LIBYA: What´s the story
 

Dear Friends,

Can any of you out there provide up-to-date info. on person AND vehicle entry for Libya?

I´ve read of many who have had no problems but also read of just as many who have not made it in... So, what´s the story morning glory?

Can anybody provide the correct PROCEDURE and DOCUMENTATION required for entry of persons and motorcycles into Libya?

Thanks,

Gonzzzzz
PS: What in the world is a Carte-Grise?

I am getting ready to go the Sahara and my friend bought a NIVA in Lithuania. He tried to get Carte Grise with not much luck. Nobody has heard off it. I am guessing it is just Vehicle registration details with some writing in french. I am going to go without it, it is only africa - I hope I will be able to find the middle ground with any official I meet.

carte grise is the paper who says you are the owner of the car and wher are register all the munbers you find in a car (number of engine...) without this paper you can 't sell the car, and prove the car is yours. It's a french paper, when in France you buy a car you need this paper who is deliver by the police (prefecture) showing your personal paper and paper from the garage you buy the car. It's a very important car. Hopping thoses informations have been usuful, Hi from Switzerland

Your 'Carte Gris' (in France)or 'V5 logbook' (UK) are as essential as your passport. I met two bright guys thrown out of Morocco for not having one. It was a long way home to UK to get it sorted out...
If you're desperate, copy someone's registration document on you computer scanner and then fill in the details!
(But don't say I suggested that...)
In France they have regular road checks, and every Frenchman carries his carte gris in his car at all times.

To clarify, carte gris is simply the French expression for your vehicle ownership papers and so what is popularly used and asked for in the Sahara (if not Libya).
I am sure every country supplies some sort of ownership papers with road registered vehicles.
As Kit says, it is a vital document in Africa - like a passport for your vehicle. Without it you wont even get out of the port

Re Libya - the party is temporarily over unless you dont mind paying for a local guide (often in a crap car) to follow you every step of the way - not what you go to the Sahara for.

Chris S

So much for the Carte Grise (ownership papers) .... but apparently, you still need to have a sponsor inside the country to get in .... can anyone confirm ??

Can anyone also confirm wether you can (provided you've got tyhe right papers + sponsor) get IN from Niger and OUT to Egypt ?

Excellent info on Libya visa requirements is contained on this page:
http://www.angelfire.com/az/azartours/visa.html
Yes, you need to be 'invited' to Libya but there are several agents who will do this, it appears.
I am travelling (across the border into Libya, at least)with the French tour group 'Global Travel' They have a tame agent in Libya who organises the requisite invitation. Call back if you need more info
Kitmax

Re Libya

Chris S, you don't need to hire a vehicle whilst in Libya - Kit is quite right, there are a number of representatives who will do the paperwork bit for you and do not expect you to hire one of their tour agency vehicles or even a driver; similarly with the guide situation; we're only hiring one for the absolute minimum time in the Akakus; naturally there is a very small fee for having the guide on 'standby' when he is not with us, but this makes the trip very reasonable - this is the way forward. I know you're not particularly enamoured about tour groups in Libya, but there are ways and means of doing it so people still get a trip out of them for a lot less than you'd pay for other tour group services offered through their european contacts, for instance.

You're right a 'GREY CARD' (Carte Grise) is an important document, and anybody wishing to drive through francophile countries should bear this document in mind, and try and get one - it can save a lot of embarassing situations - and additional expense

Dear Gonzalo,

My husband and I entered Libya with our landrover at Ras Adjir at the end of June and exited in Ghat half July. It was a real pain to get the visas, we admit, but that was because of administratif problems and request of bribes (embassy - yes there is one now - in London). You will find most of the information about how to get your visa on this website (under info Libya). You need to get a translation stamp in your passport (passport office), the translation of your data (arabic-english chamber of commerce) and an invitation from a libyan travel agency. You will find a list and the contact details of good agencies on the german website of Klaus Daerr(http://www.klausdaerr.de).

It is true that most of the agencies insist that you have a guide with you all the time, because they are responsible for you once they lead you into the country. We had no choice, as we eventually got our visa through a friend of a friend of a friend etc. and that for that very reason he didn't want us to travel alone. Anyway, it seemed indeed that having a guide was the only way, untill we met a German guy in Ghadames. He was travelling on his own in his car: no guide!!! Apparently he got his visa very easily through a german travel operator called Sari Tours (See website Klaus Daerr). They came to Ras Adjir to see him through the administratif stuff and then let him go on his own... A good tip I hope. One we would have loved to have before hand anyway.

If you want more details about the procedure of persons, please go ahead (Bea@prepare2go.com), but I cannot tell you more about motorcycles. Apparently, they cannot enter Libya on their own, but have to be with at least one car.

About carte grise. Chris Scot has it right. It means the ownership papers. We had the normal English ownership papers for Sam's car and that does the trick as carte grise (especially because Libya is not a former french, but italian colony). We also had a "Carnet de passage" and a good third party liability insurance for all African countries with an insurance broker in Holland. Nonetheless in Libya, we still had to buy insurance at the border, but all the other countries did accept it!

Good luck. Libya is fantastic! Beatrice

Hello and thanks for your exhaustive explanation. We are actually going to the Lybian ambassy in Holland tomorrow to arrange things (all of you; keep your fingers crossed!).

Anyway, I believe we have that covered. I am actually interested about that third party insurance, especially which broker sold that to you. We thought of making one policy ourselves but if this is affordable, who knows?

Please post name, adres and other contact information, that would be great.

Also, what other countries did you visit all together?

Thanks, Jan.

Hi Jan,

About the embassy in Holland: we had some friends from Holland who tried it there and they didn't get the visa. Eventually they went to Brussels. The guy there is really sweet and does everything he can to get you your visa in time.

I cannot give you the details of the insurance broker in Holland just now, as Sam is still in the Sahara now with the whole file. He is back on the 12th of September. Hope that is early enough for you. Write me an email then: Bea@prepare2go.com.

Our trip covered: Tunisia, Libya, Southern Algeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Ghana. I flew out from Côte d'Ivoire, and Sam and 3 others are driving all the way back up at the moment.

Good luck with your visa. Beatrice

Thanks everyone for such a fantastic response! That´s what´s beautiful about this website!

Gonzzzz