Europe

Depot Location:
Milan, ITALY (ITMIL) 20mins Milano's Malpensa International Airport

Depot Secure Storage:
FREE 2 months (longer available on case-by-case basis)

CPD Required? For Aussie bike import to Italy generally YES is best. For Aussie bike export from Italy NO (but very handy).
We can use Temporary Import Permit (TIPs) but we generally won't mix with CPDs pending riders' collection dates.
$570 DISCOUNT APPLIES TO SINGLE SEASON EUROPE RETURN RIDERS USING CPD. READ MORE BELOW FOR DETAIL OF WHY WE USE CPD.

SHIPMENT | ROUTE | RIDE WINDOW

#1 Shipment | trans-Asia riders | 3 - 9 months
- Bikes ready to collect from Milan depot late April
- Bowl critical visas in Australia pre-trip
- Exit from Kathmandu or Kuala Lumpur
www.ownbikeodyssey.com/destinations/asia

#2 Shipment | trans-Africa riders | 4 - 12 months
- Bikes ready to collect from Milan depot late August
- September ride to Morocco via Tarifa Spain or direct ferry from Genoa (2hrs from Milan)
- Bowl some visas in Rabat & explore Morocco October
- Launch on western run from Morocco in November
- Exit from Cape Town
www.ownbikeodyssey.com/destinations/africa

#1 or #2 Shipment | Trans Euro Trail & rookie overlanders | 1 - 7 months (or multi-season)
- Milan Depot is optimal location central to Europe's epic routes!
… and not just to the mountains but also anywhere on the Mediterranean via ferry options
- Rookies can make all sorts of stuff ups in Europe one season then ride to Kathmandu the following year with their new skills
- Tuscany + Corsica + Sardinia | Apr-May Sep-Oct
- Adriatic + Balkans | May-Jun Sep
- Alps High Passes | roughly mid-Jun to mid-Sep (pending weather different regions)
- School Holidays (plan accordingly!) | roughly late-Jun/start-Jul to end-Aug/start-Sep
e.g. good time for High Alps can be two week window after school holidays but before high passes close
- Pyrenees + Picos de Europa | mid-May to early-Oct
- Portugal + Andalusia | late-Sep to mid-Nov
- MOROCCO!!! | late-Sep to early-Nov (direct ferry link from Genoa)
… and of course make sure to checkout Trans Euro Trail, for which Milan is smack bang in the middle of!

#3 Shipment | return to Australia
- Container pack Milan mid-Nov
- Bikes ready to collect from Brisbane & Melbourne depots mid-Feb
- This is the ONLY shipment from Europe to Australia. It's not only perfect timing for all Aussie bikes to return home … but also for Euro riders to come explore the Land of Oz. Bikes are shipped during Europe's winter off-season, which is same time as Australia's summer … bikes might as well be in a shipping container rather than taking up valuable garage space.
www.ownbikeodyssey.com/destinations/australia

SCHENGEN VISA BASICS
www.smartraveller.gov.au/before-you-go/the-basics/schengen
- Australians can travel in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in a 180-day ROLLING period
- Plan a rough itinerary to ensure you meet the 90/180 rule
- Be strategic about when you enter and exit non-Schengen countries e.g. most Balkans countries, Turkey, Morocco, UK

WHY USE CARNET DE PASSAGES EN DOUANE (CPD) FOR MILAN SHIPMENT ?
www.aaa.asn.au/international-motoring/taking-my-vehicle-overseas/
- Cost is AU$1,139 + $500 bond refunded when CPD returned to AAA
- CPD is an incredibly useful document when used with a strategic PLAN
- CPD is not required for Europe BUT we do require it for temporary import to Italy where CPD is recognised (and the only country in Europe where we can extend CPD for multi-season riders).
- Bikes clear Customs via Italy’s premier port cluster along the Ligurian Sea: The Ports of Genoa (Genoa, Pra', Savona and Vado Ligure) & Port of La Spezia.
- CPDs are seamless via all terminals with entry stamped by Customs in import process
- The rider gets their CPD exit stamped at Italy Customs Office then ride Europe as per usual
- CPD is not used for other Europe countries. CPD is only used for Italy … then other countries outside of Europe as required eg Turkey, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cameroon, Congo, DRC, Southern Africa Customs Union (BW/NA/LS/SZ/ZA), etc.
- Time limits for a tourist's foreign registered motorbike in individual Europe countries are based on the premise that after a period of time (typically six months) the owner becomes a resident and therefore the bike needs to be permanently imported into that country = customs/duties/taxes.
- CPD is not required for Aussie bikes export return to Australia but very handy
- CPD is required for ALL non-Aussie bikes shipping to Australia for touring purpose

TEMPORARY IMPORT PERMIT (TIP) OPTION

- TIPs are problematic via Italy. Authorities in Italy are intense when it comes to the rules for tourist's foreign registered motorbikes. They have had too many cases of riders doing the wrong thing and most seaport terminals won't even process TIPs. However, we can use TIPs via a specific terminal provided that the bikes are exported via the same terminal within 6 months of import.
- You might think that all ports in the same EU country behave the same with respect to identical import operations but this is not always the case. Even terminals in the same location under the same port authority can behave differently.
- We can use TIPs if we get ten bikes interested. Generally we will not mix TIPs and CPDs in the same container pending riders' collection dates. For TIPs we are dependent on the shipping line discharging our container at our specific terminal as per our booking, however, if our terminal is congested then it is possible for the shipping line to instead discharge our container at an alternative terminal … then we have to wait for our container to be collected by another vessel for return to TIP terminal (even though it's only a 30min truck drive away). Albeit an incredibly rare scenario it's not worth the stress. Better to have all bikes under CPD with ability to clear Customs via any terminal.

$570 DISCOUNT APPLIES TO SINGLE SEASON EUROPE RETURN RIDERS TO SHARE THE COST OF CPD

WHY USE MILAN DEPOT IF CPD IS REQUIRED ?
- #1 priority route is trans-Asia to Nepal or Malaysia where CPDs are required
- #2 priority route is trans-Africa to Southern Africa Customs Union where CPD is required. There will be a second shipment with bikes ready Milan end of August with intention of trans-Africa riders launching from Morocco in November (with visas already bowled Rabat). It will also offer 3-month Europe window before return shipment to Australia.
- Ultimately Europe riders can share container to Europe with trans-Asia riders for 8-month ride window or share with trans-Africa riders for 3-month window, which is the premium Sep-Oct-Nov window for Alps-Spain-Portugal-Morocco then ferry back to Genoa.
- #3 priority routes include Trans Euro Trail (TET) and other Europe routes that are all located in southern regions: Alps, Corsica + Sardinia, Balkans, Pyrenees + Picos de Europa, Portugal and Morocco.
- Milan is the optimal depot location for our niche service given all these priority routes mentioned above

WE CAN OFFER EXTENDED RIDE WINDOW WITH CPD vs TIP
- TIP is strict 6 months between import and export but the actual available ride window is 5 months (late Apr to late Sep) when you subtract a month for import process (1w) + buffer (2w) + export process (1w)
- A 5 month ride window is a nuisance complying with 90/180 Schengen rule and maximising shoulder periods. We can instead offer 7 month ride window (start Apr to end Nov) with CPD.
- Why is this significant? A rider can strategically maximise Spring AND Autumn riding because the Schengen 90/180 rule is a ROLLING time period … and omit the hot + crowded summer months (unless they're going Nordic).
- For example, a rider could loop the Adriatic + Balkans (non-Schengen) + Alps in Spring … do something else for Europe's peak crowded summer … then loop Alps + Spain + MOROCCO (non-Schengen) + Portugal in Autumn
- UK is also non-Schengen if a rider wishes to include in their plan
- With strict TIP it was TOO HOT for Morocco at front and back ends of ride window but with increased ride window we can provide for optimal timing here (April with direct ferry from Genoa AND October).

ITALY IS THE ONLY COUNTRY IN EUROPE WHERE AUSSIES CAN EXTEND CPD (cost € 50)
- A CPD is valid for 12 months and can be extended ONCE for additional 12 months. CPD can also be used and extended in Turkey.
- This means a rookie rider could get their skills up one season in Europe where it is forgiving … extend their CPD … then ride more adventurous route to Kathmandu next season.
- South Africa won't accept extended CPDs so an additional CPD would need to be purchased for this route, which is simple IF bike exported from Australia with CPD.

FOR SINGLE SEASON EUROPE RIDERS WE WILL SHARE THE COST OF THE CPD BY DISCOUNTING THE RETURN SHIPMENT END OF SEASON BY $570

Please appreciate that we offer a niche motorbike logistics service tailored for overlanders between Australia and Round the World. Our shipments will always prioritise the specific requirements of overlander routes and timings.

THIRD-PARTY LIABILITY INSURANCE

You need to independently decide on third-party liability insurance for your journey (green card in Europe), which is a bit hard to do given the mess of the situation in the region. To simplify things, a summary of your options is provided below. We are not insurance brokers and cannot offer advice. Just understand that the options are different products – but they will all satisfy your legal requirement for border crossings, cop stops, etc. As for the use of digital signed copies, this evolved from covid when hard copy documents would not make it to the recipient on time (or at all). Digital signed copies have since been recognized as a much more streamlined + flexible service, whereby riders can order a policy 24h before arrival at the border.

www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe