Pep's ATA Carnet Adventure

OK, Fun's Over! :(

Well, I made it back home!  It was a long trip back that included a missed flight and lost baggage, but I managed to catch a later flight to Chicago from Frankfurt and my bags were eventually delivered to my house.  Overall, I had a great time during my six week vacation!  It had been three years since I had been back to see my family.  Macedonia had changed significantly for the better.  New buildings had been erected, roads repaved, and security heightened.  I think the country is moving in the right direction for membership in the EU.

Once again, Macedonian Customs signed and stamped my carnet with no questions asked.  There was one other carnet user in front of me.  I believe he was from one of the Nordic countries.  He was traveling with a violin.  Chicago Customs also quickly signed the carnet.  One of the officials actually remembered me from when I began my trip.  She remembered me because I had given them CIB pens when I had my carnet signed before I left.  They gave me a warm welcome back to the US!  I want to thank CIB again for allowing me to participate in the internship and for their participation on my trip!  It was a great experience that I will always remember!  Thank you!

Pep

Carnets & Delays

I just got back from Bulgaria. I was in Sunny Beach on the Black Sea for five days. This trip was more of a personal one but I took my carnet with anyway. It was a 13 hour bus ride to Sunny Beach via Sophia from Skopje. We ended up crossing the border at about 2 in the morning. A customs official boarded the bus and requested passports from everyone but they did not check our luggage. I decided not to present the carnet at all because it would have delayed our bus and I think they would have not signed it being that I only had my camera with me again. I have less than a week remaining here. It doesnt look like I will be able to make a trip to Athens. I don't think I can handle another long bus ride. I would drive myself but our car is in my dad's name and therefore I am not allowed to drive it out of the country. Here are some pics from Sunny Beach. It was actually very nice. Prices were pretty low, I felt safe, and many people spoke English. There were many tourists from Germany, England, and other Western European countries. I had a really nice time but Bulgarian people came off as being rude.

A Bit of History of the Region

After seeing Pep's photo with a statue of GJERGJ KASTRIOTI - SKENDERBEU (1405-1468) I became curious about who Skenderbeu was to Kosovo. I did some research and found him to be a very interesting and accomplished historical figure. In 1443 he raised the flag that still symbolizes Albania. Leslie, Blog Editor

German Customs Uncooperative

Pep's reflections on using the carnet in Germany highlight a sticky situation that some users may encounter occasionally. Future posts will address the solution to awkward moments like the one Pep discusses. Leslie, Blog Editor

"Anyway, everything has gone well so far except for German customs on my way to Macedonia. They allowed me to exit the airport with my items and Carnet but they would not stamp/sign it. They told me it was not neccesary. I explained it to them that I needed it stamped since I was entering the country but the official was not a friendly guy. I asked to see his supervisor but he kept giving me the runaround. So basically, I have no stamps from German customs. It was like I never was in Germany. I did take some nice pictures of us in the city though."

First-time Carnet Use is Great

Pep posted this as a comments but I think it is important enough to Post for new carnet users to easily find. Best, Leslie, Blog Editor

"Thanks for your comments.  I apologize for not responding to questions sooner.  With regard to the question about my past travel experiences, this is the first time I have used a carnet.  In the past, Macedonian customs has always tried to charge me duties and fees for items that I have brought with me.

One time in particular, I brought some stereo equipment with me.  Macedonian customs wanted to charge me nearly $400 in duties and fees.  The items I had with me were valued at only about $300!  This year, clearing customs was very easy because of the carnet.  I was very surprised and relieved!

Mr. Gianapoulos,
I have not yet traveled to Greece from Macedonia.  I will be doing so in the near future, before you travel.  I am not exactly sure where I will be crossing the border, but I will make a write-up about about any issues that might arise."

Tungatjeta From Skopje Int'l Airport

I started at US Customs and ended at Macedonian Customs.

Tungatjeta Everyone,

Well, as you can see, I made it safely to Macdonia.

Everything went really well.  We departed Chicago later than usual, 9:30 pm.  In the past, our flight has been in the early afternoon.  This worked out for the better though because it gave us an 8 hour layover in Frankfurt.  This allowed us to travel to the city and take part in the soccer festivities. 

The day we were in Frankfurt was the big game between Germany and Italy.  Needless to say, the soccer hooligans, young and old, were out in full force.  While walking around the Frankfurt center, we were informed of the Frankfurt Fan Fest.  The city had set up seating along the river and in the middle of the river they had set up two large TVs allowing fans on both sides of the river to watch the game.  We were not there long enough to watch the game but we could see that it was going to be a crazy night in Frankfurt regardless of the result.  After a few hours of sightseeing in Frankfurt, we returned to the airport to await our 9:00 pm flight to Macedonia.

Our plane landed at Skopje International Airport at about 11:30 that night.  At this point I was starting to get worried about Macedonian customs.  As I said in my previous post, Macedonian customs has always been a rather challenging adventure.  This time, however, it was actually event free.  The customs official knew exactly what a Carnet was.  In fact, my Carnet was the 39th that had come through Macedonia just this year.  To me, this was a surprisingly high number considering the size and location of the country.  There was a family of three in front of me awaiting customs and they were forced to pay over $200 in duties and fees.

I got my Carnet stamped and signed in a matter of a few minutes and I was on my way home.  We arrived at my home town at a little past 1:00 am and it was straight to bed.  In the next few days, I plan on going up to the nearby mountains and taking some pictures from there so check back in a few days.  In the meantime, here are a few pics of the trip so far. Check out the Photo Album.

Tung.

Pep

Hello & Good-bye

First Post/Last Day of Internship at CIB in Barrington, IL-

Hello Everyone.

For everyone not in the office I will start off by introducing myself. My full name is Perparim Zulbeari. My first grade teacher gave me the nickname Pep because she, and everyone else, had a difficult time pronoucing my name.

I moved to Illinois when I was about seven years old. I usually go back to Macedonia every summer but this is the first time in three years; my first time with a Carnet, however. I can't remember the last time I went back home with out Macedonian customs hassling me about my items. This time around, I think having a Corporation For International Business Carnet is going to be of tremendous help.

I think is a great idea on the part of the company. It will give current and/or potential Carnet users a first had account of how and why a Carnet is used. I think it will also be a great learning experience for me as well. It will give me a better understanding of the process and therefore, if the opportunity for me to be a part of the company again arises, I will be able to better assist customers.

When I applied for the internship while at Illinois State University, I never thought I would learn so much while having a lot of fun working with great people. Everyone was extremely friendly and helpful. I made really good friends in the office as well as outside the office,.....Rosemarie! Once I am settled in, I will post pictures along with commentary of my travels!! Thank you again CIB!!!

What the heck is an ATA Carnet anyway?

Here's what a US ATA Carnet looks like in its protective jacket:

Here's the primary content of the carnet, a General List:

The General List is a list of all the merchandise and equipment you are temporarily importing into another country.

Introducing Pep Zulbeari, ATA Carnet Intern, on the Road

Pep has been our summer intern this year, at Corporation for International Business. He is about to go off on a European adventure. We've asked him to document his 6 week travels to Germany, Macedonia, Greece, Serbia (and anywhere else in Europe he visits) on this blog. He'll feature the use of an ATA Carnet and report on his experiences using the carnet to clear customs and avoid paying duties and taxes at each border. Stay tuned for his reports, photos and commentary! The photo is of CIB President & CEO Curt Wilson with Pep and the carnet Pep will present as he travels.