Hi all .. Thinking about some trip from Serbia to India on January 2009 .. Does anybody know is it possible to cross Saudi Arabia ,and what kind of paperwork is necessary for that country ? carnet,visa etc. (we are thinking to take a ferry from Oman to India) And also ,is it possible to enter India from Iran via Pakistan ? And please do suggest best route for that trip .. tnx.

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Marko Cvetkovic - Photographer
Studio Indigo Workshop
www.nakrilimavetra.com

Afaik there's only two (temporary, non-job-related) ways to get into Saudi as a non-Saudi, 1. On a pilgrimage to Mecca/Medina as a muslim, and 2. With an invitation from a local (if I'm not mistaken, not "any" local will do, you'll need someone with at least a BIT of clout/connections, or as they call it in Lebanon, "Wasta"). Aside from that I've only ever heard of people getting a 48h transit visa for Saudi, and even then only when flying in and with a stopover there.

But, I might be mistaken (I certainly hope so) and someone else knows differently.

Anyhow, good luck, I'm planning on taking the same (or a similar) route in a couple of years, so I'll be following this thread carefuly.

J.

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"Hope for the best - plan for the worst. Then watch it all go pear-shaped and wing it." - Me

Have a nice trip.

Iran ==> Pakistan ==> India is a well traveled route. Just search on here for related threads.

For the most recent info. on crossing Saudi Arabia by bike, look here:
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...di-visas-35842

It's still unclear whether I got a visa because I'm a Gulf resident or because they thought I was Ewan McGregor's older brother. If you apply for a (3-day) transit visa, you can let us know how you fare.

You don't need a carnet for Saudi Arabia.
Stephan

like stephan said India a very popular route, they also said "if you havent been to India youre not a traveller"
I travel from Pakistan to India in 1991. from Lahore to Wagha(Pak. border) by van. From there walk through the no-mans land, I could still remember how envy I was when I saw this overlander crossing on his push bike. Then from Attari(Ind. border) by taxi to Amritsar to catch the last train to Delhi... was planning to go Saudi from India overland (There was 3 of us) Only 2 made it all the way to Jordan via Pakistan, Iran, Turkey & Syria. Unfortuntely I had to go back anyway

Hitman seek & you shall find.

Stephan, this is a good one: "...or because they thought I was Ewan McGregor's older brother!"

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Tnx for the tips .. Now i know that via Pakistan is most common route .. I was just wondering is it still possible to ride over Pakistan because of actual political situation is not good at this time ... Couple of bikers from Serbia ride to India in July and they made it only to Iran .. They wait for Pakistan visa for 3 month and been rejected .. i don`t want to finished my trip on a half way to India that is why i thinking about alternates ways ..

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Marko Cvetkovic - Photographer
Studio Indigo Workshop
www.nakrilimavetra.com

Hitman are you a Serbian Passport holder?
Hmmm....
Check with Pakistan embassy nearest to you (or whatever way) whats the Pakistanis relations with your country... I dont think its that good.
What we mention above was just a normal route, but visa is different thing you have to find-out, do some home work, paper work, route plans etc... which country you can apply at border, which country you cant just walk-in & stamp your passport, which country doesnt allow Serbians to enter etc...

Example: Im a Malaysian passport holder, I assume that Malaysian have an 'okay' relationship with Americans, coz a friend easily retrived his American visas for 10 yrs! (but his social/economic ties was very stable) I on the other hand had barely enough money to travel were single, had no social/economic ties & here I am applying an American Visa, plus I look like Osama Bin Laden!!! This was before 9/11.
The American Embassy officer said to me: We assume that anybody who come to The United States of America wants to become an immigrant....
I replied: Look I've been to England, Canada, Europe I came back....?
He said: Its not enough..
I replied: Do you mean I have to get married, have children, leave them behind, than you give visas??
So you'll get the picture. So... in your friends case, they wont get the visas because what Slobadan Milosevic's did to the Muslims in Bosnia, etc etc anyway,

Good Luck!

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"man without beard is like porridge without salt": Ned Kelly