I was once detained for the best part of a day whilst traveling with multiple carnets through multiple countries. On the outward bound journey the Italians missed one of the the stamps on one of the carnets. On the way back the same Italians picked up on it and held me in a room until my travel companions came up with the money for a large fine.
So many conflicting accounts of this carnet stuff.... So, because you'd gone to the expense, time and hassle of aligning the carnet paperwork, did you flap it in their faces or did they specifically ask for it without prompting? I know from the trailer content pictures above it's pretty obvious you're participating in bike sport. But the general feedback from a less polished set up is that if you pretend the bike in the back of your van is a road bike, and you have the V5 and insurance, the carnet isn't requested from the tight trousered, shiney knee length booted French officials. For me, as long as this carnet stuff is nailed on, I won't be doing road trips to euro gigs in my van. I love my euro gigs but you have to weigh up the ball ache paperwork against the fun. And right now imo ball ache is winning. Anyone wanna buy a smart as fook V4S??
Your TDO will still ship your bike with marginally less ball ache. FE to Mugello next week is on, but having to go early to spend five days in a hotel in Scarperia for quarantine. Could be worse.....
Fair points and good questions Mary I did get all flappy with my paperwork, however, if I hadn't the UK authorities would have most likely waved us through without a care in the world. Personally, I didn't want the risk, my bike is not road legal (has no MOT, road tax or insurance for use on the road) so arguing the toss could have been pointless with said French official. If you have all of this then I wouldn't both with the carnet. It definitely helped to have all the paperwork ready and presented to them in a pack, it showed we knew what we were doing and got them moving.
90% of that you don't need to do for a normal Euro as the bikes are transported, just need to get yourself in and out of the country and supply a manifest to the TDO, LeMans / VDV is an odd one as its 'self transport'
Yep I think what NL have done is well priced and easy. Not sure about the others. But I won’t be trailering my bike for a trip away, not trackdays just euro trips.
Excellent write up! One question, did you travel via passenger or commercial terminal to get to customs ?
Pretty sure he said passenger as one of the guys used business and not ahis own name and had to rebook via commercial
