How to get a Carnet de Passages in India, and when you actually need one

The short answer first. A Carnet de Passages en Douane, or CPD, is an international customs declaration that identifies your vehicle as it crosses borders and guarantees the customs duties of the country you are entering. It is administered by the Alliance Internationale de Tourisme and the FIA, and it can only be issued by their affiliated associations or authorised distributors, which together number over 230 bodies in 124 countries. For an Indian registered car or motorcycle, the official AIT and FIA directory lists one issuer, the Federation of Indian Automobile Associations at the IMC Building, 76 Veer Nariman Road, Churchgate, Mumbai, with the Western India Automobile Association website and phone lines as the point of contact.

That single address matters, because supply here is thin. The Automobile Association of Upper India lists the CPD on its services page and then states plainly that the service has been temporarily suspended. The Automobile Association of Southern India lists it under touring abroad in a vehicle, with no fees or procedure published. WIAA's own carnet page explains what the document is and asks you to email or call for the rest. None of the three publish a rate card online, so your first step is a phone call and a written enquiry, not a booking.

What the carnet is really guaranteeing

The association that issues your carnet becomes your guarantor. If the vehicle does not return to its country of permanent registration after the document expires, that association pays the customs duties. This is why the money comes before the stamp. The guarantee deposit is worked out from the vehicle's make, model, motor power and final destination, so a big SUV headed to a high duty country costs far more to cover than a 350cc motorcycle going to a neighbour. The CPD is valid for one year from the issuing date and can be renewed for another year. Return it before expiry and the deposit comes back.

Nepal, Bhutan and Thailand have no carnet counter of their own

Check the AIT and FIA country pages and the same line appears for Nepal, Bhutan and Thailand: there is currently no official CPD issuing organisation in the country, and owners are told to enquire with a neighbouring country's association. For an Indian rider that cuts both ways. It means India is the regional counter, and it means your eastbound paperwork often runs on each country's own temporary import rules rather than on a carnet.

Thailand is the clearest example. Thai Customs grants duty relief on a privately imported vehicle on the basis that it will be re-exported within 1 to 2 months and not exceeding six months for travel, against a cash, bank or personal guarantee sized on the vehicle's value plus all duty and taxes. The paperwork list runs to nine items, including the registration certificate, a passport with a tourist visa and an international driving permit. Extensions can reach eight months from the date of importation in exceptional cases such as an accident. Miss the deadline without intent to violate and the penalty is 1,000 baht per day, capped at 10,000 baht.

Why most people buy the paperwork with a seat in a convoy

This is the reason organised runs sell out. Adventures Overland's tenth anniversary Road to London is scheduled from 12 April to 19 June 2027, a 69 day drive from Gorakhpur to London covering 20 countries and about 16,000 km, with the operator handling border crossings, visas, vehicle documentation, logistics and on road assistance. The first edition in 2017 took 27 participants in 13 cars through 18 countries.

If you are going alone, work backwards. Confirm the carnet is being issued at all this season, get the registration in your own name, budget for a deposit you cannot size yourself, and only then start booking visas and ferries.

Sources

• What is a CPD, Carnet de Passages en Douane (AIT and FIA)
• Carnet de Passages en Douane FAQ (AIT and FIA)
• India, Carnet de Passages en Douane country page
• Nepal, Carnet de Passages en Douane country page
• Automobile Association of Upper India, services
• WIAA, Carnet de Passages
• Thai Customs, temporary import of vehicles
• Adventures Overland announces the 10th anniversary edition of Road to London