Carnets

Before you travel overseas with your car, take advantage of RACQ’s worldwide reciprocal motoring services. We can help organise your Carnet for hassle free motoring while you’re away.

A passport for your car (Carnet de Passages en Douane)

Carnet (pronounced car-nay) is a simple customs document that saves time, effort and expense. It acts as a passport for your motor vehicle when you take it overseas.

Carnet (the word comes from the French meaning 'notebook') contains a set of vouchers. Customs officers simply take one voucher every time you pass in and out of each country. This allows the temporary importation of vehicles with a minimum of customs formalities for international drivers.

A Carnet is essential for the temporary importation of vehicles into African, Asian, Middle East and South American countries and New Zealand. A Carnet is not required for motor cars, campervans and motorcycles entering all countries in Europe or the continent of North America for touring purposes.

The Australian Automobile Association is a member of the AIT/FIA Carnet network. This network guarantees to customs authorities around the world payment of customs duties on motor vehicles temporarily imported for touring purposes.

If you'll be driving internationally and want to get a Carnet, you must be a financial member of a constituent motoring organisation of the AAA (for example, an RACQ member).

To organise your Carnet you need to fill out an application form and provide security in one of the following forms:

• undertake an indemnity executed by an approved financial institution, such as a bank, building society, credit union or insurance company
• a cash deposit in the form of a bank cheque representing the security required, or
• payment of a premium for a special indemnity insurance policy, available through the AAA

The amount of security required depends on the countries to be visited and the current market value and type of vehicle being used. Security, expressed as a percentage of the current market value of the vehicle, could vary from 50% to 470%.

Your security deposit will be released when the Carnet has been discharged by the Australian customs authorities and has been returned to the AAA Constituent member from where it was obtained.

An administration fee of $400 is payable in addition to the amount of security required.

More information

Download an application form or call 07 3361 2352 for more information.