ATA Carnets—A Tax Incentive for International Film Production & Our Growing Film Commissions and Resources Directory

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Boomerang carnets® recently updated the International Film Commissions and International Film Resources Directory on our website located in the Resources dropdown under Film Commissions.  There you will find 74 international film organizations and resources across 35 countries—an exclusive directory that links to websites and information vital to the production industry. 

International film commissions are dedicated to assisting film and television producers to help them choose specific regions to streamline production and reduce costs.  They routinely assist with production concerns and act as a liaison to local services in their region to benefit producers, location managers, and artistic production teams. 

We are honored to welcome two new additions: 

• France: Paris Film
• Spain: Valencia Film Office

They asked to be included in our International Film Commissions and Resources Directory during the FOCUS 2025 annual conference that we attended this past December in London. 

International film commissions provide information about the ATA Carnet to help producers with seamless temporary importation of filming equipment into their region.
 

The ATA Carnet

The ATA Carnet is an internationally accepted customs document for temporarily imported merchandise, goods, and equipment.  It allows cross-border movement of those goods import-duty and -tax free into over 90 carnet countries and territories for up to a year.

The ATA Carnet, also known as the "passport for goods", allows producers to save time/money and avoid complex foreign customs procedures, ensuring expensive, often fast-paced productions stay on schedule and budget.   

Film commissions provide ATA Carnet information as part of their service to attract international productions, helping them navigate regulations in key filming locations worldwide. 
 

Why ATA Carnets Are A Tax Incentive to International Film & Television Production

ATA Carnets are standard practice in the production industry, given the value of equipment moving into and out of countries for shoots.  Typically, camera bodies, lenses, tripods, lighting equipment, drones/UAVs, monitors, hard drives/storage, computers, batteries, set pieces/props, apparel/costumes, and more are listed on an ATA Carnet. 

Globally, duty rates range from 0% to 80% and import taxes range from 0% to 25%, depending upon the country (these are estimates only).  If you wanted to take a $100,000 piece of equipment into South Korea, for example, import duties and taxes would be an average of $17,900—VAT is 10% and duties average 7.9%.  $17,900 is what you would have to pay at customs without a temporary import method—like the ATA Carnet. 
 

About Us

At boomerang carnets, we issue ATA Carnets in both the U.S. and the U.K., a unique dual-country capability we call the Boomerang Benefit.  This exclusive service supports two of the world’s largest and most dynamic film and television markets, together generating billions in revenue each year.

With over four decades of experience in the U.S. and over a decade in the U.K., our expertise is unmatched assisting production professionals save time and money ensuring that international shoots stay on schedule and on budget.

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