As the title says. I am trying to overland Africa on a vehicle I buy in SA. Do I need a Carnet and if so, from which country?
I’m more concerned with how do I deal with the Carnet in general and if I register it under SA or USA? Since the newly purchased car is not registered in the same country as the driver what is normally the situation or procedure for this?
You’ll do SA registration and carnet there if needed.
You really need to plan your route first and then start researching every country.
Once you have all your details remember it is Africa and all that really matters is the rules according to the guy standing in front of you.
We did USA registered trucks through western countries and 100% all embassies said we do not need any sort of carnet. Then a general in Ghana locked us in a parking lot at the border for a day until we managed to get some local bondsman to guarantee the cars. That bondsman check on us multiple times in the next couple days and personally oversaw loading the trucks on the ship.
You don’t need a carnet. You’re not importing or exporting the car. It’s licensed in SA, I assume. So it stays there. Unless you’re planning on a one way trip and selling it when you arrive?
I’m planning on buying and traveling around till I decide what’s next. I think I might keep the car after and export it 🤷♂️ not sure yet.
You can go everywhere except Kenya and Ethiopia without a carnet. Although getting one in South Africa for a South African vehicle is not expensive or hard, so you could just get one. It will make borders easier, especially if you're going north on the West Coast.
Recommend a company that you trust?
For the carnet? It comes from the Automobile Association of South Africa.
Yo! We missed you at overland expo this year. Congrats on the new addition!
Cheers! I'm working long days to get the Jeep camper finished to hit the road, so no expos for me this year. I'll be back in the future I'm sure.
As a usa citizen owning a rsa registered vehicle the refundable deposit to SAA ( which issues the carnet) is 100% the value of the vehicle. The carnet not needed unless your going to Kenya
I’m going all over Africa. I plan to drive all the way to Egypt.
You can’t do that at present due to the war in Sudan
Is there a way to bypass Sudan?
I know many people from SA who have driven as far north as Kenya and have not required a carnet.
Each country you enter will have specific rules, like particular stickers on your vehicle and you may need to pay road tax fees at border entry. You’ll also need things like a hi-vis vest and emergency triangle in the vehicle.