Digital system set to make moving sport horses into Europe easier – once ‘teething issues’ are fixed

A chunk of the paperwork needed to transport horses between the UK and EU has gone digital with hopes that this will mean smoother travel, provided “teething issues” are fixed.

Since Brexit, people transporting goods – including horses – between the UK and EU on temporary journeys need specific documents to avoid being charged import tax. In most cases for those taking sport horses and related equipment abroad for shows, this means using ATA carnets, essentially a “goods passport” that is valid for up to a year.

These have been issued as paper documents, but are being replaced by digital eATA carnets.

The process is in a transition phase and 30 participating countries (including the UK, EU members, Norway and Sweden) started accepting digital carnets on 1 June 2026. The aim is for the full digital global rollout to conclude by the end of 2027.

Jenna Parker, of horse transport company John Parker International, told H&H that “eventually it will make life easier – as long as the technology holds”.

She said it would be wise for back-up paper carnets not to be phased out too soon until it’s known the digital system works, especially as customs claims can be raised up to three years after issue.

Mrs Parker said that there has been much misinformation surrounding the switchover and that however good the technology is, it still relies on humans to use it. For example, in the past it was easy to spot if customs had missed stamping a particular carnet in a bunch, but drivers would now need to log in and check that all have been scanned correctly.

“One of the queries that has come up is, say items one to 50 have been marked as being re-exported from the EU, but in actual fact, at the last minute, they’re not bringing home item number 49. How do the drivers then do that quickly at the port when they’re in with the customs officers?” she said.

“Whether it’s a mistake or a last-minute change – notoriously within port areas, there’s so much technology that phone signal is bad. That means the driver has to find a spot to be able to log into it, to be able to change it or call us to get to a computer to be able to change it.”

She added: “That’s where the paper, pen and two humans speaking to each other comes into play.”

Polly Connell, one of the company’s drivers, told H&H that there are little “teething problems”, but once those are sorted, she does think digital carnets will be a good thing.

She gave the example of finding a way that drivers can easily check that all the digital carnets have been scanned correctly by customs, adding: “Otherwise, we’re the ones who are going to end up with the hefty fine.”

In her experience, customs officers at Calais only want the digital version, whereas at Dover they will scan or stamp the paper back-up for carnets issued from June.

She added there are positive things about the new system – for example, people won’t have to worry about a physical copy being damaged, lost – or in the wrong place if their travel plans change.

Jan Rogers of the British Horse Council (BHC) told H&H the “BHC supports the move to digital where this underpins horse wellbeing, speeds up administrative processes, reduces costs for owners, keepers and competitors and minimises travel delays for horses”.

“We have been working and still work actively with the Government to illustrate the importance of digital ID being the primary form of ID for horses, because it enables accurate identification and traceability which is in the best interests of our entire equine herd,” she said.

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