Hi All
Was wandering if any of you could help me out. My partner and I are leaving the UAE where we reside at the end of May for our year long RTW - what a fantastic feeling!

We went to the Arabian Touring Club in Dubai to sort out the carnet as we will need this for Iran but we are still a little on the confused side about costs and the actual process!

Basically, I have a 2007 BMW 650 Dakar and my partner has a 2008 KTM 990 Adventure. Can anyone give us an idea of what the deposit should be for these two bikes? The carnet is needed for 2 weeks and for Iran only. He quoted us as 30,000dhs each. Does this sound right? Obviously we want to put down as little as possible!

Second question -When we exit Iran, we will no longer require the carnet and so obviously want to get the deposit back. The AT Club informed us that we can only collect this money back and cancel the carnet in the UAE and not from Turkey (where we will be). We are not coming back to the UAE and they told us that we would therefore need a guarantor to retain the money with the original carnet document (with exit stamp from Iran). They also told us that the guarantor in the UAE would therefore need to make a deposit as well? Does this sound right? Is there any way of getting the money back if you are no longer coming back to the UAE? I guess we would FEDEX the document and the guarantor would take it to the ATC in Dubai? But does this mean the guarantor has to put the original deposit down even though the bikes are registered to us?

Your help is much appreciated

A confused Biker Chick!

Dh30,000 per bike sounds about right for the age and value of your bikes. Actually, I left Dh40,000 for a GS in 2002.

Then, don’t forget they’ll charge you somewhere around Dh800-1,000 each (non-refundable) for issuing the carnets. That’s how they make their money (along with the useless International Driving Licence for Dh100).

You can try haggling and they might lower your deposits to, for example, Dh25,000. The game is to undervalue your bikes without taking the piss; the lower the value, the lower the deposit. Unfortunately, Iran is one of those countries in the region with really high import duties so your deposit has to cover what the Iranian government would lose if you sold the vehicle illegally within the country. (Highly unlikely, in the case of a bike, but it applies to all vehicles.)

To retrieve your deposit, your bike doesn’t need to come back to the UAE but the carnet does. I’ve done it 3 times and always got my money back promptly. I’ve never tried doing it through a third party.


I know the man at the Sharjah office better than those in Dubai and have always found the Dubai office less than helpful. If you’d like to pop round to the Sharjah branch to discuss it I don’t mind coming along to see if I (or someone else) could do it for you.

Drop me a line.
Stephan

Thanks Stephano - I just dropped you a private email with more queries!!!!!

You don't actually need a carnet to enter Iran, strictly speaking. You can get a local Iranian carnet at the border. I think it's around $200. That said, I'm not sure if it's possible at every border. I know it is possible at the Turkish border.

It would be far cheaper to do this if you'll not be needing a carnet elsewhere

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Wow - I never knew this. I was told for Iran that you absolutely needed a carnet de passage and you could be chucked in jail if you didn't have one.
This would solve all our problems of deposits etc? Do you know where I would find out more information on this - getting a carnet at the border?

Thanks
Lou

If you go down this route, you should double check with the ferry company (Oasis) because from what I recall they ask to see all your documentation before they sell you a ticket. Good luck.
Stephan

Try this, maybe he still working.
Iran :: Carnet de Passage at the border

Are you planning to go through Pakistan after Iran? You can get through there as well without a Carnet, you know. But you will be given a police escort all the way through and you WILL be stuffed when you reach India, as the collection of impounded foreign-registered vehicles at Wagah Border attests. You will have to leave your vehicle there and then either go off and get one or say bye bye to the vehicle.

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Hi

we will be going through Iran and on to Turkey and then Europe so only need the carnet for Iran. I think this will be our last chance to ever go to Iran and from what I hear about it-I have to goeven with these challenges! I now have an Iranian agent who can do the carnet at Bandar abbas (Hossein) but still in the early stages of discussing it so will let you know what comes out of it.

Cheers for all the info
Lou

Lou

I note you are in contact with Hossein regarding carnet / insurance for Iran. I have checked the link and have tried on the first two numbers which are unobtainable. The third rings but as yet is unanswered. Also tried by email but no response as yet. He may be travelling.

I am based in Dubai and am looking to travel at the end of April / Early May. Could you let me know how you are progressing with Hossein and have you any updated contact information. Also any relevant travel info for routes back either to the UK or to Poland would be much appreciated. I am not sure if I am going by bike ( UK registered) or by 4x4 (UAE registered) just yet.

many thanks

Here is a link for ferry information from Iran, Bandar Abbas to Dubai / Sharjah and Oman. It includes prices, times, distances and contact details for transport agencies.

Iran ferry ship, persian gulf shipping ticket, Travel Iran persian, Tour Operator Iran persian gulf, IranTravelingCenter

It also contains information for other Persian Gulf ferries from Iran ports:
Bandar Bushehr
Bandar Lengeh
Khoramshahr
Abadan

to:
Bahrain
Qatar
Kuwait
Damman, Saudi Arabia
Kish ( Island)
Qishm (Island)

Anyone travelling on a southerly route from Europe to the Middle East may already have third party insurance coverage on their existing insurance for other countries under the green card system. Here is a link to a map showing coverage.

Green Card System

and a link to further information on the green card:

Council Of Bureaux › Status of the Green Card

No, I'm not in contact with Hossein, I just know that some people did this one year ago.

Hi All

Thanks for all the info - very helpful. I got in contact with Hussein by email and he replied after some time that he could help me out with a carnet but that he lives 2000kms away from Bandar Abbas and I should give him notice so he can make his way down and meet us at the border. He said that it would cost around $300 per bike. He did give me a number to call - 09144138096 but I havent called it yet as Im still doing the visa first.

I hear conflicting ideas about getting on the boat without a carnet. I heard that immediately at customs you would be put in prison if you didnt have the carnet at this point and also that you wouldn't be allowed to actually get on the boat in the UAE without the carnet already in place. So I am a bit nervous to use someone who would meet me at the border but at the same time I guess this is all part of the travelling experience!!!!!! Still, this is our first country and I don't want to get nicked on the first day!!!!!

However, I do have a big problem about getting the carnet here with the ATC as
1. all my money is in UK bank accounts and don't wanna transfer money over as I will loose on the exhange rate.
2. I will have to use a guarantor to get the money back as I won't be in the country again and this seems to complicate things as the guarantor also has to put down a deposit?

All in all, I see it as a challenge and it will be sorted. Iran is definitely a country that I want to visit and this will probably be one of my last chances as I won't be returning to this region any time soon!

I willl let you all know of any further developments.

Thanks
Lou

when I travelled to Iran last spring, I didn't prepare any Cornet before the trip. All things were made at the border (but I entered from Azerbaijan). I travelled through the whole Iran and went back with a Caspian sea ferry directly to Russia. At Iranian border agents made for me TRANSIT documents for my car for 5(five) days. I was in Iran for 2 weeks (5 days ended exactly in Bender-Abbass) and when I was loading to the russian ferry, in Anzali, agents made for me corrections for some money and 'closed their eyes' on my additional time I was in the country (about 9 days over limit).
The reason that I didn't get Cornet de passage (or how it called, I don't know) - that the point of exit from Iran must be the same as point of entrance (if I entered from Azejbaijan, I need to go back through Azerbaijan also). Since after Iran my way was routed directly to Russia over the sea, they said me they can only do transit documents for me.
I paid about 150 USD for the agent. This included all taxes, border fees, and agent's fee, also I didn't do anything but waited for 4 hours while that agent was running through the customs area making signs, staps, paper copies, etc,etc,etc..
They gave me about 12 papers (A4 format) for the car )) Everything was in Farsi. As I understood, there were letters, certificates, tables and all other sh*t.

When I was leaving the Iran at Anzali port I paid additional 100 USD for the same procedure and it took about 10 hours in total to prepare all documents.

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