How to take your own 4x4 out of India: Nepal, Bhutan and the carnet, step by step

The short answer first. If your 4x4 is registered in India and you want to drive it into Nepal or Bhutan, you do not need a carnet. You need a temporary vehicle permit at the border, your original papers and, in Bhutan, a daily tax. For anything beyond those two countries, you need a Carnet de Passages en Douane, and in India that document comes from the Federation of Indian Automobile Associations in Mumbai, working out of the WIAA office at Churchgate.

Bhutan: the fees are published, so plan around them

The Consulate General of India in Phuentsholing lists what Bhutan asks of Indian travellers and Indian vehicles. Indians do not need a visa but are issued an entry permit, and tourists pay a Sustainable Development Fee of ₹1,200 per person per night. Children aged 5 and below are exempt and children aged 6 to 12 pay half.

For the vehicle, anything crossing beyond the Rinchending check post pays Nu 4,500 per day as Green Tax, and the vehicle has to be registered on Bhutan's Check Post Management System. Carry the original driving licence, the original registration certificate, insurance, and the emission and roadworthiness certificate. One detail trips people up: the consulate states the vehicle registration must not be more than 10 years old. If the driver is not the owner, carry an authorisation letter from the owner.

Nepal: the temporary import permit is now online

Nepal's Department of Customs launched a digital Temporary Import of Vehicle system on 5 May 2026, inaugurated by finance minister Dr Swarnim Wagle. Instead of filling forms at the check post, you go to the customs department website, open TIV under Our Services, declare the vehicle details, pay online and get a QR code that carries all the vehicle information. You show that code at the customs point. Extensions and fines, which earlier meant a trip back to a customs office, are handled through the same system.

The launch notice does not publish a rate card, so check the current charge on customs.gov.np before you leave rather than trusting a forum post. Carry the same set of originals you would for Bhutan.

The carnet, and why nobody quotes a price on a web page

A carnet is an international customs guarantee that your vehicle will leave the country it enters, so border officials do not demand a cash deposit against import duty. Two rules matter. It can only be issued for a vehicle with valid road registration and only in the country where the vehicle is registered, so an Indian carnet for an Indian vehicle, nothing else. And the trip ticket is valid for one year from the date of issue.

WIAA's own carnet page lists who may apply, owners of Indian-registered vehicles including NRIs and tour operators running vehicle expeditions, and asks for proof of ownership, valid ID and valid registration papers. It gives email addresses and a phone number, and no fee table. That is because the guarantee is sized against your vehicle's value and the countries on your route, so you have to write in and get a quote. Budget time for it, not just money.

If you would rather hand the paperwork to someone else

Adventures Overland's Road to London runs 12 April to 19 June 2027, 68 nights and 69 days from Gorakhpur to London across 20 countries, at ₹29,75,000 per person excluding 5 per cent GST and 2 per cent TCS. The price includes the Carnet de Passage for your vehicle, all visas at normal visa fees, hotels on twin sharing and border crossing assistance. You can take your own vehicle or rent one from their fleet. For a first cross-border run in your own 4x4, Nepal is the cheap way to learn how the paperwork feels.

Sources

• Guidelines for Indians visiting Bhutan, Consulate General of India, Phuentsholing
• Tourist-ferrying vehicles entering Nepal via surface route can register online, Radio Nepal Online
• Department of Customs, Nepal
• Carnet de Passages, WIAA
• India, AIT/FIA Carnet de Passages en Douane
• Road to London, Adventures Overland