Canadian businesses may find Kitchener, a cosmopolitan community located in the largely agricultural Region of Waterloo, an ideal headquarters for their international travels now that an ATA or Admission temporaire/Temporary Admission Carnet office has opened in this southwestern Ontario city.

Exporting goods temporarily from Canada will be more convenient now that the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce office has been authorized by the Canadian Chamber, the national guaranteeing association, to issue ATA Carnets against security deposits. Previously, ATA Carnets were issued only in Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

Next to a passport, an ATA Carnet is the most important document a business traveller can carry: since it can make border crossings easier and more efficient while it saves time and money. Often called a "merchandise passport," an ATA Carnet is an internationally recognized trade document that allows companies to import goods temporarily, free of duty and taxes.

Large corporations, small companies and individuals, home-based or not, can all benefit. The ATA Carnet service is available to travelling business executives, salespeople, overseas exhibitors and professionals such as film crews, architects, artists, engineers, surgeons, entertainers, photographers and sports teams travelling with valuable instruments, plans and supplies. The ATA Carnet enables exporters and business travellers to take important sales items, such as trade show/exhibition booths, commercial samples and professional equipment, into more than 59 countries without unnecessary delays.

The benefits of obtaining an ATA Carnet include elimination of paying duties and taxes when entering a country and claiming refunds when leaving. As well, the carnet holder uses a single document for customs transactions and completes the paperwork before leaving Canada. Travellers avoid hassles with extra costs, language barriers, foreign currencies and forms. This documentation allows a traveller to make an unlimited number of trips within a one-year period.

The main requirement is simply that what goes in must come out: the goods must not be sold, given away or otherwise disposed of while in the foreign country. For this reason, disposable or consumable items that will be used or handed out while in the foreign country, such as brochures, cleaning materials or feed for horses, cannot be covered by carnets.

Over the last 35 years, the carnet system has spread from just a few Western European countries to most of the industrialized world, including a growing number of developing nations. Now the southwestern community of Kitchener has joined this international business community.

Published: July 27, 2004

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Futurist and Strategist PJ Wade is "The Catalyst" -- intent on "Challenging The Best Become Even Better." PJ earned this title by translating the dynamic impact of Boomers and their multi-generation families into relevant insights that start people thinking and taking action—in business and in life. Author of 7 books and more than 1600 published articles, PJ encourages individuals to become their own futurist. PJ writes and speaks about the insight, knowledge and solid decision-making skills that professionals and their clients need to live and work in this vortex of change. For instance, since PJ knows that home is headquarters for the new decades-long "unretirement," she wrote the popular book "Reverse Mortgages: Best Friend, Worst Enemy... Your Choice! (CatapultPublishing.com), which is filled with suggestions and insight on protecting and using home equity. Her new business book, "What's Your Point?," which identifies 7 common mistakes professionals unknowingly repeat to their detriment, will be published in 2009. As The Catalyst, PJ provides strategic communication, client appreciation and advanced education services to the financial, tourism, lifestyle and service sectors -- and the clients they serve. A frequently-quoted financial and business commentator, PJ is a thought-provoking strategic speaker who offers practical, real-life suggestions on leaving "the box" behind and embracing Forward Thinking -- a talent she regularly demonstrates in this column. For more on blogs, books and topics, visit TheCatalyst.com.