Can an American get a carnet for a locally-purchased motorcycle in Europe?
 

Can a US citizen get a carnet for a locally-purchased bike in Europe, presumably from that country's automobile association?

Thank you.

I just checked the ADAC's (Germany's biggest automobile association) website and nowhere does it say you need to be German in order to get it. However there seems to be a difference between applying for a carnet as resident of Germany and applying for a carnet as non-resident alien.

Application (resident, PDF): http://www1.adac.de/images/Carnet%20de%20Passages_Antrag(komplett)_%20deutsch _tcm8-166333.pdf
Application (non-resident, PDF): http://www1.adac.de/images/b_downpdf.gif

Maybe just call them and ask?

The email for the ADAC is: carnetdepassages [at] adac.de

I also suggest you contact the CAA and if all fails there is an older post here that says that the Touring Club de Suisse will issue carnets for foreigners under some circumstances.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

TECHNICALLY you have to get the carnet from your country's issuing authority for carnets - for Americans and Canadians, that's the CAA - link on the links page for several carnet authorities - could always use more if you have them! :)

Suzanne Danis at the CAA is very good and very helpful, she's been at it for a long time - gave us our first carnet in 1987! Tell her HU sent you. :)

Some authorities WERE doing it for non-residents, chief among them ADAC, but the issue has been raised by others and as a result cracked down on by the AIT (THE head of carnets worldwide).

IF your country does NOT have a Carnet issuing authority, e.g. Russia, you can go to ANY issuing authority and they are ALLOWED to give you a carnet if you pass their criteria - i.e. pay them enough. Does NOT mean they have to.

Hope that helps!

Thanks for that clarification. One thing I am still confused about: "your" country means country of citizenship, residence or registration of vehicle?

Please do let us know how you get on. Re the ADAC carnet - I was under the impression they'd stopped issuing them to non-German residents in non-German registered vehicles.

I posted on this yesterday, but then the post got deleted when the HUBB was upgraded. Apologies if it looks like I am seeking to hijack this thread, but I think the issue of whether or not non-German residents can get ADAC Carnet, and whether or not it applies to non-German registered vehicles is worth clarifying for many, many people.

MJ's links don't work, but try this one from the ADAC website today:-
http://www1.adac.de/images/Carnet%20...cm8-166369.pdf

This is pretty much identical to the one I filled out in Feb 07, when I applied for a German carnet on a UK-registered vehicle. I had the use of a German address to do it from, but the only difference this made was that I could go to the local ADAC branch in Hannover where I was staying and do it in person. I was told categorically at the time I could still have applied even if I had done so from the UK, by post to the Munich HQ.

Nowhere on this application form does it say the Carnet is not available to non-German residents in non-German registered vehicles. If this is true, it is great news for a lot of overlanders.

Am I reading it right?