The Republic of Zambia becomes the 65th Contracting Party to the Customs Convention on the A.T.A. Carnet for the temporary admission of goods

On 6 November 2025, the WCO Secretary General, Mr. Ian Saunders, in his capacity as the depository of the Customs Convention on the A.T.A. Carnet for the temporary admission of goods (ATA Convention), received the Instrument of Accession of the Republic of Zambia. The Instrument of Accession was presented by Her Excellency Ms. Mary Chirwa, Ambassador of the Embassy of the Republic of Zambia to the Kingdom of Belgium, thereby making the Republic of Zambia the 65^th Contracting Party to the Convention.

The ATA Convention is an international instrument that allows goods to be temporarily imported into a Customs territory with relief from duties and taxes. These goods are covered by a single document known as the ATA Carnet that is secured by an international guarantee system.

With this system, the international business community enjoys considerable simplification of Customs formalities, as the ATA Carnet serves as a goods declaration at export, transit and import. The ATA Carnet is now the most widely used document by businesses for international operations involving the temporary admission of goods.