paperwork

Paperwork

Mountains and mountains of it ...

This is one particularly frustrating part of this whole idea of driving through Africa. As far as planning for it is concerned, you need to set aside months rather than weeks.

The documentation you need for an expedition such as this is enormous. A large amount of time is spent just finding out which organisations we need to contact let alone what specific forms we need to submit. The various contact names given, have quite often changed too.

Our situation has been further complicated by the fact that we are not only planning a drive down through Africa, but are also in the process of re-mortgaging our home, emigrating and shipping our household and second car.

At least we are now on the other side of this particular paper mountain range, with a lot of very valuable documentation in our grubby paws.

Here is a breakdown of what is required:

Carnet De Passages En Douane

This document [generally referred to as a "carnet"] is issued by motoring organisations worldwide allowing you to temporarily import your vehicle into certain countries without paying customs duties and taxes. The document guarantees that if for whatever reason the vehicle is not re-exported, the issuing organisation will pay the duties liable.

In the UK, the RAC (Royal Automobile Club) is the only organisation which issues this document, and in South Africa you can get it from the AA (Automobile Association).

A very good contact at the RAC is Paul Gowen, who is completely in touch with what is required for your particular situation. For example, as South Africans we were told we will not be issued with a Carnet for the southern african countries of Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. For these countries we would have to apply for a Letter of Authority and full Import Permit into South Africa, which is a whole different ball game.

For the Carnet you need to submit:

    • Copy of Passport

    • Copy of Vehicle Registration Document (ie. V5C)

    • Carnet Application Form

    • Some form of Indemnity guarantee - Bank Guarantee (obtained from your bank) / Insurance Indemnity (from company called RL Davison) / Cash Deposit)

The indemnity amount required by RAC depends on the rates of customs duty and taxes in the countries visited, but is always a multiple of the value of the vehicle.

SECURITY RATE TABLE @ OCTOBER 2006 shows as follows -

South Africa - ......................................................................................... 150% (£5,000 value x 150% = £7,500)

Egypt - .................................................................................................. 800%

Africa (excluding Egypt/Kenya) - ............................................................150%

Iran, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal - ................................................ 500%

Japan/New Zealand - ...........................................................................150%

Kenya/Libya/Middle East & Far East (e.g. Singapore/Malaysia) - ......... 200%

Australia - ..............................................................................................150% [+ £5,000 Vehicle Import Approval supplement (cars only)]

South America - .................................................................................... 300%

____________________________________________________________

Import Permit

In South Africa this is obtained from ITAC (International Trade Commission of South Africa). The good news is that it is free.

____________________________________________________________

Letter of Authority

This gets a little complicated and expensive. In order to apply for a Letter of Authority (LOA) you need to have a Certificate of Compliance/Conformity from the vehicles original manufacturers in the country of manufacture.

In our case we needed a Letter of Authority from the SABS (South African Bureau of Standards) in Pretoria and a Certificate of Compliance/Conformity from Land Rover HQ in the UK as the vehicle was built by Landrover Specialist Vehicles in Solihull (Birmingham). You pay hugely for this simple little document certifying that the vehicle was built to European Community regulations, but unfortunately you have to have it.

____________________________________________________________