Carnet De Passage Where is it really needed for

Making earnest preps now for the UK to Singapore overland trip and delving deeped into the world of Carnet de Passage, I am wanting to know where there is a definite and final list of what countries require the carnet. We will be going through, Europe, then on to Turkey, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, Laos, Thailand,Malaysia and Singapore. Can anyone help? On the lists For our trip I have only seen that we need one for Singapore, possibly Malaysia and Turkey.#

Thanks
Lew

Definately Malaysia, had to show ours to get in, Thailand and Singapore, although Singapore is a law unto itself they have very strict regs on what vehicle are allowed in.

Any vehicle that can be slept in, camper etc is banned, in order to drive in Singapore you will need an ICP (Internetional Circulation Permit) which unlike all other borders isn't issued as you cross, you have to take a taxi or bus to the AA and buy one there before returning to your vehicle at Johor Bahru (Malaysia), you also buy your insurance at the AA, cost me $300 for 30 days,(easily the most expensive), then you can drive in Singapore. The taxi cost me $120.

Be very careful what you try to take into Singapore as customs are strict, chewing gum is banned, beer is heavily taxed etc and you cannot leave Singapore with less than 3/4 tank of fuel to go back into Malaysia as Malaysian fuel is so much cheaper.

Sorry to waffle on as you only asked about Carnets and here I am going on, you may be able to gather that I wasn't very impressed with Singapore and wouldn't recommend going there.

Lee

Speak to Paul Gowan at the RAC, really knowledgeable guy and also the one you need to speak to for a Carnet de Passage

Thanks for the info,
Singapore was a maybe, we were more than likely going to ship from Malaysia, now we definatly are. I have seen some of Paul's threads on the Hubb but need to find an email, and will try to call, the only things is will they they give me impartial advice or plug selling the carnet? RAC website doesnt have a huge amount of info on it.

Llew said:

Thanks for the info,
Singapore was a maybe, we were more than likely going to ship from Malaysia, now we definatly are. I have seen some of Paul's threads on the Hubb but need to find an email, and will try to call, the only things is will they they give me impartial advice or plug selling the carnet? RAC website doesnt have a huge amount of info on it.

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Paul is a real down to earth guy and will chat to you without pushing a Carnet, we've got some cracking contacts here in Malaysia and in fact we joined the Land Rover Owners Club, the President runs a workshop just outside KL and his mate is a shipping agent, they are both big off roaders and go on expedition all over the world, next year I will be going to South America with them, I can pass on their details if you wish.

Lee

Just thought you're going to need an international driving permit, about £17 from the AA

Not turkey

Any contacts would be a great help, we definatly looking forward to China but i think that the best part will be into Laos, Malaysia and Thailand where we will be able to relax a little and not feel the pressure of being stuck to an itenary.

Llew said:

Any contacts would be a great help, we definatly looking forward to China but i think that the best part will be into Laos, Malaysia and Thailand where we will be able to relax a little and not feel the pressure of being stuck to an itenary.

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That is so true, China was chaotic.

Give us a list of countries you're going through and I'll be able to tell you if a carnet is needed as they're listed on the back of ours.

I'll PM you the contact details.

Lee

Paul at the RAC is the best person for knowledge about carnets. Some FAQ's HERE

Basically the carnet is an 'insurance' that you will not permanently import a vehicle into a different country and so that country can then claim the import duty/taxes from the RAC

Remember to be strictly legal abroad you have to be legal in the country of registrations. For UK vehicles that means RFL and MOT if applicable. For a UK registered vehicle over 3 years old that strictly speaking limits your time abroad to 12 months.


Brendan

I will definatly have to get in contact with Paul as we are doing a one way trip and ending up in New Zealand and importing the vehicle there.

THanks again for all the info.

Are you going to be permanently resident in NZ? Check import duty rates v length of ownership v permanent or temporary resident.

Australia requires temporarily imported vehicles to be cleaner then clean. I would expect NZ to have similar requirements to Australia. Worth checking out first so that there are no unexpected surprises


Brendan

Yeah we moving over permanently, we bought the vehicle in Oct so that by by the time we get to NZ we will have owned it for over a year, I think that the rules regarding import duty for NZ has changed recently but I will need to confirm this, so we may not get hit with it. NZ and Aus have really strict rules on cleanliness, and even if we get it immaculate you will inevitably get stung with a cleaning charge on entry.

Llew said:

Yeah we moving over permanently, we bought the vehicle in Oct so that by by the time we get to NZ we will have owned it for over a year, I think that the rules regarding import duty for NZ has changed recently but I will need to confirm this, so we may not get hit with it. NZ and Aus have really strict rules on cleanliness, and even if we get it immaculate you will inevitably get stung with a cleaning charge on entry.

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Just spent the last 4 weeks cleaning our car, even to the point that I've repainted it, not really a big thing as its painted by hand with gloss paint, although I'm still expecting to get pulled on entry to Australia.

I'm taking my car in on the Carnet and importing properly when we've found somewhere to live.

Lee

Spoke to Paul this morning, really helpful, as you said, we would only be needing carnet for SE Asia, but going to get it sorted before we leave and just have it dated for later this year. How much is it going to Ship the vehicle from the UK to Aus?

Llew said:

Spoke to Paul this morning, really helpful, as you said, we would only be needing carnet for SE Asia, but going to get it sorted before we leave and just have it dated for later this year. How much is it going to Ship the vehicle from the UK to Aus?

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We are shipping from Port Klang to Brisbane, it's costing me just about £1000 thats including fumigation etc.

Don't know what it would cost UK to Aus.

Paul sent our carnet to Beijing by DHL.

Lee

That price seems alright, once you get into Aus will the customs agents then decide if it is to be recleaned and fumigated?
What breakdowns if any did you have along the way?

Llew said:

That price seems alright, once you get into Aus will the customs agents then decide if it is to be recleaned and fumigated?
What breakdowns if any did you have along the way?

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Personally I think the price is okay as well, we have to arrive in Oz about 3 days before our car to arrange the inspection with customs, time and place etc and yes they then decide if it is clean enough, I believe that if it is really bad thet simply make you re-export, obviously at your own cost.

As for breakdowns, in Kazakhstan the starter motor went, we got completely ripped off by some scumbag who charged me $600 to repair the bendix, it lasted 20 days before I had to buy a new one, $300 from a Land Rover dealer in Almaty. The gearbox packed up after I towed the others about 100km through northern Laos, apart from normal servicable items like propshaft u/js, alternator, brakes, relays etc we've done very well, although before we left the UK I did go through the vehicle changing many parts like wheel bearings, clutch, track rod ends, fan belts etc.

Lee

Whether you have to have your vehicle cleaned depends a lot on which port of entry you use, as it varies quite a bit both in requirement and cost . Whatever you do dont try arguing with any Gov official in OZ as they get very obstinate and can cause you a lot of grief . I was told that many years ago and have seen it time after time , it pays to suk up ! The vehicle import regs changed in 2009 , and was amended in2010 you can find out the changes on the OZ Gov website , try google vehicle import australia .

THanks again for the info, will just have to take it on the the chin when we finally get to NZ, and pay the cleaning costs, maybe we should make sure its absolutely filthy when we ship it to get our money's worth.