What does carnet mean?
A carnet is a customs document that allows travelers and businesses to temporarily bring goods or vehicles into a foreign country without paying import duties or taxes, provided the items are taken out again within a set period. In practice the word appears most often in two established expressions: the 'ATA carnet', an internationally standardized permit widely used by film crews, exhibitors, and professional equipment carriers, and the 'carnet de passage en douane', which lets motorists drive their own cars across borders. Because the document functions as a guarantee — often backed by an issuing chamber of commerce — failing to re-export the listed items can trigger payment of the duties it deferred. The word comes from French, where it more generally means a small notebook or booklet, and that older sense occasionally surfaces in English writing about French life. Formal and largely confined to trade, travel, and logistics contexts, 'carnet' is a niche but valuable term for anyone dealing with cross-border shipments.
A customs document authorizing the temporary, duty-free importation of specified goods or a vehicle into a country, conditional on their subsequent re-exportation.
"Musicians touring Asia relied on a carnet to move their instruments across borders without paying tariffs."
Almost always encountered in the fixed phrases 'ATA carnet' and 'carnet de passage'; otherwise rare outside trade and travel contexts.
(Chiefly in French contexts) A small notebook, booklet, or book of tickets or coupons.
"She scribbled the address in her carnet before hailing a taxi."
Usually italicized as a French loanword in English prose.
Regular English plural; the French plural 'carnets' is identical in form.
"The shipping office processed dozens of carnets for the exhibition's equipment every week."
With an ATA carnet tucked in your glovebox, you can drive your own car through dozens of countries without ever paying import duty — as long as you promise to bring it home.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of carnet
The word was borrowed directly from French, where 'carnet' denotes a small notebook or booklet, and it entered English primarily through international customs practice. Its English use is dominated by shortened forms of the French phrases 'carnet de passage' (a booklet of customs vouchers) and later the 'ATA carnet' scheme developed for commercial goods. Related Romance forms preserve the same 'little book' idea, though the ultimate origin of the French word is debated among lexicographers, so details beyond its French source should be treated with caution.
How carnet is actually used
In English, 'carnet' is almost always used in the specialized trade/customs sense, usually within the fixed phrases 'ATA carnet' and 'carnet de passage', and carries a formal, commercial register. It is often italicized when used in its French 'notebook' sense. The plural is typically 'carnets'.
Easily confused with carnet
Despite the shared 'carn-' spelling, carnival is a festive public celebration, whereas carnet is a customs permit or notebook.
A cornet is a cone-shaped wafer or a brass instrument, while a carnet is a customs document.