Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/08/07
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]A "Carnet du passage" is essentially a passport for your equipment. You put up a bond based on the value of the equipment and the issuing authority gives you a document that gets stamped by the customs of each country on entry and departure. To recover your bond, you must prove that you returned home with all the equipment. If your equipment becomes an issue at foriegn customs, you can sometimes as them to write the equipment list into your passport, showing that you came in with the gear. On exit, customs will check the list against what you have with you. Unless you're carrying a horde of valuable equipment (for a movie production or tradeshow, for example) or are driving a car across a border, you really don't need one. No one is going to hassle you over a few cameras for your personal use. If you're really concerned about US Customs, they have a form you can fill out that they will validate indicating that you left the country with the items. The only issuing authority for Carnets in the US is ATA at http://www.atacarnet.com/ By the way, I was talking to a guy who led a little trip with two Land Rovers around the world in 80 days. He had to use the ATA Carnet, since that is all that you can get for US-originating equipment. He reports quite a few hassles, because no one would recognize the American Carnet. They all seemed to be looking for the more common, AA Carnet, issued in the UK. - --Jim