Digital Carnets – get ahead of the curve

Megan Childs Business West
10 October 2025

Digital (or eATA) Carnets are coming — and they’ll soon become the new normal for temporary exports. We’re currently in the pilot preparation phase, with a UK, Switzerland and EU launch set for April 2026.


Right now, we’re encouraging businesses to test Digital Carnets alongside paper ones. You don’t need to check the digital version at every port — for example, you could scan it at Heathrow but skip it in France. It’s the perfect time to get familiar with the app and process before it becomes mandatory next year.

Here’s what you need to know:

 

  • We’re in the Preparation Phase – selected UK and overseas ports are part of the trial.
  • Travelling soon? If you’re departing from one of the participating ports, you can trial an eATA Carnet with us now: View participating countries and ports.
  • Six months to go! The UK, EU and Switzerland will go live in April 2026, when Digital Carnets will officially replace paper Carnets for those regions.
  • What does Go Live mean? Digital Carnets will be recognised as legal documents. You’ll need to know how to use the eATA Carnet app — we have step-by-step video guides on our website.
  • After April 2026, more countries will join in stages. For a while, you might have both paper and Digital Carnets depending on your route, but the issuing system will manage this automatically.


Now’s the time to try it out and become one of the first to process a Digital Carnet transaction. The sooner you start using it, the easier the transition will be when Digital Carnets become the global standard.

Learn more and start your trial by contacting our expert Carnet team.