New Procedure for Hand-Carried Diamonds Entering Israel on an ATA Carnet

We received notification from USCIB that there are new procedures for hand-carried diamonds entering Israel on an ATA Carnet, effective January 15, 2015. However, the instructions provided in handling the ATA Carnet validation and the merchandise are unclear. In the meantime, the Israeli guaranteeing association is checking with their authorities and we hope to receive clarification as soon as possible.

Until further notification please be advised that the following is what USCIB understands to be the new procedures:

1. Prior to the departure from the U.S., the ATA Carnet Holder must first appoint and schedule a meeting with an authorized Secured Forwarder in Israel to handle the customs clearance.

2. The three authorized Secured Freight Forwarders by Israeli’s authorities are:

a. D2D Val Express Israel: d2dvalue.com

b. Malca-Amit: malca-amit.com

c. Brinks: brinks.com

3. Upon arrival at the airport in Israel, the ATA Carnet Holder or their representative must go through the RED-Line section (Goods to Declare) at Customs to register and to pack the diamonds into a special secured plastic bag.

4. After the registration and packing, the ATA Carnet Holder or their representative should meet with the pre-arranged forwarder and hand over the bag of diamonds to the forwarder.

5. It is the ATA Carnet Holder’s responsibility to schedule the meeting with a secured forwarder at the airport.

6. The secured forwarder will handle the customs clearance at the Diamond-Exchange in Ramat-Gan where evaluation takes place by a special diamonds expert representing the Ministry of Economy of the State of Israel.

7. The forwarder will call and notify the ATA Carnet Holder or their representative of where to collect the goods. The process will take a few hours, but the goods will be returned within the same day.

Please be aware that according to USCIB, the registration process noted above in item 3 is where the ATA Carnet validation will take place.

We still have not received clarification on whether this new rule will also affect the procedures for re-exportation. We recommend the ATA Carnet Holder or their representative should check with their freight forwarder for proper guidance.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us at 1.800.CARNETS (1.800.227.6387) or Carnets@RoanokeTrade.com or visit us at www.RoanokeTrade.com/ATA-Carnet.