From Pondicherry to Barcelona

[eric_b_m]

Hi bikers!!!

My name is Eric I'm Spanish but living in Pondicherry (south India) nowadays.

Me and one friend we are planning and overland trip for the next year, to start around March from Pondicherry to reach Spain around September 2014.

We will be traveling from south to north east of India and then Nepal from east to west. After that the idea is to cross into Pakistan through Lahore.

I say the "idea" because I know it's a bit tricky. Aside from other paperwork has anyone applied for the Pakistan visa recently? How was the process and how much it last?

Has anyone traveled into Pakistan from India with Indian motorbike and plates? Any other paperwork required besides visas, carnet de passage, insurance and international driving permit?

Thank's in advance!

Cheers,

Eric

[niello8]

Usually you must apply for a pak visa in your home country but you might be ok having residency in India. Allow ample time for processing and be very specific about your requested dates. You will need a LOI which you can get fairly easily (we used lost horizons). Good luck.

[eric_b_m]

thank's for the concise answer!!!

Which itineraries have you followed in Pakistan? Someone knows about itineraries on the south? i.e. Shikarpur, Khuzdar, Panjgur or even more southern. Are there other options to cross into Iran besides Taftan-Kerman border?

Eric

[niello8]

NP We did the north, Sost thru Hunza via the KKH to Lahore, also Skardu & Deosai. The southern route is limited, the police will escort you at least part of the way and tell you where you can go. Only border open for foreigners to Iran is Taftan...you can find more details about the route others have followed by searching...

[eric_b_m]

What about the carnets?

As I have the residence permit in India I managed to have the bikes on my name but of course with Indian plates. Can I apply for the carnet in that situation? Where I have to apply for it?

[Uselessbaba]

Hi, I did this on a Bullet last year, if you have Indian residence you can get your Pak visa in Delhi, takes a few days. The problem is your bike, Indian vehicles are banned by the body which issues CDP since years ago, nobody can issue you a legal CDP for an Indian bike. I bought my bike in Nepal for which it is possible but expensive. Sorry, but thats the way it is !
UB.

[eric_b_m]

Then the only way missing is with a "not that legal" CDP? Has anyone cross into Pakistan and Iran with a fake CDP? How much chances I have to do it without being noticed by customs? Is common knowledge that CDPs are not issued for Indian bikes, I mean customs staff will know that? or they will look at me and...

Having the bikes on my name will help my in anyway?

[davidedgell]

I have travelled through iran and pakistan twice in last 2 years. The customs officers do not take the slightest bit of notice of the carnet. They barely check the bike (if at all) I would be surprised if they knew that indian bikes couldn't get a carnet. I would have a think about Indian customs letting you leave! Indian customs are slightly more attentive.

Cheers, David

[eric_b_m]

What would be the problem to leave India with the bike on my name, license, insurance, registration certificate and taxes updated?

[Uselessbaba]

Well, the Indian customs at Attari held me for more then 3 hours because they said my engine number didn't match. To suggest that they don't even look is ridiculous. The customs post is a huge modern complex with very little traffic passing through, we entered early last May and were only the 5th vehicle through that year ! The officers are so bored with nothing to do that they really go to town when they do actually have a vehicle to look at !
Also, the customs have a special book in which the details of the CDP and the vehicle have to be recorded, this is true at all borders entering and leaving, so to suggest that you 'just get waved through', is nonsense. They have to check the vehicle details to see it conforms to the CDP and then enter everything in the book !
Although with an Indian bike it may be different, as you don't need a CDP for an Indian bike in India, they may allow you to leave, but then you would still need it to enter Pak and then to leave Pak and enter Iran
I have seen people on the Iranian side selling temporary CDP's for USD 1000, but not on the Pak side and believe me, Quetta is not a good place to be stuck!
As the bike is in your name, why don't you ship the bike back ?
UB.

[eric_b_m]

Because for me the point is to do the trip on the bike. I'm not doing this trip to have the bike in Europe, I'm doing it to RIDE

Did you do this with an Indian plates bullet? Did you have a CDP? Do you know any foreigner who bought a bullet and got the CDP?

[Uselessbaba]

Sorry , I allready said in post @6 that my Bullet was Nepali, with Nepal plate. I bought the bike in Nepal because after 35 years of riding bullets around India, I know that you cannot get a CDP for an Indian reg bike. If you really want to ride back, sell your Indian bike and buy one from Nepal, if not, fill your pockets with 100 dollar bills and try waving them at everybody who stops you. It may work or it may leave you stranded in Balouchistan !
I can only tell you how it is, not how you'd like it to be !
UB.

[momo034]

Hey Eric, coincidentally i am in the same position. Here as resident in India but live in Spain, I have a bullet and want to drive it to Spain around same time as you...april or so next year. I have done a fair bit of research...perhaps we can share info and then post here when we have something solid to share with the rest of the world. Feel free to find me on skype: jordan.m.jones

Im in Delhi now. You can also call 9717752451.

[eric_b_m]

Hy momo034 nice to hear about your plans... I will send you a Skype request!

At that point I have the bike on my name and last week I contact WIAA (Western India Automobile Association) organism responsible of carnets issue for Indian bikes. They replied saying that they will issue it with the next documents requested;

An AIT/FIA carnet de passage is issued for taking a vehicle out of the country free of customs duty provided the vehicle is brought back to the country of origin, and the documents required for issue of the same are as follows:-

1) An AIT/FIA carnet has to be obtained in India .
2) Registration Certificate of the vehicle with details in the name of the owner of the vehicle who wishes to take the vehicle out of India , kindly let us know the make, model etc. of the vehicle and send us scan copy of the Regn. Certificate of the vehicle.
3) Carnet document fee of Rs.15,000/- per carnet.
4) A Security Deposit to be left with WIAA for issue of the carnet, for the 200% the value of the vehicle by Draft in favour of WIAA, the Deposit will be refunded when the vehicle returns to India after producing proper documentation to show the vehicle has returned back to India .
5) The carnet document is issued for a period of One year and it takes 2 to 3 days to issue the document once all formalities are complete.
6) Insurance cover can be done at our office.

Then I ask them how they evaluate the value of the bike and few other things and I'm waiting their answer.

[niello8]

Can you also post their contact info? It will be very useful for Indian bikers.