ATA Carnet for the Olympics and World Tours: What You Need to Know

ATA Carnet for the Olympics and World Tours: What You Need to Know

If you're traveling to the Olympics, a world concert tour, or any major international event with professional equipment, you need an ATA Carnet — and you need to plan for it early.

This covers exactly what a carnet does for you at events like these, who needs one, what equipment qualifies, and what to watch out for before you leave.

What's an ATA Carnet, and Why Does It Matter at a Major Event?

An ATA Carnet is a customs document that lets you temporarily bring professional equipment into 90+ countries without paying import duties or taxes — as long as you're bringing it back.

At events like the Olympics or a major world tour, the customs stakes are high:

• Equipment values are often in the hundreds of thousands of dollars
• You're crossing multiple borders in a short window
• Customs delays can mean a missed shoot, a canceled performance, or a fine
• Import duties on broadcast or production gear can easily run 10–25% of declared value

Without a carnet, you're either paying those duties upfront (and waiting weeks for a refund), posting a cash bond at the border, or getting flagged by customs and delayed.

A carnet eliminates all of that. You present the document at customs, they stamp it in and out, and you're done.

Who Uses Carnets at Major International Events?

The short answer: almost everyone moving professional equipment across borders.

Broadcast and media crews are among the heaviest users. News networks, sports broadcasters, and streaming platforms ship cameras, satellite uplinks, lighting rigs, and audio equipment to every Olympic host city. Getting that gear in and out of the country — sometimes across 3–4 different venues — requires a carnet for each shipment.

Film and documentary crews covering the Games or following an athlete's journey need the same protection for their camera and audio packages.

Musicians on world tours use carnets for instruments, amplifiers, mixing boards, and staging equipment. A major tour might visit 20+ countries across a single album cycle. Without a carnet, every border crossing is a customs negotiation.

Trade show exhibitors attending event-adjacent expos — sports tech, media, luxury brands — use carnets to bring display materials and product samples in and out without paying duties on goods they're not selling.

Athletes and support teams traveling with specialized equipment — timing systems, technical gear, medical devices — also commonly use carnets, depending on the equipment value and destination.

What Equipment Can Go on a Carnet?

Pretty much any professional, non-perishable equipment that you're bringing temporarily and bringing back. Common items for event travel include:

• Cameras, lenses, and camera support systems
• Broadcast and live streaming equipment
• Lighting, grip, and electrical equipment
• Audio recorders, mixers, and microphones
• Musical instruments and amplifiers
• Production cases and road-ready packaging
• Medical and sports science devices
• Laptops and computer equipment used professionally

One rule that catches people: consumables don't qualify. Film stock, batteries you'll use up, single-use items — those can't go on the carnet. Only items you're bringing back in the same condition.

Multi-Country Events: How the Carnet Works Across Borders

This is where the Olympics and world tours get interesting. A standard ATA Carnet is valid for up to 12 months and covers as many countries as you list.

For an Olympic assignment, you might fly into the host country, travel to multiple venues, and then continue on to another assignment before returning home. All of that is covered under a single carnet — as long as you:

1. List every country you're entering at the time you apply
2. Get the carnet stamped in at every customs entry point — this is mandatory, not optional
3. Get the carnet stamped out when you leave each country — missed exit stamps are the most common source of carnet claims
4. Return the equipment within the carnet's validity period

For a world tour spanning 20+ countries, the same logic applies. One carnet, 12 months, all your countries listed upfront.

Tip: If you're an EU-based or EU-entering crew, goods properly stamped into one EU member country and re-exported from another EU country are covered without additional stamps at each internal EU border.

Country-Specific Requirements to Know Before You Go

Different Olympic host countries have had specific carnet procedures. This is increasingly common:

Mexico now requires ATA Carnet pre-registration at least 7 days before arrival through the Mexican Chamber of Commerce. There's a fee of approximately $60 USD. If you're covering events in Mexico or routing through it, you must complete this before you travel — not when you arrive.

Saudi Arabia also requires pre-registration before arrival. Miss it and you're looking at potential delays or denial at the border.

As Olympic host cities rotate globally, new host countries may introduce their own requirements. The safest approach is to confirm with your carnet preparer whether any pre-registration or special procedures apply to your specific destination before you finalize travel plans.

Timing: When Should You Apply?

As early as possible. For major events, here's a realistic timeline:

• 4–6 weeks before travel: Start your equipment list. This is the most time-consuming part — every item needs a description, serial number, and declared value.
• 2–3 weeks before travel: Submit your carnet application. Give yourself time for any corrections or questions.
• 1 week before travel: Your carnet should be in hand. Verify every item on the list against what you're actually packing.

EasyCarnet offers same-day processing and next-day delivery for most applications — but for multi-country event travel with high-value equipment, building in more lead time means less stress.

Common Mistakes at Events (and How to Avoid Them)

Not getting the exit stamp. This is the single biggest cause of carnet claims. When you leave a country, you must present your carnet at customs and get the counterfoil detached and stamped. Airport customs for production crews can be chaotic — make sure someone on your team owns this responsibility.

Leaving items behind. If a piece of equipment is left at a venue, gifted, broken beyond recovery, or otherwise not returned, it creates a carnet discrepancy. You'll need documentation, and you may owe duties on that item.

Forgetting to list a country. If you decide mid-tour to add a country that wasn't on your original carnet, you need a new carnet for that country. Plan your routing carefully before you apply.

Undervaluing equipment. The carnet bond is based on declared value. Undervaluing saves a small amount on fees but can cause major problems if customs disputes the value at the border.

Running out of counterfoils. Each country entry/exit uses a counterfoil page. High-volume tour routing can exhaust them. Let your carnet preparer know if you're entering and exiting the same country multiple times.

Quick Checklist for Event Travel

Before you leave:

• Full equipment list with serial numbers and declared values
• All destination countries listed on the carnet
• Pre-registration completed for Mexico, Saudi Arabia, or any other requiring it
• Carnet activated at the U.S. Customs office before departure
• Team member assigned to manage carnet stamps at every border

At each customs point:

• Present carnet at entry — get it stamped in
• Present carnet at exit — get the counterfoil detached and stamped
• Keep all detached counterfoils safe

On return:

• Re-enter the U.S. and get the carnet re-stamped by U.S. Customs
• Return the completed carnet to your issuer