We set up this petition in December 2014 and since then we have achieved our primary goal.
• To allow overlanders in the EU to use any Carnet issuer without restriction.
These changes were made by the FIA and incorporated into their global Carnet Guarantee agreement.
Further to this the RAC decided it was not in their interest to continue issuing Carnets. The ceasing of the RAC to issue Carnets was not our goal, we would have much preferred that they continued to issue them in line with other European issuers i.e Security amounts required.
Carnet Issuer for the UK
As most of you are aware, we had publically expressed an interest in becoming a Carnet issuer in the UK, after several months of discussing our options with both the HMRC and FIA, we have decided to withdraw our interest in becoming a Carnet issuer.
We felt that by becoming a Carnet issuer in the UK we would not be able to provide competitive services to those issuing them currently in Europe, and therefore it would not be beneficial to the community as a whole. In addition to this there were other factors which we are not able to disclose, that also weighed on our decision not to pursue it any further.
What does this mean for UK Carnets?
Currently any UK individual or business may apply to any other Carnet issuer in Europe and worldwide, until such time a new Carnet issuer has been appointed in the UK. However, every Carnet issuer has the right to assess your application on its own merits and to decide whether or not to issue a Carnet. You may find in some instances that due to legal reasons like “insurance” they may not be able to issue you with a Carnet.
Following the appointment of a new Carnet issuer in the UK, you may apply through them or other Carnet issuers in Europe, these were the rights we won with the petition (you can find a list of Carnet issuers herehttp://overlandsphere.com/overland-forum/threads/a-guide-to-carnet-de-passage-overland-travel.8/)
At the moment we do not know who or when the new Carnet issuer will be appointed in the UK, nor do we know what the costs, security rates or options will be. But we would hope that they would be similar to those currently being offered by issuers in Europe.
Overlanding Association
We set up the Overlanding Association, so that we may provide help and information to all Overland travellers, in addition to working on cases like this. Although the Association will not be issuing Carnets, we have already set up some really cool tools for your travels, and we will be expanding these continually over the next few years.
Any further news and updates regarding Carnets will be posted through the Overlanding Association and related sites.
The following websites and groups fall under the Overlanding Association:
OverlandingAssociation.org
facebook.com/OverlandingAssociation
OverlandSphere.com
facebook.com/groups/OverlandSphere
facebook.com/groups/OverlandingNorthAmerica
facebook.com/groups/OverlandingAustralia
facebook.com/groups/OverlandTravelAdventureWriters
Thank you to everyone who has supported this cause and petition, in the end, working together we were able to make the changes we set out for..
Thank you again and safe travels.
This Petition is now closed