Make sure that your passport is valid for the duration of your trip, many countries require that your passport is valid for a period of six months after your departure date from that country. Trying to renew a passport while overlanding is not only difficult but can be very time consuming. Remember too that many countries will want a clean page in your passport in order to stamp their visa. If you have a well used passport or it is coming up for renewal them change it before you leave. In the UK you can apply for a larger (48 page) passport although it costs a little more. We have decided not to apply for visas in advance but to get them as we travel. Planned routes often change and timings cannot always be guaranteed, some countries will only issue visas for short periods of time, others require an entry date. Our plan is to get our visas a few countries in advance hopefully making life and the planning process a little easier.... Visa information
This is an essential document when undertaking an overland journey. and can be very expensive. The Carnet de Passage is issued by your country's automobile organization, in England it is the RAC that issues them. If you use the RAC, you should contact Paul Gowen who is very helpful (pkgowen@rac.co.uk) - tel: 01454 208000). This document serves as a passport for your car and guarantees the authorities that you won't sell your car without paying the appropriate customs duties. However this guarantee does come with a large deposit - depending on the country you enter it can be as much as 2-5 times the value of your vehicle. So if you do sell your car or cannot provide proof that you haven't you will loose your deposit.
The Carnet is a booklet with a number of identical pages (up to 25). When you enter a country, the customs official should stamp section 1, and remove section 3 (importation voucher). When you leave the country you must get another stamp in section 1, and the customs officer will remove section 2 (exportation voucher). The country will then match up sections 2 & 3 and you will then be cleared from paying any duties. At the end of your journey you need to have a Certificate of Location form completed, which proves the car has been re-imported into the country where the Carnet was issued. This form together with the properly stamped pages from all the countries visited, must be returned to the issuing club, your deposit is then refunded.
You should apply early for your Carnet, you can stipulate a start date that suits you, the Carnet is valid for one year from that start date. You must arrange a deposit which is refundable, provide a bank guarantee, or take out an insurance indemnity, which will cover the RAC in case a claim is made against them for customs duties.
How much does a Carnet cost? The Carnet value is based on a multiple of your vehicles value. You are responsible for providing a reasonable value for your vehicle, although it is in your interests to make it as low as possible. Rates for Africa are:
150% of vehicle value - Africa (excluding Egypt, Kenya and Nigeria)
200% of vehicle value - Kenya, Nigeria, Libya, Iran, Middle East.
500% of vehicle value - Egypt.
So if your car is valued at £ 10,000 then you will have to provide a bank guarantee or an insurance indemnity or a cash deposit of £ 15,000 for most African countries but £ 20,000 if you plan to visit Kenya, Nigeria etc and a massive £ 50,000 if you go to Egypt.
Normally you need to apply for a carnet in your own country, most automobile organization's will only issue carnet's for vehicles registered in their own country and to applicants who reside in their country. However as we live in Italy and had problems trying to organize our carnet with the Italian ACI, we got in touch with the ADAC in Germany. Not only did they issue us with a carnet but the deposit/bank guarantee was considerably less and the carnet was issued within 5 days of receiving our application. Karina Stephani at ADAC was our contact and could not have been more helpful. We might have been lucky with our application as I have heard that even the ADAC are not now issuing carnets to foreigners, but its worth a try! Karina can be contacted at karina.stephani@adac.de
Although most countries will accept a UK driving licence others require an International Driving Permit. These permits can be obtained from the AA, RAC or the Post Office in the UK are valid for one year and cost about £5.
Tip: Its worth getting two or three International driving licences, there are times when its easier to leave a licence behind rather than pay a bribe to a stubborn official. For the same reason colour photocopy your driving licence and get it laminated, if you make a number of copies they can also be used as identity when checking into campsites etc and you don't have to worry about them getting lost.
Make sure you obtain an International Vaccination Certificate. This is a passport size document and will contain a complete record of all your vaccinations. This document must be carried with you when crossing borders. It is essential that you have a Yellow Fever jab, it is compulsory in most African countries.
You should take a letter which has been signed and stamped by your doctor, for all medications you are carrying with you - including vitamin tablets. This necessary as permission is required when taking any medications across borders.
Always keep a list of your credit card details (numbers etc) together with the telephone numbers you need to contact in case cards are lost or stolen. Credit cards are great in case of emergencies. You will not find cash machines everywhere, but you can usually get cash in the main city centres. We decided to carry some US dollars, £ Sterling as well as some € euros - cash is accepted everywhere and is the easiest way to bargain. Note: in West Africa we found that everybody accepting foreign currency only wanted cash in EURO's.
Write down the serial numbers of all your electronic equipment, computers and cameras and keep this list in a safe place. If possible carry proof of purchase as well.
It is a good idea to have the embassy and consulate contact information for each country you intend to visit. Don't forget to carry a list of contacts back home with telephone numbers in case of emergencies. Its a good idea to leave a photocopy of all your documents with someone at home, that way if you do loose everything at least you will have a contact with all the details, which might just get you out of a sticky situation and will certainly make obtaining replacements easier.
Letter of Introduction from your embassy. Depending on where you plan to travel and where you obtain your visas a letter of introduction from your embassy can be helpful. They can however be expensive as embassies charge you for issuing them.
Carte Gris (Grey Card): An official document that gives a translation of your car's details, obtainable from your national motoring organization. Can be useful and ease your way in the former French countries. We have never had one however and have had no problems as a result.
Camping Carnet: Available to members of national motoring orgaizations (AA, RAC) The card can be used to obtain discounts at camping sites throughout Europe and entitle's the holder to 3rd party insurance while using these campsites.