ATA Carnet Partial Shipments: How to Travel With Only Some of Your Carnet Items

ATA Carnet Partial Shipments: Can You Travel With Only Some of Your Listed Items?

A common question from ATA Carnet holders: do all items on your carnet need to travel together? In many cases, no — but the rules around this are more nuanced than most guides suggest, and getting it wrong can result in customs claims.

Here's what you actually need to know.

There's No Such Thing as a "Split Shipment"

Some sources refer to "split shipments" — the idea that equipment can travel separately across multiple trips or with different team members simultaneously. In practice, this is not a recognized ATA Carnet procedure. The carnet covers a single set of goods moving together under one document. You cannot split your carnet across concurrent, independent shipments.

What is possible in many countries is a partial shipment: taking only a subset of your listed items on a given trip, while leaving the rest behind entirely.

Partial Shipments: The Basics

If you're traveling with only some of your carnet items — for example, cameras and audio gear but not your lighting equipment — that's a partial shipment. You document only the items actually traveling on each voucher, leaving the rest crossed out on the voucher's General List copy.

The master General List on the Green Cover is never altered. Any partial shipment notations happen exclusively on the voucher copies used for that specific crossing.

Not Every Country Allows This

This is the critical caveat most guides skip: partial shipment acceptance varies by country. Some customs authorities require that all goods listed on the carnet be presented together. Attempting a partial shipment at a border that doesn't permit it can result in entry being denied or a customs claim being opened.

Before you travel with a subset of your carnet items, verify whether your destination country accepts partial shipments.

Contact Us Before You Go

We can confirm whether partial shipments are accepted at your specific destination and help you document the vouchers correctly so there are no issues at the border. It takes a few minutes and can save you a significant headache.

Reach out before your trip — don't assume.