g,day folks
my partner and i are currently in bangkok, we are flying to bangladesh on tues 2nd july and our bike will be following on thurs 4th. my question is should we give the freight forwarder our carnet? he insists that it is standard procedure and seems to know his stuff but i am uncertain as to let it out of my sight! he tells us that the carnet will be waiting for us at the airport in bangladesh, anybody help?

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Ralph, please read the following through, then respond. You're in dangerous territory!

Thailand is one of the few countries in Asia which DOES NOT honor the Carnet. In fact, if you look at the list of countries on the back of your Carnet, Thailand is not on the list.

The standard procedure for Thailand is that the border official stamps the drivers' passport with the bike details, which effectively prevents the driver from leaving the country without the bike. Connor Carson had to drive back to Malaysia and use his carnet to fly out to the UK last year, because of this. See his story:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tst...and.shtml#Home

So, the KEY question is: When you entered Thailand, did the border official actually stamp your Carnet (instead of your passport)?

If they stamped your passport, then put the Carnet away safely until you get to Bangladesh.

If they stamped the Carnet, I'm not sure what the Customs officials at Bangkok Airport will make of it, and it may cause problems.

First, I would try another freight forwarder. David and Cheryl Laing flew from Bangkok to Kathmandu last year, and used Barry Crawford at East West Air Services. See the shipment details for contact info:

NOTE: - as of June 2004 Crawford is no longer interested in shipping bikes. See http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb...ML/000505.html for more details. (Grant)

Then, if you get the same response from both freight agents, I would seriously consider driving back to Malaysia and flying out of there instead.

I would be EXTREMELY WARY of letting the Carnet out of your possession, any more than you would let someone take your passport and forward it on to you in another country!
It is NEVER 'standard procedure' to do so, and if the agent is telling you it is, I'd say he's lying. Especially as it cannot be standard procedure in Thailand to deal with carnets in ANY respect!

Finally, note that it's only getting the bike out of Thailand that you need to be concerned about, as retrieving the bike is usually straightforward with the carnet. And as long as you have an entry stamp into Bangladesh, the lack of an exit stamp in Thailand is not a big deal. Since Thailand doesn't honor the Carnet anyway, it certainly won't be claiming on it!

Good luck, please let us know what you decide to do.

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Susan Johnson

'One world, two wheels'
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com


[This message has been edited by Susan (edited 30 June 2002).]

[This message has been edited by Grant Johnson (edited 15 June 2004).]

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Susan Johnson

Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Thailand is a funny one when it comes to carnet use. While the carnet is not officially valid we found that on some border crossings into thailand they insist that you use the carnet. This can sometimes work in your favour as there is no time limit with the carnet and often you have to renew your 'proper' customs papers issued at the border as these are usually issued only for a month Sometimes this can be difficult to renew and can cost a handful of unofficial monies to the customs officer.Our final exit from thailand to nepal was air freight and they insisted on stamping our carnets but we took them to the customs office with the agent and we did not need to leave the carnet with them.
DO NOT LET THEM KEEP YOUR CARNET.

hi folks
i took your advice and retrieved my carnet from the freight forwarder. i then went to bangkok airport and talked to the guy in charge of customs. he told me that he didnt really care what i did with my carnet! as you say, thailand doesnt honour them. we are now in bangladesh waiting for the bike to arrive on friday so i will keep you posted. fingers crossed!
ralph dixon.