To China with a Peli case full of electronics: the ATA Carnet in practice
If you take test samples to China, do not ship them. Our routine with the chamber of commerce, Bochum customs and Frankfurt Terminal 2.
Shipping electronics to China for testing means import duty, VAT, weeks of waiting and, at worst, seizure. For the EMC campaign in Dongguan we therefore took the devices as luggage, on an ATA Carnet: a customs passport for goods exported temporarily.
In Germany the IHK issues the carnet, in our case within about four working days. Vanessa Wilcken from our office prepared the list: every item with description, value and serial number. The serial numbers are the decisive point. We labelled everything that did not have one. Bochum customs checks the list against the packed case and stamps it, roughly an hour without appointment.
In Frankfurt most China routes leave from Terminal 2. Get the bag tagged at check-in, ask for it back, carry it to customs, unpack everything, count, stamp, then to bag drop. Plan three hours before departure. In China and on the way back the list made every checkpoint a formality.
We walk this path with customers whenever a device is certified in China or the USA. The complete checklist including apps and customs offices is on the blog.