The Indian government is actively considering expansion of the scope of the ATA Carnet System, according to an official from industry association FICCI.
ATA Carnet is a temporary admission document, which simplifies the customs procedures and clearances in a foreign country, without paying duty or a bank guarantee for temporary import into that country.
Like a passport for goods, ATA Carnet allows, for the goods for which it was issued, to enter any of the participating countries for up to one year.
An ATA Carnet holder can avoid customs declaration and can do away with security deposit or guarantee in the country of temporary importation. In India, FICCI is the sole National Guarantor for ATA Carnets.
At present, India is a signatory to convention on exhibition and fairs only.
It is proposed to expand the same to cover commercial samples, professional equipment, private exhibitions, film shootings, musical troupes, sports and media coverage etc, the official said on the sidelines of a workshop ATA Carnet.
FICCI, which is the National Issuing and Guaranteeing Association (NIGA) for implementing ATA Carnets in India, is pursuing the matter with the Ministry of Finance for the expansion of scope of system to cover professional equipment and commercial samples.
ATA Carnet covers several areas for use including trade fairs, shows, exhibitions, meetings etc for temporary export into a country, which is a signatory to the conventions governing ATA Carnets.
Goods must be re-exported out of every country and re-imported into India within a year. At present, 75 countries recognise ATA Carnet, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Spain, UAE, UK and US.