Carnet for Egypt
 

I know that the question of carnets has been addressed many times, but this is my first post and I need some help. This summer I will be riding a motorcycle through the Middle East: Syria, Turkey, Jordan, Isreal, Egypt and Sudan. For those who have traveled through these countries with a motorcycle, did you require a carnet? Either way, please let me know your experiences. Thanks.

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Janet

First of all, if you go to Israel as you are indicating, I don't think you will be able to get a visa for Sudan, so you should do some homework on that.

You definitely need a Carnet. Egypt is the only place that is often particularly difficult to get into (assuming you have no trouble getting a Sudan visa which varies in difficulty depending on the color of your passport). Lots of paperwork, Egyptian registration etc.. If you take the ferry from Jordan, ask around for the tourist police when you get to Egypt. They took me by the hand, cut to the front of all the lines and got me through the process as fast as possible and would not accept so much as a soda for the effort. It would have been really time consuming without them.

Thanks for the input, but unfortunately my bike is registered in China. I have not had any luck finding anyone to know what I am talking about let alone have the authority to administer the carnet. Found the auto club in Hong Kong, but your bike has to be registered in Hong Kong....so, what do you suggest?

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Janet

As for theIsrael-Sudan visa problem, get two passports (not possible in all countries, but many). Tell your authorities you will be applying for visas during your RTW and that you will have to send your passport away. Also tell them about the Sudan-Israel problem.With the two passports, have The Israel visa in one, and the Sudanese in the other.

[This message has been edited by Wheelie (edited 01 April 2006).]

I have heard that some riders have entered Egypt without a carnet, but they had to pay a "special fee", in US dollars in order to be admitted, does anyone have any experience with this?

I can't imagine where you would even start looking for a carnet to be issued in China.

I think you will need one though. I've read about South Africans (whos carnets are not valid for Egypt for some reason) riding all the way from Capetown to the Egyptian border only to turn back, because no amount of "convincing" could get them in. The Egyptian border is hard enough to cross with all your papers in order. And remember, you will be crossing right where the Hilton hotel got blown up and two other bombs went off a year or so ago. Security was really tight when I went.

As for the two passports thing- be careful. If you enter Egypt from Elat on a passport that has no Israel stamp, it might not do the trick. Every Sudanese that issues visas or stamps them knows what's on the other side of the land border. Same applies for entering Jordan at the king Hussein bridge. And you have to have the Egypt stamp in the same passport as the Sudan visa or it will look suspicious.

I guess if you get two passports, get the Sudan stamp in one of them before you enter Israel, then cross from Isreal to Jordan and switch passports when you enter Egypt, you stand a chance, but the Sudanese guy who stamps your visa is going to wonder how you entered Egypt where you did without having a stamp from Jordan or somewhere else that ferrys go there from.

It may sound like I'm making this over complicated, but Sudan and even more so Syrian imigration guys have seen every trick in the book and I have read here about people having a lot of trouble (flying the bike etc.) because they didn't know all this stuff. If you are hell bent on seeing Israel, you can ferry there and back from Greece without leaving any evidence that you went.

It IS possible to get a carnet form another country if your home country does not issue carnets. Don't know if you're a Chinese national or just resident there - if only resident, try your home country. If Chinese national, try the RAC in the UK -they have offered in the past to help people in your situation. See the Links page for carnet contacts. Paul Gowan is the man at the RAC to talk to, and is very helpful - and monitors this board on occasion.

Thanks for all of your responses. I know that something will come through, because one way or the other I will be in Egypt this year.