Entering Europe with foreign registered vehicle

[Thomas1270]

Does anybody have experience importing their foreign registered vehicle into Europe without a carnet

 

[El-Dracho]

Hi Thomas,

Welcome to Overland Bound.

If you like to introcude yourself to the other members here, you could do that here:

Member Introductions *NEW MEMBERS INTRODUCE YOURSELF* | OVERLAND BOUND COMMUNITY

Are you going to enter Europe via land border or ship the rig here into a port and as a tourist?

Several friends of mine have already overlanded to Europe via land border and around here with vehicles that are permanently registered in Australia. The import is done via TIP.

Please be aware that you need 3rd partd liability insurance for the rig in many countries. Often you can get it at the borders (we here also have to do that for Kosovo for example, nothing special). We call it green card insurance (which is not green anymore but white), could also be arranged by a broker, for example Tourinsure in Hamburg, Germany offers this service for incoming vehicles. I have made very good experiences with their servive and you will find them on the OB map. Pay attention, the scope of the countries covered in Europe is with a non-europe registered vehicle often less than that of European registered vehicles and it may be more expensive. You have to check, but I can help you with that.

Check also the OB Map. You will find plenty of POIs which might be useful for your trip.
Regarding the use of a CdP, check out the OB boot article about it.

Bjoern

 

[Alanymarce]

Good advice from El-Dracho.

Two more thoughts:

1) Be aware that to travel in some countries in Europe you'll need a vignette (which is a permit to use the roads) -
Austria, Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland (that's all of them I think). You can buy them online in most cases.

2) Your question says "importing" which could mean importing (as such) or could mean bringing the vehicle in temporarily as a visitor. For the latter, as noted in El-Dracho's reply, a TIP can be used instead of a carnet. In case you mean importing, with the intent to register your vehicle in a country in Europe, the process is entirely different. I've done this a couple of times, with a USA-registered vehicle and with a Canadian-registered vehicle, and it was fairly straightforward but there are lots of hoops through which to jump, including things like changing lights meet national standards, ensuring that glass meets national standards, and others. In addition there will be customs duty and/or import taxes, and vehicle inspections beyond the simple process for temporary entry.

 

[Thomas1270]

Thank you for a very comprehensive answers. I perhaps should not have used the word import, our Landcruiser is in South Africa at the moment and we are considering have it container shipped to Rotterdam to continue our journey. It does not have a Carnet hence the question I asked. I have been getting conflicting opinions on the customs requirements to get the vehicle into Netherlands via a sea port then EU. So I am considering whether to get another CdP or can I get a TIP at a port point of entry in the same way a TIP can be obtained at a land border crossing.

 

[Alanymarce]

I've shipped vehicles into Europe a couple of times, however on both occasions imported them (in the sense of registering them locally) so no personal experience, however I am fairly sure that you can get a TIP in most countries. Try looking at national customs websites to gain clarity.

 

[roamingyak]

You may consider looking at a country just outside of the EU, and then driving it across the border into the EU. Shipping can create all sorts of paperwork problems that driving across doesn't.
Shipping and flights etc might be cheaper to Turkey, Morocco or even the UK for example.
Your other issue may be getting (mandatory) insurance. Heard vaguely that insurance from Turkey can be purchased for use in the EU...?

 

[Thomas1270]

You may consider looking at a country just outside of the EU, and then driving it across the border into the EU. Shipping can create all sorts of paperwork problems that driving across doesn't.
Shipping and flights etc might be cheaper to Turkey, Morocco or even the UK for example.
Your other issue may be getting (mandatory) insurance. Heard vaguely that insurance from Turkey can be purchased for use in the EU...?

Gday Darrin, Thanks for that suggestion, it looks like entry into UK through a port is fairly straight forward then crossing the channel to France also uncomplicated. I have dealt with Tourinsure previously so I am familiar with their offerings for coverage in Europe. Cheers

 

[HudsonJames]

Good advice from El-Dracho.

Two more thoughts:

1) Be aware that to travel in some countries in Europe you'll need a vignette (which is a permit to use the roads) -
Austria, Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland (that's all of them I think). You can buy them online in most cases.

2) Your question says "importing" which could mean importing (as such) or could mean bringing the vehicle in temporarily as a visitor. For the latter, as noted in El-Dracho's reply, a TIP can be used instead of a carnet. In case you mean importing, with the intent to register your vehicle in a country in Europe, the process is entirely different. I've done this a couple of times, with a USA-registered vehicle and with a Canadian-registered vehicle, and it was fairly straightforward but there are lots of hoops through which to jump, including things like changing lights meet national standards, ensuring that glass meets national standards, and others. In addition there will be customs duty and/or import taxes, and vehicle inspections beyond the simple process for temporary entry.

I’m not sure about the specific process, but I’m curious to know as well. From what I understand, importing a foreign-registered vehicle into Europe typically requires some paperwork, customs duties, and possibly taxes. A carnet might make the process smoother, but I’d love to hear more about the experience of doing this without one and how to handle it. My friend recommended this Write My Lab Report: Expert Lab Report Writing Service service when I was stuck on a challenging lab report. I decided to give it a try, and I’m so glad I did. The report they provided was thorough, accurate, and written in a professional tone. It saved me hours of stress and effort. This service is a fantastic resource for students who need help managing their academic workload effectively.

Thank you so much. I will keep it in mind.