Carnet de Passages en Douane

A Carnet de Passages en Douane (CPD) is a globally insured customs guarantee document confirming that customs duties and taxes will be paid in case the vehicle does not return to the county of registration. Think of a CPD as a customs facilitation document used to cover the temporary import of your motorbike. This product is distributed and administered by the Alliance Internationale de Tourisme (AIT) and Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) – and can only be issued by AIT/FIA automobile clubs, including Australian Automobile Association (AAA).

A CPD CAN BE EXTENDED ONCE.

OBO Shipments that require CPD:

• Non-Australia registered motorbikes shipping to Australia

• Malaysia (not required for reconsolidation inside Port Klang Free Zone)

• South Africa

What if I left my home country without a CPD?

Touring Club Switzerland (TCS) can issue a CPD for persons who are not residing in Switzerland if there is no possibility to obtain a CPD in their residing country or with the agreement of their local club.

CPD Extension in Australia for Foreign Motorbikes

Extensions must be applied for via the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) 1 - 2 months prior to CPD expiry.

For example, a Euro Rider may ride from their home Europe country to Malaysia then ship with OBO to Australia. If there CPD is valid from 1st May (when they left their home Europe country) then they would apply for an extension in March.

The AAA then liaise with National Temporary Imports and Securities (NTIS), who are a part of the Customs Division in Australian Border Force (ABF). The AAA also liaise with the rider’s home automobile association. The rider must have a valid visa for the duration of the extension requested. Extensions are not automatic but are looked upon favourably on first request if the bike remains within the conditions of temporary importation, which means tourist / temporary resident use for touring purpose only.   

For a CPD Holder to Leave Australia

The holder must obtain prior permission from NTIS for the bike to remain in their absence.

The bike must be stored at a secure location, which should be supplied to NTIS on application. Absences should not be for long durations as ‘storage’ is not eligible under the temporary importation legislation. The total time out of the country should not exceed the time in the country or the temporary importation may be cancelled and liability become payable. Just to be clear – when working out time in and out of country it’s with respect to your bike’s import and export dates i.e. time starts from date of bike’s arrival and NOT rider’s arrival.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ‘BEND THE RULES’ ON THIS STUFF. Australian Border Force (ABF) systems are technologically advanced and all talk to each other. More info here:

www.abf.gov.au/importing-exporting-and-manufacturing/temporary-imports/carnets/cpd-carnets

JUST FOLLOW THE RULES AND EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE 😊

ATA Carnet

The ATA Carnet has become the document most widely used by the business community for the temporary import of goods, including 'event' motorbikes. The ATA Carnet is jointly administered by the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). The acronym ATA is a combination of French and English terms "Admission Temporaire / Temporary Admission".

Goods that are not eligible include motorbikes for personal use i.e. if you intend to use the motorbike as a means of transportation. Ultimately the ATA Carnet is NOT FOR TOURING. Although it gets done other parts of the world, we will not attempt to use an ATA Carnet for touring purposes.