Just crossed to Nigeria from Benin at Tchikandou, this was the first place customs asked for carnet, and were surprised I didnt have one. At first they did not know what to do, and as the the border police stamped me in, they were thinking just letting me go just like that, but eventually gave a nice paper, which had all the stuff of temp. import, like lasser-passer. Not sure why they need the carnet if they have this nice paper. Very helpful guys, and also, there was a gorgeus babe working there, and I did not want leave the post anymore. yeahh

by the way, they gave me that paper for free.

Hi Motango, useful info you gave us - directly from the ground.

What countries have you crossed until you reached Benin? Have you been to Guiné-Bissau?

Best Regards,
Luis Cabrita
Portugal

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Luis Cabrita, Honda XRV 750 Africa Twin '97
Flickr & PolarSteps

Hi Luis,
crossed Marocco, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina, Benin.

Edit: Cameroon lasspasser 8000 CFA, crossed about 5 days ago, no problems, the babe working there took 10 000, 2000 cfa *for the form*, no pay for sure, but did not feel like fighting that time. The road from Ekok was big fight after the rain.

3 days ago crossed into Gabon, funny, customs officer did not have any lpasser forms and stamped my camerounian lpasser on the back, for free. Glad I did not gave the paper away when leaving Cameroun.

also, a spanish guy crossed into Ghana without carnet

Congo lpasser 10 000 CFA, no problem.

Cabinda LP free, stamps on the back of Camerounian one.
DRC free, stamps on the back.
Big Angola free, stamps on the back.
Namibia free, just the ****ing road tax

maybe with a car would be a different story, dont care, some people dont have money for the carnet and this false info on the hubb puts them off from going to Africa, hight time updating it.

total for crossing Africa by W. Coast without a carnet: 70 euros
no bribes, no problems, no headaches. Still wanna buy a bullshit carnet?

I'm in the process of applying for my carnet. I've not paid any money yet but i'm about to.

I'm travelling from the UK-Capetown down the east coast going through Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, SA

My costs will be with my DRZ worth £1055 with 800% for Egypt = £8044

So...

Carnet Document = £195
Bank guarantee admin = £55
Bank guarantee fee from barclays bank = £120

Thats about £370 in total, NONE of which I will get back.

I'm still getting the Carnet as it's my first time overlanding in Africa and it's a big piece of mind and a bit of comfort. Also, I can't be bothered with the stress that some people seem to relish at borders. It also gives me the freedom to go where I chose. Once I've done the trip, I might not bother the next time.

No disrespect to people who say it's not needed, but it's hard to just trust info pulled off a website by someone I've never met. You're probably right but I just dont know that do I !!!

I dont think £370 is that expensive considering im away for 7 months and crossing 12 African countries. I don't know how much the border costs may be without a carnet accross those countries but they could be the same or more.

I'm not prepared to be turned back from a country because I don't have a document that I could of easily obtained.

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

I think that's fair enough really Ted and to anyone who chooses to do so.

I'm heading the same route as Ted but a little later and there will likely be three of us NOT taking carnets. I think we agree that going via Egypt may be 'difficult' ... it may be 'impossible'... either at first, on day one - it may be possible on day 2 of waiting there... then again, it may not be. It has NOT been 'impossible' for everyone.

As an idea of how little temporary tax documentation is understood - the response this week from the Egyptian embassy was:

'I believe you will need a Carnet. You should speak with you automobile association.'

With respect to the RAC their role is to administer the process, not enforce it. They can only be expected to assist with questions about the administration process.

Coming from a legal perspective I like to be certain of what it is and why I'm required to comply with a certain procedure. 'Believe' makes me smile, and makes me fancy my chances. But then its all about chances really.

Thanks to every one who has conributed a bit of their personal experience.

We've just come back from Western Africa.
Morocco & Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana
We had a 10-page Carnet.

It was NECESSARY only for Ghana but we used it in Burkina Faso as well instead of paying for a Passe Avant/Laisser Passer.
We had to explain to the officials how to fill it in but it wasn't a problem.

Note: It's no longer accepted by Senegalese authorities.

Ted, if you dont trust the people writing here, not sure what da **** are u doing here.

Milton, hmm, no comment..

About Ghana: it is not necessary, as I wrote above, my spanish friend crossed without a carnet, no prob. With bike. You might get problems depending who is working at the border that day. Try next day, if unlucky. Dont shout.

Tom, dont listen to what an embassy said or whatever, they dont care, I had ambassadors telling me that it is impossible to cross into certain African countries without a carnet.

Sb wrote that Africa is impossible on a shoestring. Bullshit. Visas and and lasser passers all across west coast was about 580 euros. No bribes paid, and no insurance bought, exept for a couple of countries.

I dont see any point in this discussion anymore. javier already in 2006 wrote about this carnet necessity thingy, nb gives a shit, and info on the carnet page is kept unchanged. Those who have money, will keep buying carnet, I am writing for those guys, whose whole budget is the cost of the carnet, or even half of that. Just go guys.

The vast majority of advice on the hubb is spot on and accurate but some of it isn't ! Some of it is plain nonsense too. Some people will write anything for the sake of writing it..

I know through experience...

There are some people who I will listen to without question because I know them or built up a sort of trust in what they're saying over the years. There are some people with only a few posts who I have no idea who they are or where they've been. Ill read what they're saying, but i'll make my own mind up whether to take it on board.


If you took for gospell everything you read off the internet without question or cross reference, you're a friggin idiot. Ain't you got your own brain ?

Collecting opinions and information of a few people, cross referencing it and making my own judgements is " What "DA ****" am I doing here"

Like everyone else with half a brain no doubt !!

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

I wasn't going to get a carnet for my West-Africa tour, but since we're going with Mafratours (ferry) from Antwerp to Dakar, they demand we get a carnet. According to them, when you arrive in Senegal by sea, you need a carnet. Does anyone know what's the deal here? Others say a carnet is simply not accepted anymore in Senegal, so I risk buying a expensive carnet I don't use.

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http://tony-ontheroad.blogspot.com/

Hey everyone - great thread, very interesting and informative - and recent!

Travelling West Africa... UK to Cape Town in November...We were going to get carnet... as advised by a tour company, websites etc... but I dont think we will bother now -not really because of the cost of the carnet, but the hassle of underwriting it - bank / insurer. Theres enough to organise already, so if we dont need one - great ! Plus we dont actually want to comply with the carent :confused1: - we will be 2 riders to CapeTown, and 1 driver will be leaving us from Accra and we want to leave the 4x4 there as it is not worth shipping anywhere. If Accra is not the best option due to being stricter with paperwork etc, we coulf leave it in Ivory Coast... maybe Benin..Originally wanted to ship the bikes (which we will buy in the UK) back to Australia, but we cannot import them. So unless we can sell them in CapeTown with prior arrangement (????) anyone? , we will have to ship them back to the UK ($$$) to be bought back off us there... unless any other ideas,,,,

I read Motango talk about no need for a carnet in Ghana.

There it depends on where you wan't to enter - which borderpost. The one on the main Ouaga-Accra has it's own counter where they issue some kind of Laissez-passez for about 20 Cedi (that was late 2008). We tried to enter at the Hamale-border, took us a whole day and in the end the sent us back to Burkina. At the Leo-border also not possible.

But . . . if you really HAVE to enter at one of these two, tell them that you're going to leave at their border again. That way they think they don't run the risk of getting into trouble.

cheers & good luck

PS. that was by car, i could imagine that on a bike it might be easier. We crossed Mauretania, Senegal, Mali, Burkina, Togo, Benin without carnet - starting from nigeria all the way down to SA we used a carnet.

Hi everybody!

Great thread - very lively and packed with useful personal experiences on the whole "to carnet or not to carnet" issue.

For me, given the expense involved in getting one (especially for a 4wd), it's tempting to just forget it and "wing it" along the way. However, research into potential costs of TIPs and other border costs seems to suggest that this could be as costly, if not more so.

So I guess it just comes down to personal preference in the end. Whichever way you look at it, travelling with a vehicle across Africa is a pricey undertaking so I've resigned myself to the fact that I will bankrupt myself doing it, whichever course of action I take!

Jeanie

Is this not a case of 99.9% of the time you dont need one (getting away with it) but if your there on the wrong day at the wrong time with the wrong boarder guard ...... your in the brown stuff?

Politics plays a large part in who gets away with it.

I would go without one but understand that i may have to re-route/plan for the Africa effect :confused1:

You pays your money ... or not

Tom

Hi Javier,
Sorry to bother you but I was wondering if you could help me.... ?

We are wanting to drive a 4x4 from London to Accra, and leave the vehicle there, as it is not worth shipping to anywhere ($$$). Are we then best not to get a carnet? We do not care to make any money from it, but what should we do regarding registration papers?

I dont think we will use a carnet for the bikes (x2).... travelling UK, France, Spain, morocco, mauritania, senegal, gambia, guinea, guinea bisseau, sierra leone, liberia, ivory coast,ghana (where our driver flies out from ) then continuing on bikes ...benin, togo, cameroon, congo, algeria to capetown. Shipping the bikes back to UK. Bit costly as we are from Australia, so we are buying bikes in Lon, and cannot ship them home due to import laws.

Thank you,
Carolyn,