Carnet & Shipping

CARNET & SHIPPING

CARNET: 

A  Carnet de Passages en Douane (pronounced “Car- Nay”) is basically a passport for your vehicle when traveling into another country. The Carnet is valid for 12 months and allows visitors to temporarily import their vehicles for a limited period of time with a minimum of formalities and without the need to make a cash deposit at the frontier in local currency, equivalent to the Customs Duty and other taxes

You can apply for a Carnet through any AAA state office, I applied for mine at the AANT branch in Darwin and the process went reasonably smoothly. I received the Carnet within a month of application, it’s worth noting that the girls in the office don’t organise too many Carnet’s so a little patience is required when completing the application and handing in the required documents.

The fees vary depending on the value of your vehicle plus accessories and which countries you intend to travel through, a breakdown of the fees as of when I travelled is as follows:

A special indemnity insurance premium is based on 2% of the market value of the vehicle with a minimum premium of $300.00 and a refundable deposit of $250.00.  

A fee of $400.00 is payable in addition to the amount of security required.

Country                      Private Motor Vehicles            Motorcycles

Japan                                               100%                                      100%
Australia                                          100%                                      30%
Egypt                                               200%                                     100%
New Zealand                                   50%                                        25%
Middle East                                     150%                                      100%
Iran                                                  470%                                      470%
South Africa                                    150%                                     100%
India/Sri Lanka                                400%                                    400%
Pakistan                                            400%                                    400%
South America                                 300%                                    200%
Indonesia                                          200%                                    150%
Malaysia                                           200%                                    200%
Trans Africa                                     200%                                    150%
Europe                                              100%                                    50%
Syria                                                 400%                                    400%
 

Example:                                                                                                                                                                                                            Motorcycle Value = $10,000 (10,000 x 2% =$200)

Traveling to Indonesia: $200x 150% = $300 special indemnity premium + $250 refundable deposit + $400 admin fee       TOTAL: $950.00

Traveling to India: $200 x 400% + $800 special indemnity premium + $250 refundable deposit + $400 admin fee       TOTAL: $1450.00

For more info check out the AAA webpage and follow the links to Carnet's
www.aaa.asn.au/international-services/                                                                                          

AAA were really helpful when I called them directly however they recently had a few staff changes in the department that processes Carnet's
Ph : +61 2 6261 4407

 

SHIPPING:
 

Darwin To Dili:

Dili from Darwin seems to be the most popular way of getting a vehicle from Australia to Asia (or Vice Versa if coming from the opposite direction). It’s a fairly short shipping distance and is done by enough people these days for it to be a fairly simple task. The other benefit of using Dili as a starting point, as opposed to Singapore or Jakarta is that it lets you explore Timor Letse and some of Indonesia’s most stunning islands, both of which are very worthwhile. My main concern was that it meant taking a few ferries between the Indonesian islands to get to Java, this turned out to be a non-issue because the ferries ran on a reliable timetable and getting the bike on was an easy process. I was also a little worried about the reliability of East Timorese customs which once again wasn’t an issue, all the paperwork went through smoothly, as did the land border crossing with Indonesia. 

Organising the shipping from Darwin was simple enough, although over the last few years it has become much more expensive and a little more complicated due to the main shipping company for the route, Perkins being bought by ANL.

There are a few companies involved in the shipping process, ANL are the shipper but Toll Global run the port in Dili, this means you can book through either of the companies, I booked through Toll and things went quite smoothly. The actual packing of the container is done by a company called PJ’s, I dropped the bike off at their depot with my own tie down straps and let them take care of the packing, the bike arrived in Dili in perfect condition.

I had the choice of loading the bike in a crate or putting it straight into the container, I chose to load it directly into the container and the guys at PJ’s need to be commended because they did a great job of tying it down, it arrived in Dili as securely as it left Darwin. My first preference was to place the bike in a crate however the process had a few problems. 1) The standard BMW crate required removal of the front wheel, not an issue in Aus, but I didn’t want to get stuck in the shipping yard in Dili trying to replace a wheel. I looked at crates from larger bikes such as Harleys so I could pack it straight in with minimal adjustments to the bike, however they were generally too low. Modifying an existing crate or manufacturing my own was possible but it meant extra cost plus the headache of transport to the shipping yard. 2) The local BMW dealer wanted to charge me $150 for a crate (as did the other bikeshops in Darwin) plus $150. p/h to pack the bike, this would of added up to $450 before I even got on the boat, plus I had the problem of transporting the crate, with bike in it, to the shipping yard.

The bike is obviously more secure and I believe that the shipping cost are cheaper if the bike is in a crate but with all the extra dollars involved in crating and the convenience of being able to ride straight to the shipping yard, loading directly into the container was the best option for me. Be aware that costs vary, I was charged almost twice more than expected and then originally quoted, a friend shipped a similar bike one month prior and paid a few hundred dollars less.

Shipping Cost Darwin to Dili: AU $1012.66

Import/ Wharf charges, Dili: US $59.48

Toll Global 
3Lancaster Drive (Near The Airport)
Marrara NT 0812
www.tollgroup.com/tollglobalforwarding
Tel +618 8945 5630                                                                  

PJ’s Customs Brokers       
1/3302 Export Drive
Darwin Business Park
Berrimah NT 0828
www.pjscustoms.com.au
Tel +618 8947 2575
                                                                                                                              

 

Kupang to Larrantuka (West Timor - Flores):

At the time of my travels 3 Ferries ran from Kupang to the island of Flores per week, two go to Larantuka and one goes to Ende. Larruntuka is the Eastern most port of Flores and was the better option for me as it meant I could ride the whole island from East to West without the need for doubling back.  I had a local friend that helped to buy the ticket and I suspect I got a cheaper "medium" bike price thanks to him, he also translated the loudspeaker announcements ensuring I loaded the bike on at the right time. It was a simple process, tickets are purchased on the day of departure and it was a matter of riding straight on and off the ferry, I had the option of tying the bike down but it was quite stable on the center stand so I chose not to. Many passengers stayed downstairs, rolling out mats on the ground, I chose to roll mine out next to the bike and managed to get a decent amount of sleep during the trip

Duration: 14 Hours
Cost: Rp. 212,000.

Labuan Bajo to Sape (Flores - Sambawa):

Catching the ferry from the island of Flores to Sumbawa was a fairly simple process, ferries depart daily from Labuan Bajo, generally around 9am. I turned up at the terminal at 7am but had to wait until 7:30am for the ticket office to open, I had to show my registration papers and was charged the higher fee for a large bike, which is based on cc's. I rode straight onto the ferry and was ushered into my parking position, the staff advised me to strap the bike down, which was easy as I has my own tie downs. Disembarking at Sape was also a simple affair, just a matter of riding straight off with no hassles.

 

Duration: 6 Hours

Cost: Rp. 350,000.

Poto Tano to Labuan Lombok (Sambawa - Lombok):

This was the easiest ferry to catch yet, the ferries leave every hour 24 hours a day so it was literally 30 minutes between riding into town and being on the ferry and on my way to Lombok. Poto Tano is a small town so it was easy to get to the terminal without a map, there was a ferry waiting and no line up at the ticket booth. I wasn't asked for rego papers and was only charged the small bike price, the booth attendant asked how many cc's the bike was but it was purely for personal interest.

Duration: 1.5 Hours

Cost: Rp. 94,000.

 

Lembar to Padang Bai (Lombok - Bali):

 

Once again catching the ferry was a very simple process, ferries leave hourly so it's just a matter of turning up, paying at the toll booth and riding straight on the Ferry. I almost got away with paying the small bike price but they see quite a few more touring bikes as you get closer to Bali and they were quick to adjust it to the large bike price. The crossing between Lombok and Bali was the roughest yet and I was glad I had the bike parked well away from the swaying trucks and well tied down with four ratchet straps.

 

Duration: 4.5 Hours

Cost: Rp. 350,000.

 

Gilimanuk to Ketapang (Bali - Java):

Another very easy ferry to catch, the town of Gilimanuk is quite small and you can find the Ferry terminal without GPS or a map if you need to. The only hick up I had was being stopped at the police check point, they checked my international drivers license and registration papers quite thoroughly but everything was in order so they ended up being quite pleasant. This ferry was the cheapest yet, the price for a motorcycle over 500 cc was only 39,000 Rupiah. Ferries run around the clock so its just a matter of turning up, buying your ticket and riding the bike on, from the time I parked the bike to the time I rode off the Ferry it was under an hour, the ferry trip itself was only 30 minutes. It was a smooth and short trip so I just put the bike on the centre stand and didn't bother with using tie downs.

 

Duration: 40 mins

Cost: Rp. 39,000.

Merak to Bakahueni (Java - Sumatra)

 

Once again, just turn up and ride aboard, the port at Bakahueni is full of ferries and they go ground the clock, its a decent ride along the highway to Lampung so its best not to catch the ferry too late or you may risk facing the Sumatran traffic at night, a horrible thought. Its a relatively short trip of about 2 hours to Sumatra but I thought I'd pay a few dollars and treat myself to the VIP area and grabbed a massage to boot, glorious way to spend the trip. There are also young guys that jump from the top of the railing into the water if you pay them a few thousand rupiah, its pretty damn high and quite a crowd forms when they jump

 

 

Duration:2 hours

Cost: Rp.105,000.