In 1961, the Customs Co-Operation Council (this is an organization now known as World Customs Organization - WCO) adopted the "Customs Convention on the ATA Carnet for Temporary Admission of Goods ".

The purpose was to promote and otherwise encourage world trade by reducing many of the obstacles originating from the Customs regulations of many countries.

The initials "ATA" are an acronym of the French and English words "Admission Temporaire / Temporary Admission ".

ATA Carnets are issued and guaranteed by national groups. The groups administer the ATA system under a set of conditions established by the International Bureau of Chambers of Commerce (IBCC). The IBCC is sponsored by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris.

A Guaranteeing Association is an organization in each country within the ATA Carnet system to provide guarantees to Customs authorities. The organizations, in each case, guarantee that all import duties, taxes and penalties will be paid for any claim issued against an ATA Carnet that was not properly utilized.

In 1968, the U.S. Council for International Business was appointed by the U.S. Treasury Department to manage the ATA Carnet system in the United States. The U.S. Council for International Business is the Guaranteeing Association in the United States. An ATA Carnet is issued to a HOLDER. A Holder is a corporation or individual on whose behalf the ATA Carnet has been issued.

An ATA Carnet Holder must have a beneficial interest in the merchandise being exported. Therefore, a Customs Broker or Freight Forwarder cannot be listed as a Holder of an ATA Carnet when acting in their professional capacity on behalf of someone else.

However, a U.S. Customs Broker (such as Labay/Summers) can produce the ATA Carnet surety bond and and act on behalf of the Holder in presenting the application General List package to the U.S. Council for International Business.

Also, in those cases where the material covered by the ATA Carnet is being shipped as cargo (either export or import), a U.S. Customs Broker and Freight Forwarder (such as Labay/Summers) can handle all of the arrangements with U.S. Customs.