Carnet - do I really need one?
 

I am planning on touring around Europe and North Africa for 3 to 12 months. I plan on buying a bike in UK and starting from there. Do I really need a carnet? I've heard they can be expensive to arrange (high deposit) and I'm short on cash.

Thanks :confused1:

No carnet needed for Europe but you will absolutely need one for North Africa, except maybe for Morocco. There is loads of info on other threads here about getting the carnet and the costs are not so bad as you will get nearly all the money back.

Short answer though is yes. You will definitely need a carnet for Africa.

Just Do It!
 

I've been traveling through Africa for 7 months and found that my Carnet speeds me through border/customs procedures incredibly. I travelled 18 months through North, Central and South AMerica without the Carnet and wish that I had one for even those countries that don't require one. It eliminates the need for photo copies of passports, registration and titles in most cases.

As for the deposit, yes. It's not cheap. But think of it this way, you'll have some well needed cash when you finally decide to return home. Surprise or funny money. So get your carnet... for Africa it will be needed. Europe. Don't know. But I doubt you need it there. Africa. Get it.

Thanks
 

OK, so I've discovered that I do need a Carnet and 3rd party insurance. Where is the best place to get these in the UK?