2026) National ATA Carnet Unit enquiries. GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/find-hmrc-contacts/national-ata-carnet-unit-enquiries (Accessed 7 October 2026).

[18] Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce (2026) Important notes for drivers and hauliers – eATA and ATA. Available at: https://hwchamber.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Important-Notes-for-Drivers-and-Hauliers-eATA-and-ATA.pdf (Accessed 7 October 2026).

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