The aim of present study was to assess safety and efficacy of early carotid artery stent (CAS) in patients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis compared with delayed CAS.This retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board, and the requirement to obtain written informed consent was waived. Outcomes of 206 patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis who were treated by CAS were analyzed. According to CAS timing from last symptom, patients were divided into early (within 2 weeks, 74 [35.0 %]) and delayed (after 2 weeks, 112 [64.1 %]) group by CAS timing from the last symptom. Procedural complication and early (≤30 days of CAS) event (ipsilateral stroke or any death) for safety, and late (31 days to 1 year of CAS) event for efficacy of CAS preventing further stroke were evaluated. The two groups were compared using Cox proportional hazard analysis.No difference was found in procedural complication between the groups (early 2 [2.7 %] vs. delayed group 7 [5.3 %], hazard ratio [HR] 0.61, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.123-2.979, p = 0.537). In the early group, however, early event developed more frequently than in the late group (9 [12.2 %] vs. 1 [0.8 %], HR 16.05, 95 % CI 1.991-129.438, p = 0.009). The late event rate showed no difference between the two groups (4 [5.4 %] vs. 4 [3.0 %], HR 2.09, 95 % CI 0.484-8.989, p = 0.324).Early CAS is not safe during periprocedural period, compared with late CAS. In CAS for symptomatic carotid stenosis, delayed CAS should be considered.