As car enthusiasts, sometimes, we want to take our pride and joy(s) with us when we travel. Whether for an extended vacation, a road trip through the Schengen, or maybe for a rally-rage race that’s across the world. Because, you know, the Paris-Dakar is now the Saudi-Saudi. Or something. Anyway, in this guide, I’m going to tell you exactly how to go about transporting your four-wheeled friends across the world with you. It’s done through something called an ATA CPD. Want to take the Aston for a spin around Europe? Want to ship the Lamborghini to Goodwood? Or perhaps you fancy taking the Bentley back to London Town. In all of these cases, you'd need a Carnet. Let’s get right into it. What is a Dubai Carnet? A Dubai CPD, short for Carnet de Passage en Douane, is essentially a passport for your car. Different people will call it different things. Some of the most common include: ATA Carnet, Carnet, CPD, ATA CPD, CP Douane, and any combination of the mash above. It's the golden ticket that allows you to temporarily import your vehicle into foreign countries without having to sell your firstborn to pay import duties. If you're looking to obtain one in DXB, you'll be dealing with what's locally known as a Dubai Carnet. Now, the history of this marvelous document dates back to 1911, when a group of chaps decided that crossing borders in a motorcar shouldn't be more complicated than understanding the offside rule in football. The idea was simple: let people temporarily import their vehicles without all the usual customs kerfuffle. To be clear: you can ship your car from any one of the ports before getting the CPD, as long as you can show that it’s under process. But ensure that you’ll have it in hand before your car reaches customs at your destination. Without a Dubai Carnet, you'd be stuck at customs, trying to explain to a very unamused officer why you shouldn't have to pay import duty on a car you're only borrowing for the afternoon. Who Issues the Dubai Carnet? If you're looking to get your mitts on a Carnet in Dubai, you'll need to make friends with the folks at the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE). They're the official issuers of the Dubai Carnet, and they take their job about as seriously as a Formula 1 pit crew during a tire change. The ATCUAE is part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), which is a fancy way of saying they're part of the big boys' club when it comes to international motoring organizations. They're the ones who'll scrutinize your paperwork, ask you pointed questions about your travel plans, and ultimately decide whether you're worthy of a Dubai Carnet. Here's a picture of a Rolls with a DXB plate in Surrey, of all places to be. The Nitty-Gritty of Getting a Carnet in Dubai Now, here's where it gets about as straightforward as parallel parking a lorry in central London. To get a Carnet in Dubai, you'll need to gather more paperwork than there are grains of sand in the Arabian Desert. First off, you'll need: Proof of ownership: Because apparently, they need to make sure you're not trying to gallivant across borders in a stolen vehicle. Valid UAE registration card: To prove your car is actually allowed on the roads. Passport copy: So they know who to blame if things go pear-shaped. UAE residency visa: Because they need to know where to find you if you decide not to bring the car back. No objection letter from the bank: If your car is financed, you'll need to prove the bank is okay with you taking their collateral on an international joyride. Insurance certificate: Because if you're going to crash, they want to make sure someone's going to pay for it. Bank guarantee or cash deposit: This is where it gets expensive. You'll need to cough up a refundable deposit that's a percentage of your car's value. Once you've got your stack of papers taller than the Burj Khalifa, you'll need to toddle off to the ATCUAE. They'll look at your documents with the kind of scrutiny usually reserved for bomb disposal units. Image Credits to the Sekhon Family Office, available at [link] The Cost of a Dubai Carnet Now, I know what you're thinking. "This all sounds fantastic, but how much is this going to set me back?" Well, my dear reader, if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it. Getting a Carnet in Dubai isn't cheap. The cost depends on the value of your car and where you're planning to take it. Let's break it down: ATCUAE Service Fee: This is a flat fee that'll make your wallet weep. Refundable Deposit: This is where the real pain comes in. You'll need to provide a bank guarantee or cash deposit of up to 100% of your car's value. Yes, you read that right. 100%. It's refundable when you bring the car back, but it's still enough to make your bank manager break out in a cold sweat. Insurance: Because if you're going to drive your supercar through foreign lands, you'd better make sure it's covered for more than just a fender bender. Each car will be slightly different depending on its class, year, and value. Just from memory, here are some rough indicators (this is only the security deposit): A 2014 Maserati Quattroporte: 45,000 Dirhams (Even though the car was only worth around 50,000 on the aftermarket). A 2012 Bentley Continental GT: 65,000 Dirhams A 2016-2017 BMW M5 CS: 110,000 Dirhams A 2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser: 40,000 Dirhams If you’ve ever taken a CPD, let us know your deposit in the comments below. Remember, this is the cost of freedom. The freedom to take your beloved automobile on adventures across the globe. The freedom to rev your engine in places where they've never heard an engine quite like yours before. Using Your CPD for Sports Cars from Dubai Congratulations! You've navigated the labyrinth of paperwork and emerged victorious with your Dubai Carnet in hand. But the fun doesn't stop there. Oh no, now you get to use the blasted thing. Every time you cross a border, you'll need to get your Carnet in Dubai stamped. Miss a stamp, and you might as well have left your car at home and tried to cross the border on a unicycle. And in Dubai, Carnets are valid for 12 months, compared to the global usual of six, which is a nice touch. But you MUST, come hail or high water (yes, recent events have proven that even Dubai gets high water), you MUST have the car back before the expiry. Otherwise, you'd find yourself once again, face to face with that unimpressed customs officer, having to explain why your "temporary" import has lasted longer than most Hollywood marriages. Image Credits: Container News, available at [link] Shipping Your Car with a Dubai Carnet Now, if you're not keen on driving your precious motor across continents (and let's face it, who wants to put that many miles on their limited edition, gold-plated supercar?), you can always ship it. This is where having a CPD for sports cars from Dubai really comes in handy. Shipping your car with a Carnet in Dubai is like having a VIP pass at a nightclub. It smooths the whole process, making customs clearance about as painless as these things can be (which, admittedly, is still about as pleasant as a root canal). You'll need to find a shipping company that knows their way around a Dubai Carnet. They'll handle all the boring bits, like stuffing your car into a container and making sure it doesn't end up at the bottom of the ocean. All you need to do is hand over your Carnet and pray to whatever deity you believe in that your car arrives in one piece. A Bugatti just chilling on the roads in Kent. Image Credits: Supercars on the streets via YouTube, available at [link] Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them Now, because I'm feeling generous, I'm going to share some wisdom on how not to jigger up this whole Dubai Carnet business: Don't overstay your welcome: Your Carnet in Dubai has an expiry date. Ignore it at your peril. Keep your papers in order: Lose your Dubai Carnet, and you might as well hand over the keys to your car to the customs officer. Don't try to sell your car: The CPD for sports cars from Dubai is for temporary import only. Try to sell your car abroad, and you'll be in more trouble than a turkey at Christmas. Check country-specific requirements: Some countries might need additional paperwork even with a Carnet in Dubai. Do your homework. Don't forget to get it stamped: Each border crossing needs to be documented. Forget a stamp, and you're in for a world of hurt. So there you have it. Everything you need to know about getting and using a Dubai Carnet. It's a process that'll test your patience, drain your wallet, and possibly drive you to the brink of madness. But at the end of it all, you'll have the ability to take your car on adventures that most people only dream of. Just remember, when you're cruising down the Autobahn in your Dubai-plated supercar, or tackling the twisty mountain roads of Switzerland, or even parked up at a petrol station in the middle of nowhere, trying to figure out why your state-of-the-art vehicle has decided to throw a tantrum, it was all worth it. Because that, dear friends, is what true motoring enthusiasm is all about. It's not about the destination, it's about the journey. And if that journey involves enough paperwork to deforest a small country, well, that's just part of the adventure.
