Japan without carnet
 

Hi,

Does anyone know how to bring a bike to Japan without a carnet? It's a 40 year old bike with the stated cost of AU$2,000.

It was cheaper for me not to get a carnet to get my bike into New Zealand. It was AU$250 which will be refunded when I leave.

I plan on finding work when I'm there, so I'll be there for a year. If I get a carnet, it'll expire before I get to Southeast Asia.

I searched but the posts about Japan are old. Any advice?

--Dave

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Trying to ride (and work) my way round the world on a 1965 Ducati 250cc. In New Zealand now. Japan in April. http://nokilli.com/rtw/

A carnet is needed for Japan.
There has been a change in the law it seems, making it almost impossible without a carnet.
Without carnet you MUST use a broker, pay a 5% deposit, and have a bank account in Japan for the deposit to be refunded to. In essence, you need a carnet.

The following is for reference purposes only and may not be up to date.

If you come by FERRY, you can bring your bike without a carnet. In that case, you must fill in Customs Form C 5014
Customs told me this is the only official way without a Carnet. So, if you ship in a container or by air, you need a Carnet. Your only other option is to go to Korea or Russia and take a ferry to Japan. I do not know the requirements for Carnet in Korea. You do not need in Russia.

I have changed (deleted) information I wrote before. This is the latest news.
I hope to update my Japan motorcycling website http://www2.gol.com/users/chrisl/japan/ soon.

[This message has been edited by Chris in Tokyo (edited 16 February 2006).]

Hi Chimpo

Here in Europe carnet is priced followig age of th vehicle, at least in France, you can even arrange a bank guarantee.
For my 600XTZ of 1989 price, if I understood right is something like 300 $us.

Matt

I found out what chimpo meant in Japanese a few years after I started using it as a log-in ID on sites. I switched to gornzilla, but I use chimpo13 on sites that I've already registered on (slashdot and HU). It's embarrassing and is nowhere near 13" but since I've been using it on HU for a while, I'll deal with it unless Grant or Susan could change it for me.

--Dave

I'll show up in Japan with a ferry ticket to Korea. While I'm there, I'll find a job and then leave and re-enter with a work visa. Who are you talking to in customs? Got an email?

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Trying to ride (and work) my way round the world on a 1965 Ducati 250cc. In New Zealand now. Japan in April. http://nokilli.com/rtw/

UPDATE

Some people have tried to get the letter I mention below. No embassy is willing to give one. I recommend a Carnet if you ship your bike to Japan. You may not need one if you take a ferry.

According to customs notice 17-1-(10) :
When Article 17, Paragraph 1-10 of the Customs Tariff Law is applied when temporairy importing a vehicle, if the person importing's purpose and plans for travel show that they are obviously not intending to abandon the vehice in Japan, AND the person importing the vehicle bears an affidavit from thier embassy or consulate in Japan affirming that the vehicle will absolutely be re-exported from Japan, a bond to cover consumption (sales) tax is not required.


As you are from Sacramento (whereabouts? I used to live off Madison Avenue, near Carmichael), this means the US Embassy. Now this is a huge bureaucracy. All I can say is "good luck." Even I don't like to deal with them. Contact tehm BEFORE you come to Japan and make sure you can get the letter!

Also, I don't mean to be discouraging, but you would be better off if you get a job lined up with one of the major english conversation schools before coming. The enconomy is in the dumps right now, and job hunting ain't all that easy. And work visas take a while to process (up to 3 months last I heard).

[This message has been edited by Chris in Tokyo (edited 16 February 2006).]

I went to the Japanese Consular Office yesterday but they didn't know how to bring a bike in and I haven't heard anything back from the Japanese Embassy.

I'm still waiting for a copy of my diploma which I need to show. It should've shown up months ago which would've made things easier but it hasn't. I've got some "volunteer" work in Japan, so I should be okay.

Thanks for the link. I'll email the US embassy today although 5% wouldn't be bad on a bike that's worth AU$2,000.

I live in midtown/downtown Sacramento, but I grew up by Fair Oaks Blvd and Sunrise.

Thanks again for your help. I'll buy you a beer when I make it to Tokyo. Well, the 2nd time I make it to Tokyo. When I show up, I need to find a train to Kyushu.

--Dave

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Trying to ride (and work) my way round the world on a 1965 Ducati 250cc. In New Zealand now. Japan in April. http://nokilli.com/rtw/

Hi Chris,
thanks a lot for your effort. We are planning to arrive in Japan from Vancouver in March 2006. This might help us a lot. I don't want to go through the hassle and the money of getting a carnet only for Japan. Afterwards we want to go to Russia Mongolia and Central Asia. Hope to meet you there.
One very important question: When is the cherrie blossom?
Ciao uwe

My bike solved the problem by destroying the bottom end. I'll be looking for a job sooner than I thought and will be working for longer than I thought. I'll still buy you a beer, Chris. I show up April 12.

--Dave

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Trying to ride (and work) my way round the world on a 1965 Ducati 250cc. In New Zealand now. Japan in April. http://nokilli.com/rtw/

APRIL! (in Tokyo)
The cherry blossoms are due to start this week.
They only last for about 2 weeks. But if you miss them in Tokyo, you can go north or in the mountains where they bloom later.

Bugger dave

can you put it back together with a G clamp?

cheers
alec

Hi There,
is there any news about procedure of entering Japan without a carnet? Has somebody done it yet?

Thanks Uwe

I have edited the information on Japan w/o Carnet above. Some older information was not 100% correct.
The ferry from Busan Korea to Hakata or Shimonoseki should be OK. The ferry from Vladivostok, Russia to Fushiki has been done before. But they do not know the rules very well.

I'm a US citizen stuck in Anchorage without a Russian flight to Magadan. No one knows when the Russain airlines will fly this season. Now the two choices to get to Russia are via Korea or Japan and ferry to Vladivostok.

I don't have a Carnet since the countries I wanted to visit didn't need one. So contacting the US embassy in Japan for the letter ensuring I will take the bike with me will work in place of a Carnet?

I spoke with Panapina (shipper for Anchorage to Magadan -and other places) and they shipped a bike to Japan for a rider who. like myself had planned on going to Magadan. They said the rider did not have a carnet and was a bit concerned, but went anyway. One of the personal at Panapina is Japanese, she told me that she contacted the Japanese customs with the info, but didn't hear anything about a needed Carnet from the Japanese customs.

Anyone with new info about flying into Japane without Carnet for US plated bikes?
Thanks
MarkCh

I'm a guy enter to Japan without a carnet, but instead of a bike, I came with a Volkswagen, I arrived today.

I shipped my car from Shanghai to Osaka, now they put my car into the bond area, I was allowed to see it, but was not allow to touch it or even open the door to take some of my stuffs, the car was sealed....

I heard that I need may have to get a temporatory japanese license plate, does anyone knows about it, are there any laws that tells we can use our own plate in a foreign country ?

Chris, I'm now in Japan, do u have any idea ?

my car inside the ferry cargo
http://www.vwexpedition.com/forum/download.php?id=2786

arrival at the osaka port
http://www.vwexpedition.com/forum/download.php?id=2789

my car at the bond area of the osaka port
http://www.vwexpedition.com/forum/download.php?id=2792

my car at the bond area of the osaka port
http://www.vwexpedition.com/forum/download.php?id=2793

license plate
 

Grant,

The original number plate is OK, according to the international treaty, if it is with Latin characters. If your license plate is in chinese, you may have to get a temporary number. I heard they have these for cars visiting from Korea. I do not know the process of how to get it, though.
Here is the part of the treaty in English and Japanese. I hope this helps.

http://members.jcom.home.ne.jp/kinmo...f_a.html#ANX_3

REGISTRATION NUMBER OF VEHICLES IN INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC
1. The registration number of a vehicle shall consist either of figures or of figures and letters. The figures shall be in Arabic numerals as used in United Nations documents and the letters in Latin characters. When other numerals or characters are used, they shall be repeated in the numerals or characters of the types mentioned above.

Latest news on carnet to Japan
 

Hi there,
I will finally make my way into Japan around the end of april 2007. Does somebody have any experience of entering the country without a carnet. I have a German registration and will fly the bike from Seattle USA. Any advise is very welcome.


Thanks Uwe

Hi Uwe, I did bought my car to Japan last year without a carnet, customs are no big deal, u can pass easily, except ur no. plate, from my knowledge germany is not a part of 1949 treaty, u may be illegal to go on the road

also check this out, it's my experience, I failed my trip in japan because my car was registered in PRC China, which is not a party of the 1949 treaty, the trip was ruined... ;(

That may be true you come by ferry, as you did Grant.
Customs told me before that international ferry is the only official way to come without a Carnet. So, if you ship in a container or by air, you need a Carnet.
Although not *officially* legal, with a carnet you should have no problem riding a German bike. Others have done it in the past.

Hi there, interesting post,
I would like to know if these informations are still updated for instance is it still possible to arrive in japan by ferry without a carnet? I am driving a ktm 990 with italian plate and planning later on to register it in japan on my name because I am living in tokyo but still considering to ship it back.
thanks
e+

The short answer is, you can't register a temporarily imported vehicle, period. Even if you could, the paperwork is terrible and the testing required VERY expensive.

If entering at Wakkanai via Sakhalin island, customs may allow you to do temporary import w/o carnet. Two Canadians did it last year, but they had carnets as backup just in case). At other ports, it may be a bit more difficult. If you are living in Tokyo, telephone (not e-mail) customs at the port you wish to enter and find out the procedures.
Ask how to use customs form C5014 according to these rules:
http://www.customs.go.jp/kaisei/zeik...-S46k0849.pdf:
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...apan-c5014.jpg

Thank you Chris,
I will follow your suggestion and post here if finally i can land in japan without too many problems, my idea was to enter from fukuoka though.
ciao
e+

Entered without carnet on the 19th August 2011 in Sakaiminato
 

Hi everybody on the 19th August 2011 I was able to enter in Japan without Carnet de passage en douane at the Sakaiminato port using the C5014 form, it was lengthy but it worked. I came by ferry from Vladivostok through Korea and to Sakaiminato japan (dbs ferry www.dbsferry.com).

The main point are:
1)Be informed on the laws and regulations before entering because the officers will try to tell you a lot of bullshit.

2)Fortunately my Japanese friend called in advance Sakaiminato port authority (as Chris_in_Tokyo suggested to do) because when i got there they asked me if i knew the procedure to use the c5014 form (as they did not know) and as i mentioned the name of my friend they recalled the phone call they had and so they start believing me.

3) I spent 12.000 yen for douane fees and 5.500 for 1 month insuarance (my bike is a 1000 cc ktm adventure)

4) the whole procedure took maybe 2 hours at the port and other 2,5 hours at a small used car shop where I issued the insurance ( they called different police departments, governmental offices, JAF ...)

5) In different location and different officers/people told me that I needed :
Jaf confirmation, International driving plate, international licence (that i have but is not necessary for bilateral agreements) all obviously unnecessary.

6) I did not need any proxy or guarantor as mentioned in the c5014 form.


A german couple of friends entered one week later in Wakanai (Hokkaido) and they had Carnet but the Custom there prefered to use the C5014 and not did not stamp the Carnet.

You can PM me if need any explanation or Chris_in_tokyo anyway knows much more than me.

Note that this is only possible if entering by ferry.
If you ship as cargo, you will need a carnet.