Travelling Asia with no carnet
 

Hi there. I am 18 months into a RTW trip, covering most of Latin America and now Australia, and planning to get back to the UK via Asia and India etc. My problem is I can't afford a carnet (11000 pounds from the AA). So far it's not been a problem with countries having a method of temporarily importing vehicles, but I am getting a bit nervous about SE Asia and India. Does anyone have any information, tips or hunches about travelling this side of the globe without a carnet (or 11k I can borrow for a couple of years)?

Jason
One thing's for sure - you will definitely need a carnet to get into India, Nepal, Pakistan and Iran, no two ways about it.
As for SE Asia, it would be useful but not necessarily essential, it depends which borders you use and the customs officer's mood.
I'd love to lend you the dosh, but I'm busy spending mine here in Cambodia.....
Harvey

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no pipe, no slippers
www.chasingthesun.org

Re the carnet, you may want to go for the "insurance" style carnet, where you only pay an annual fee. The catch is if the bike goes missing and the AA - (I believe they do it, RAC does it for sure) or whoever has to pay the country out, at say 300% for India - then YOU are ultimately on the hook for that. but then you are with the other style anyway, so not bad. The real negative is that it costs you more annually, but the corollary is you don't have to put up 11,000... Search the HUBB for more on it. ADAC has been good, but they are changing things a little, so not sure.

Try http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb...ML/000156.html , and search around the HUBB, there is lots more here on it.


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Grant Johnson

Seek, and ye shall find.
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One world, Two wheels.
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

jason you ugly person
how's it goin' mate?

i can confirm what grant says. the aa is very helpful and knows all about carnets and insurance for carnets. they do it through a company called campbell irvine.

you need somebody in gb to sort it all for you. the aa can dhl the carnet to you.

i paid approx 200 quid insurance. it was based on a bike worth £750 (yes the aa believed me that a 1989 r100gs with 40.000km was worth this much when i left gb: i got more for scrap for it in brazil 100.000 mashed km later, but we aren't allowed to mention that!).

this was calculated at 5% of highest importantion fee (allegedly venezuela at 700% of value. i know venezuela does not require a carnet, but the aa thinks it does!) N.B. you only need to pay the highest fee country on your itinerary.

so it follows that 5% of 7 x 750 = 200 something quid. you obviously don't get this premium back, like you would a deposit.

the ladies at the aa 'international department' were very helpful and efficient. in gb the whole proceedure took 3 weeks. (you only deal with the aa: they deal with campbell irvine.)

see you back in gb sometime,
cheers
chris

Thanks for the tips so far. I have had a chat with the AA and they won't do the insurance thing for India and Iran, I have to stump up the full bond. I valued my bike at 4k, maybe I should have tried to be even more cheeky. So what I'd ideally like to do is try to get into S.E. Asia without it (apparently 'only' Indo and Malaysia officially recognise the carnet anyway) and then punt again when I'm ready to 'do' India. Reading the HUBB it sounds like I'll need to ship/fly around Burma. Does anyone know another way home? Is it possible to get into China? So back to the immediate stuff - anyone have any thoughts about Indonesia and Malaysia sans carnet?

Jason
Further to my last reply. We've just met a Brazilian bike journalist who has ridden from Germany to SE Asia without a carnet. Basically he talked his way through the borders, so it is possible if you've got the gift of the gab!
As for SE Asia, you don't need one for Thailand, Cambodia or Laos. Not sure about Malaysia & Singapore, but I think you could get in without one.
Hope that helps,
Harvey

Hi Jason

The RAC can organise you a carnet for India and Iran. If they don't I'm going to have a big problem myself.

Speak to the wonderfully herlpful Sue Collins 01454 208000 ext 33837

Good luck

Sean

There is an insurance carnet this is based up on multiplier of 5 times the vehicle/ bike cost (for India, Pakistan and Iran)as these are the highest risk. The insurance is then normally 10% of the multiplied value. Of this you are covered for duties without the need to have the guantee in a bank or deposited. However, bad news is that you will only get 50% of the premium back when the completed carnet is returned. i.e a £4k vehicle will have a gurantee of £20K and an associated insurance premium of £2K of which you would only be refunded £1K on submission of the final carnet.

Alternative are to investigate ADAC in Germany. They will issue a carnet to foreign registered vehicles. Worth a look.

Incidentally, the AA in the UK no longer issues carnets. This leaves only the RAC.

Good luck

David

Hey Jason

Where are u in Oz at the moment? Are u on the east coast or west? I am riding from Cairns to Perth this weekend if your interested in joining me?

Oh yes, Indo should be no prob you only need US currency up there!

cheers
Ivan