How to Respond to a USCIB Claim for Your ATA Carnet

How to Respond to a USCIB Claim for Your ATA Carnet

Got a USCIB claim on your ATA Carnet? You have 6 months to submit proof that your goods left the country. Here's how to respond.

👉 Quick Summary

A USCIB claim means a foreign customs office believes your goods weren't properly re-exported. To respond to a USCIB claim, send proof that your items left before the carnet expired.

Deadline: 6 months from the claim notice (USCIB)
Best proof: a re-export counterfoil stamped by that country's customs
No proof: you'll owe duties, taxes, and usually a % penalty

Why Did I Get a USCIB Claim?

USCIB guarantees every U.S. carnet. When a foreign customs office thinks your goods stayed in the country, it files a claim, and USCIB notifies you. Common reasons:

• Your carnet wasn't stamped when you left the country
• Goods were sold, given away, lost, or stolen abroad
• Goods were still abroad when the carnet expired

Foreign customs can file a claim up to 12 months after your carnet expires (USCIB).

What Counts as Proof

USCIB accepts these documents, listed from strongest to weakest:

1. Re-export counterfoil stamped by the claiming country's customs. In the EU, any member state's customs stamp works. If this is accepted, you usually pay nothing.
2. Another stamped counterfoil or voucher from the same carnet, such as your U.S. reimport counterfoil. It must be dated after you entered the country and before the carnet expired.
3. Other customs documents showing your carnet number and the date the goods left. Foreign customs doesn't always accept these.
4. Certificate of Disposition (CBP Form 3227) from U.S. Customs, showing the goods are back in the U.S.

How to Respond to a USCIB Claim, Step by Step

1. Read the claim notice and note the country, the items listed, and the 6-month deadline.
2. Check your carnet for stamped counterfoils covering those items.
3. Gather your proof using the list above.
4. Send it to USCIB right away. Don't wait until the deadline.
5. If the goods stayed abroad, give USCIB written permission to pay the duties, taxes, and penalties, with your carnet number included.

Need help? USCIB's Foreign Claims Examiners can walk you through it (USCIB).

What You Could Owe Without Proof

If you can't prove the goods left, you could be charged the import duties & taxes that country would have charged if you had imported the goods permanently. That could include:

• Import duties based on the item's value and product classification
• Import taxes, such as VAT, often around 20%
• Penalties, usually 10% of the duties and taxes
• Country fees, such as about €104 in Austria or €140 in the Netherlands
• A USCIB handling fee, starting at $50

CBP describes this as up to 110% of the duty and import tax (CBP). Only the items without proof are charged.

How to Avoid a Claim Next Time

• Get your carnet stamped every time you leave and enter a country, including the U.S. (EasyCarnet)
• Check each stamp before you leave the customs desk
• Bring everything back before your carnet expires
• Need more time abroad? Ask about a replacement carnet at least 30 days before expiration (USCIB)
• Keep your contact details up to date so claim notices reach you

Received a claim and not sure what to send? Contact our team and we'll help you respond to your USCIB claim.

EasyCarnet is a carnet preparer, not a law firm or licensed customs broker.