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Settle the intended use before dispatch
A carnet is a customs document used for certain temporary imports. A temporary-bond entry is an admission procedure normally backed by a customs bond, subject to exceptions. Neither term means every demonstration shipment qualifies.
Write down who owns the machine, where it will go, what the host may do with it and whether it will return. Include any proposed production use, customer trial or sale discussion instead of describing every shipment as an exhibition.
The selected temporary-bond provisions require specific use and identity information and exclude sale or sale on approval from that declaration. The carnet restrictions also preserve the underlying eligibility question. The actual route and conditions need checking before dispatch.
A successful trial can change the importing question
Fictional example: a manufacturer plans a 30-day U.S. demonstration and a return shipment on day 60. The prospective customer asks on day 20 to buy that machine and keep using it. The sales team should report that changed fact before promising a sale.
Those fictional days are a project timetable, not customs deadlines. Ask the authorised broker or relevant customs office what the existing entry permits and what must happen before a changed use or sale. Do not assume that issuing a new invoice fixes the entry.
Keep the return controls as concrete as the sales plan
Keep the evidence in the authorised customs and project records. The educational planning tool is not a place to upload shipping documents or credentials.
| Record | What management should establish |
|---|---|
| Machine identity | Serial numbers, model, value and the equipment actually shipped. |
| Host and use | Location, responsible custodian and the agreed demonstration activities. |
| Entry route and conditions | The actual declaration, permitted use, required security and deadline. |
| Return or changed plan | Who books movement, obtains advice on changes and keeps closing evidence. |
| Owner approval | Who may commit to a sale, extension or different use after the trial. |
Check the rest of the demonstration separately
Temporary entry does not resolve the machine’s product requirements, site safety or a visiting technician’s work permission. Assign those checks to the actual people, equipment, tasks and dates.
Before spending on the trial, management should show how it will protect the machine, fund the movements and complete the selected entry procedure. If the customer wants a purchase from the start, disclose that purpose when asking which route fits.
Scope
- Selected current customs provisions only. No carnet, temporary-bond entry, duty treatment, bond amount, maximum stay, sale conversion, product approval or work permission is granted. The project dates are fictional.
Next step
Use Launch dependencies to assign the entry-route, permitted-use and return-evidence checks. Keep the dated demonstration plan and customs records separately.
Sources & review notes
U.S. Customs and Border Protection — eCFR
Passage, dates and research notes
regulation · Selected 10.31(a)(3),(e),(f): declared use, article identity and temporary-entry arrangements
Read the complete retrieved section. The article adopts only selected declared-use and evidence constraints; no particular entry, bond waiver, tariff classification or maximum stay is determined.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection — eCFR
Passage, dates and research notes
regulation · 114.31(b): carnet eligibility remains tied to temporary-import eligibility
Read the complete section in the current eCFR body. A carnet is not presented as a universal duty exemption or a substitute for the actual entry conditions.
Detailed rule records (1)
Selected 10.31 temporary-bond provisions require detailed declared use and a declaration excluding sale or sale on approval. Under 114.31, a carnet does not make otherwise ineligible goods eligible.
19 CFR 10.31: Entry; bond 19 CFR 114.31: RestrictionsBookmark this guide or mark it as read.
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