After an interesting talk with a customs official at the dreaded Heathrow Terminal 5 on Friday I wanted to say a few things about international carnets. If you have not come across them before, this is why you need them. When you take camera or sound equipment out of the UK for a shoot you will need to be able to prove to customs on your return that you have brought all the same equipment back – ie not sold anything abroad or purchased anything. If you can’t prove this you could be liable for VAT and Duty.

The documents you need are either an official Carnet or a duplicate list plus a customs form C&E 1246. Which one of these you will need depends on the country you are going to. You can see a list of the carnet countries and apply for a carnet here. You get the carnet or list stamped on the way out of the UK, on arrival in the country you are going to, and on return to the UK. In the case of the list you may find that the country you travel to aren’t that interested in your list but the main thing is that you can prove that you are returning everything to the UK that you took out. You go through the red channel on your return to get the final stamp on your documents. There is lots more info about carnets and duplicate lists here.

Now, things can go wrong. The bottom line is get SOMETHING stamped. Ask for a C&E 1246 form, fill that in and leave customs a list of your equipment and take a stamped one with you.

On return, whatever happens go through the red channel. Going through green with goods you should be declaring is an offence, they can take all your kit from you and then you will have to prove that in is all duty and VAT paid in the UK. Major hassle. Go through red, explain, show whatever paperwork you have and be nice! 🙂

Check out the websites SITPRO and London Chamber of Commerce for more info.

Comment, carnet tips and stories welcome.