Originally Posted by Dave Milligan (Post 244059)

Hi Camnz,

If you have a Carnet de Passages en Douane then that's all you will need if your bike is temporarily in Australia.

Just make sure you get it stamped by Customs every time your bike crosses an international border - like when it left the UK and when it enters Aust, when it leaves Aust, when it enters any other country and again when it leaves any other country and again when it enters the UK. That way you'll get your Bond refunded when the bike is back in the UK.

For a permanent import you need the DOTARS Vehicle Import Approval and it's best to apply for that before your bike/vehicle is exported from the country of origin.

CourtFisher - dunno where you get your information from, but it's wrong.

Originally Posted by CourtFisher (Post 244156)

Dave Milligan,

My post above may be mis-leading; it's partial quote out of context. The complete text from website was written (primarily) for USA riders considering importing their bikes temporarily only to OZ (not going anywhere else).

In that case, a Carnet issued to USA-reg bikes by CAA is more expensive; and the DOTARS Vehicle Import Approval is necessary for temporary import (in lieu of Carnet), easier to get & less expensive than Carnet.

Originally Posted by Dave Milligan (Post 244278)

Have you ever applied for and received an Aussie Vehicle Import Approval to bring a bike temporarily into Australia and if so what were the circumstances you put forward to DOTARS??



I still disagree that a DOTARS VIA would be issued under Camnz's circumstances. It doesn't matter where the bike has come from for a VIA, it matters whether the vehicle/bike has been manufactured to Australian standards as required by Aussie law/regulations.
VIAs are issued for vehicles/bikes coming permanently into Australia.



No, it further muddies the waters and spreads more misinformation. An Aussie Vehicle Import Approval is NOT intended for bikes coming into Australia temporarily.

Again, where did you get your information from??

Ah, Ha! I apologise - I've just discovered where you got your info from. The North American BMW Club's web site. I can tell you it's wrong. If you attempt to apply to DOTARS for Temporary Entry into Australia for a bike or any other vehicle you will be wasting $50.

They will simply reject your application and suggest you get a Carnet de Passages en Douane from the country from which the bike/vehicle originated from. It appears Paul Gowen of the RAC can do retrospective applications for bikes which have already departed from the UK. I didn't know that was possible and I doubt very much if the Aussie Automobile Assn or the NZAA would entertain such an application for Aussie or NZ nationals.

The reason I object to this stupid spread of misinformation is simple - for newbies who have never shipped a bike before it could cause way too much hassle in their first week of the start of a trip in a foreign country, not to mention the horrendus expense for storage while the bike is held in a bond store while the difficulties are sorted out - in this case it could take at least a couple of weeks and add hundreds of dollars to Camnz's costs,....if his RAC Carnet doesn't arrive before the bike does.

The reason I know all this stuff is that I have a small motorcycle shipping (internationally by sea container) business which ships Aussie bikes to NZ, the UK & USA and back. Mostly I deal with people who are wanting a 1 to 4 month holiday with their own bike in one of our destinations. Sometimes it's RTW travellers wanting One Way shipments, but it all means I have to know the rules and regs for the benefit of my clients. I spend considerable time dealing with Customs & Quarantine officials in these countries and have a fairly good handle on how it's all done.

Originally Posted by CourtFisher (Post 244378)

David,

Many thanks. It appears you're right/ I'm wrong :oops2:.

(I'm responsible for the BMW MOA website text linked above, written several years ago--when, I think, it was still possible to use DOTARS VIA for temporary import in lieu of Carnet.)

I re-read the DOTARS website documents dated Feb 2009, in detail. Current DOTARS seems pretty clear that only Carnets are acceptable for temporary import to OZ. That's too bad for USA-originating riders, because the out-of-pocket cost of a CAA-issued Carnet to import/ ride temporarily to OZ only is quite substantial vs the AUS$50 VIA fee.

We'll correct the info on the BMW MOA website.