The Airforwarders Association (AfA) is warning that changes to ATA Carnets will hike up their costs.

Carnet’s were designed by the US Census Bureau’s Foreign Trade Regulations for temporary shipments such as exhibits going to trade shows. According to the AfA, it is likely to cause an administrative problems for freight companies in the US.

In a letter from the director general, Brandon Fried, changes to the passport for freight, as ATA Carnets are known, means that every item shipped as part of a temporary event will have to be itemised from 2 October. ATA Carnets are an exemption from taxes and levies for items, which are being shipped to the US but are going to be leaving again after a short period of time. In the letter he says that one AfA member, which does not want to be named, claims it would need to hire seven or eight additional members of staff at an annual cost of $455,000. Fried says, “Companies probably know what is coming but do not know how much of a hardship it will be.”