Convention relating to temporary admission

Type of Agreement: Multilateral

Place of Signature: Istanbul

Date of Signature: 26/06/1990 Date of Entry Into Force 27/11/1993

Duration: Indefinite

Objective of Agreement: To facilitate temporary admission by simplifying and harmonizing procedures through the adoption of standardized model papers as international customs documents with international security, thereby contributing to the development of international trade.

Remarks: The Convention on Temporary Admission (the Istanbul Convention) is a single international instrument combining all the existing Conventions on temporary admission.

It is aimed at simplifying and harmonizing temporary admission procedures.

It entered into force on 27 November 1993.

Temporary admission without payment of customs duties is established to minimize the costs of border crossing and provides an important incentive for the development of a country’s economic activity.

The Convention provides for the free movement of goods across frontiers and their temporary admission into a customs territory with relief from duties and taxes. It also requires contracting parties to accept the ATA carnet, an international customs document that assures through an international guarantee system that duties and taxes will be paid in cases of misuse.

With this system the international business community enjoys considerable simplification of customs formalities as the ATA carnet also serves as a goods declaration at export, transit and import.

The ATA carnet is now the document most widely used by the business community for international operations involving the temporary admission of goods.