Crossing borders on your bike can be a daunting experience when you do it for the first time. I’ve done it countless of times on multiple continents so let me take you through the process.
How to cross a border on a motorcycle?
- Prepare your paperwork before approaching.
- Stamp your passport out at the immigration office
- Get your motorcycles temporary import permit released
- Cross the border
- Stamp your passport in at the immigration office
- Aquire a temporary import permit for your bike
- Pay any fees that are required
These are the basic steps needed to cross any international border on your motorcycle. Let me share some tips and tricks to speed up the procedures and go into detail about some of the differences I’ve come across on my trips.
1 - Prepare your paperwork before approaching.
Before you ride up to the physical border you are planning to cross, do some research to learn which paperwork is needed. Depending on the countries you are about to exit and enter.
What to check before exiting a country via a land border
- Check if you haven’t overstayed your visa and if so, what the fine is going to be.
- Organize your Temporary Import Papers (TIP) and check if there is a deadline for it
What to check before entering a country via a land border
- Does you passport still have enough validity, usually a minimum of 6 months is required.
- Do you need to apply for a visa for the country you are about to enter beforehand or does your nationality allow you to get a Visa On Arrival (VOA)
- Are you able to get a Temporary Import Permit (TIP) for your vehicle or can you only enter with a Carnet de Passage?
- What copies of which documents do you need to apply for all the paperwork at the border?
- Do I need a negative COVID test and where can I get it?
- What are the fees that you will need to pay and in which currency are you allowed to pay for them?
- Are there any items that I am not allowed to import/take into the country?
Where to find information about the border requirements?
As you can see, both lists are quite extensive, so most of the work for crossing a border is done in advance. Google is a great resource for the requirements, but I personally prefer to check on ioverlander. Usually every border crossing has a recent post of people who crossed and what they had to do and pay. This is very useful because rules tend to change without any notification. You can also join overlanding facebook groups of the locations you are traveling or create WhatsApp groups with overlanders you meet on the road.
The difference between visas
There are two different methods of acquiring a visa. Apply at an embassy of the country you are planning to visit in advance Apply for a Visa On Arrival (VOA) at the border (airport, landborder, port of call) Depending on the agreements between your home country and the destination country, you will be allowed to apply for a VOA or not.
When planning a long trip with multiple border crossings I prefer to get an idea by checking my passport status at the Passport Index. It has a great overview feature to give you a first idea of what to look for. I always double check the requirements with a second source, preferable the website of an embassy before heading to the border.
Preparing your copies
In one way or the other, at the border you always seem to pay a dollar per copy. So make sure you prepare your copies beforehand so you don’t get tricked into that scam.
That time when we had to get our Carnet delivered to the border and while we waited we made friends with the officials.
The documentation required for your vehicle to cross an international border
There are two different methods of entering a foreign country with your own vehicle. You either apply for a Temporary Import Permit (TIP) or you enter the country with a Carnet de Passage (CdP) for your vehicle. If the country doesn’t require you to enter with Carnet, then usually it is easier to stick to a TIP.
The general procedure when entering a country on a TIP
Entering a foreign country with your own vehicle, requires you to temporarily import your motorcycle. This is free or at the cost of a small fee. You sign a paper stating that you will either exit the country within the timeframe mentioned on the document or pay the taxes required for importing the vehicle indefinitely. Check the dates on the paper before signing to check if there were no mistakes made and to make sure you don’t overstay the time period. Some countries are very strict on the timing and will impound your vehicle when overstaying.
The general procedure when entering a country on a Carnet de Passage
Before you leave your home country you will need to apply for a Carnet de Passage at your local automobile association. Depending on how their system works you will need to pay a bond and an administration fee before they issue a CdP on your name for your vehicle. They will return the bond to you when you return the CdP after coming home and filling out the back page.
At the border you will need to make sure to stamp in the carnet at customs before entering the country. There is also a spot for stamping out, but I’ve found that this is less important especially for the automobile association that is holding your bond. All they care for is the back page.
With a carnet de passage you will not have to pay any fees to get it stamped at the border. That is part of the international agreement. There is also no time limit associated with staying in one country. Most Carnets have a 1 year validity after which you are able to extend or apply for a new one to keep on traveling if your trip is longer then that.
Do I need a negative COVID test?
Unfortunately this has become a requirement for some border crossings, so it is important to check if you need a negative COVID test before approaching the border. Some important details to find out are where to get it and how old are the test results allowed to be when crossing the border? Do you have to quarantine or get a second test after crossing the border? Fb groups and ioverlander will have recent information so I would check there first before looking elsewhere.
What are the fees I need to pay for crossing an international border? There are tons of different fees a country requires you to pay before allowing you to travel in their country. Most of the time the VOA will cost you money and for your vehicle to be allowed to drive on the roads you will need to pay road tax and get a third party insurance.
Sometimes, especially when you don’t speak the language or can read the letters, the things that you pay for become more obscure. I’ve once paid for a stamp to send the immigration papers back to the capital (I think, maybe the guy just wanted a stamp to send a letter to his mom. I really have no idea).
Find out before going to the border which fees you can expect to pay and which amount. Lastly make sure to check in which currency you are allowed to pay and if you can get that beforehand. Changing money at the border is almost always at a worse rate then anywhere else. Maybe there is an ATM at the border or are you able to pay by card. Knowledge is king in this situation!
Are there any items that I am not allowed to import/take into the country?
Before you go, check if there are any items you are not allowed to import of bring with you into the country. Examples of this could be
- Medication
- Firearms
- Meat or dairy
- Large amounts of cash
- Drones or dash cams
2 - Stamp your passport out at the immigration office
Now you have finally arrived at the border, with your well organised deck of paperwork in hand. The first easy step is to stamp out your passport at the immigration desk of the country you are leaving. Stamping out is just as important to stamping in as it shows you did not cross the border illegally. There are usually no fees connected to stamping out (except in Israel) unless you overstayed your visa.
Get your motorcycles temporary import permit released Get your TIP or Carnet stamped out as proof that you have exported your vehicle. It is not always easy to find the right office or officer, but you need to look for Customs.
3 - Cross the border
The easy part, riding through a gate, crossing a river or riding over the bridge to enter through yet another gate arriving in your new country.
4 - Stamp your passport in at the immigration office
First step is to find the immigration office and the right window to get your entry stamp. If you already have a visa in your passport then there are usually no fees to be paid for stamping. If you plan to get a VOA you will probably need to spend some cash.
5 - Acquire a temporary import permit for your bike
Depending on the country you are entering apply for a Temporary Import Permit for your vehicle or get your carnet stamped at customs. A TIP might cost you something whereas stamping the Carnet is free.
Finding the Customs office and the right officer is not always easy. Ask around and be patient.
6 - Pay any fees that are required
You might be required to pay for a third party insurance, for road tax or to get your local licence plates. Depending on the level of bureaucracy the list might go on. But since you came prepared you know what you should and should not pay so a hidden bribe is out of the question. Always ask for a receipt.
Conclusion
So now that we have walked you through the steps it takes to cross and international border, let us know in the comments below if you have any tips or tricks to share. Here are 3 related questions that might interest you:
Related questions
What to do with your bike while crossing the border when traveling solo?
There are a few tactics for handling this situation
- Take your most valuable possessions (mine are always in my tank bag) and helmet. Leave the rest on the bike.
- Make friends in the queue and ask if they can keep an eye on your stuff.
- Pay a local to keep an eye on your stuff.
- Make friends with other travellers and cross the border together
Which country has the strictest border control?
Since there is no measurement for strictness of a border control the evidence is just anecdotal. Multiple sources state that Israel has the strictest border control in the world. Each passenger gets all of their lugged x-rayed, thoroughly interviewed about their reason for visiting.
When crossing a land border in your own vehicle, this also get checked thoroughly behind closed doors. This is the one of the few countries that asked me to take the seat off the motorcycle. It gives a very unwelcome feeling to go through such a tight security not to mention the countless guns quietly pointing at the floor. At least they have decent gun handling protocols.
Coming in second and third are definitely Egypt and Uzbekistan for me. Both those border crossings still haunt me in my nightmares.
Can we cross Wagah border between India and Pakistan?
Yes, you can cross the Wagah border between India and Pakistan in both directions if you have a valid visa. It is the only border that is open for foreigners to travel with their own vehicle. The crossing is quiet and easy and it pretty cool to drive through the amphitheater.
The border is currently closed in light of the COVID pandemic.