Guide to writing a general list for a film and TV Carnet

When writing a general list for a film and TV Carnet, you will need to make sure that you provide adequate detail about your cameras and film equipment. 

When you apply for your ATA Carnet, you will have the option to input the list information directly onto the general list field on your online application: 

general_list_screenshot1_webp.webp

Or you can upload the list as a CSV file: 

general_list_screenshot2_webp.webp

We recommend doing the latter, just so that you can prepare the list in advance. 

Your CSV file:

When creating your CSV file, you need to fill in the following columns:

general_list_columns.png

1. Item description:

• List all key information about your item and clearly specify what it is
• Provide enough detail so that customs will be able to easily identify your item when they are checking your Carnet
• Provide the serial number for all electrical items (or, if you do not know what an item’s serial number is, you are able to list ‘NSN' for 'no serial number')

2. Pieces:

• List the quantity of each item
• Only group items if they are identical

3. Unit:

• This column must be left blank

4. Weight:

• List the weight of the item
• You can do this one of two ways:

1. List each individual item weight 
2. List the total weight (the sum of all item weights) at the bottom of the list as a heading

• The latter is recommended, and can be seen in the example list below

5. Value:

• List the value of each item in GBP
• This should be the true commercial value of the item in the UK
• The value must also reflect the price of the total number of pieces in that row

6. Origin:

• Input the origin of the item (the country of manufacture)
• List the ISO two-letter (Alpha-2) country code in this column (find the full ISO country code list here)

7. Heading:

• Sometimes, you may want to use your general list as a check list or a packing list
• As you can see in the example list below, you are able to include headings in your list by entering ‘TRUE’ in the ‘heading’ column (or, if you are inputting via the online portal, you can do this by ticking the 'Hd' box)
• This is also how you will need to list your total item weight
• If you do not want to include a heading, make sure to leave this column blank

General lists for film and TV Carnets can often be the most complicated. This is because the lists are detailed and lengthy, and often comprised of hundreds of electrical cables and adaptors.

In order to simplify the process for customers, there are some general list ‘loopholes’ which can make writing your general list a bit easier:

• You are able to list a ‘set of cables’ without also needing to specify how many are in the set. This goes against normal general list protocol, but is permissible by customs due to how frequently they see cables on ATA Carnets.
• You are able to list a toolkit without also specifying what the kit is comprised of, as long as you also list the weight of the kit, and, if it costs over £150, how many items it contains. See our full guide to listing a toolkit here. 
• If you do not know what an electrical item’s serial number is, you are able to list ‘NSN’ for ‘no serial number'.

An example of a general list for a film and TV ATA Carnet looks like this: 

film_and_tv_example_general_list_webp.webp

If you have any extra queries about writing your Carnet list, please get in contact with the Carnet team.