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Euro Track Days & Ata Carnet Fun !

Discussion in 'Trackdays & Rider Skills' started by funkatronic, Jan 15, 2021.

  1. now there is a customs border between the uk and eu, shipping bikes and kit across to the continent and back again will require an ATA Carnet document. this is the case if driven in a van yourself or transported on the truck of a TDO.
    ATA Carnet is essentially a passport for goods and equipment to allow temporary export and import without incurring vat and duty charges.
    without a Carnet, if customs decide to do a thorough check, we are liable for import VAT and duty on potentially both outbound and return trips

    i have been looking at what's required to obtain an ATA Carnet for uk to Spa and Brno events this summer and it's a not cheap and bit of a faff!
    fees are;
    1- arrangement fee of around £330+vat
    2- bond premium of 40% of total value of (refundable)
    or
    an insurance policy (non refundable)that will pay out 40% of the value if goods are not be re-imported.
    the cost of this insurance depends on the value and the length of time the Carnet is valid, but its looking like a £91 minimum charge rising in a sliding scale..

    from what I understand we must list everything on the stillage individually inc bike, stands, warmers, leathers, lid, tools etc
    detailing ;
    commercial designation
    ie make, model, serial number
    description
    weight
    value (full replacement value)
    country of origin

    economies of scale mean that these costs shouldn't add too much to the cost per person for the larger TDOs carrying 80+ bikes, but if you were drive yourself, its looking le we need to.budget an extra £500+ even for a one off event which would make it prohibitively expensive.

    has anyone heard anything specific from the euro TDOs on this yet or know any better options for obtaining a carnet?

    and please , let's try to keep this thread practical and civil whichever side of the brexit coin you are. thx
     
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  2. Oh no, that blows my cunning plan to drive to Spa, Assen & Le Mans out of the water......
     
  3. I thought I read that the carnet was valid for a year and multiple trips?
     
  4. I think it’s too early to say from the TDO’s perspective, just my opinion.

    I can’t see a huge amount changing. You do after all already have to fill out a shipping manifest which is pretty samey to the above mentioned
     
  5. yes they can be valid for up to 12 months and for multiple trips.
    the gotcha being when doing it yourself is you have to specify your itinerary (inc any transit countries) on the docs at the outset and if you change your bike you need a completely new carnet as it cannot be ammended once issued afaik.
     
    #5 funkatronic, Jan 15, 2021
    Last edited: Jan 15, 2021
  6. well the TDOs need to have their act together sooner rather than later &
    I hope yr right.
    its going to be an additional logistics headache for them, especially if some bikes will go out and back for a single event while others may stay longer and come back at different times which may require multiple carnets depending which bikes are on which truck.
     
    #6 funkatronic, Jan 15, 2021
    Last edited: Jan 15, 2021
  7. So you either have a carnet for each bike and that bikes equipment which you can then use for the year regardless who is transporting it. Or you have a carnet for all bikes and equipment on a truck but then all those bikes have to stay together until they are back here.
    Having done customs with carnets for motorsports multiple times many moons ago I can say it's a right pain in the bum. I remember having a stack of them going from Germany to Cyprus and back on the road and ferry through multiple countries. The Italians stamped all but one carnet on the way out without me noticing. On the way back the same Italians picked up on the missing stamp and I ended up in a cell for 24 hours. A stern telling off with lots of gesticulations of me being cuffed and a hefty fine later we were back on our way. Not something I enjoyed a lot.
     
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  8. nightmare! I have similar experiences from my days dealing with carnets for stage sound and lights for touring musicians. one of the band took a valuable guitar out of the truck to take with him on a plane.
    when the truck crossed the border customs asked to see it. when we couldn't produce it we were fined £1500 and then at the end of the tour we had to pay a customs official in the uk 250 quid to come to our lockup and verify it had been re-imported. this was 20 years ago! I'd imagine the costs are higher these days.
    and dont get me started on customs offices limited opening hours . we cancelled a weekend show once because we couldn't get our Carnet stamped on Friday after 6PM until the office reopened on Monday morning!
     
  9. You could always be outrageous and ride your bike there whilst obeying French and Spanish road law.

    I have ridden in Spain and France and can confirm that they do have roads - quite nice ones that are better than ours.
     
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  10. this is always an option for a road legal bike (daylight only mot isn't valid on the continent)

    u might be in trouble getting it home if you bin it tho
     
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  11. NL told me they are not aware of any need for ATA Carnets if you bring your bike over in a trailer/van for a Euro track day.

    HMRC also said they did not know and recommended calling the National Advice Service.

    So for Assen I will hitch up and go for it as normal.
     
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  12. fingers crossed for you paul
     
  13. Its not leaving the UK that will be where there is an issue ( if there is one). It will be when you enter the EU country on the other side.
     
  14. Looks like we will learn as we go along.....
     
  15. Because it was all done last minute, no one seems to know what the rules are.

    Effectively taking a track bike into another country means its being imported and its up to the country into which it is being taken that will decide the rules. The rules for Spain might be different to Netherlands, France, Portugal etc as they are now all separate countries as far as the UK is concerned.
     
  16. Yes and no, if you import directly into any country then yes. Once you are in the EU Schengen area your bike can travel freely as there are no border controls.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  17. No internal EU borders doesn't absolve UK people from adhereng to the rules of the Country they are in though.
    .
    There is a big ruck going on currently about UK musicians working in the EU as they need work permits for each Country they perform in on any one tour. The EU offered to make a special case for them but the UK government refused the offer.
    No one seems quite sure if they need a carnet for each Country they intend to work in.
     
  18. You are probably all right as no one really knows.

    I wont be taking any ham sarnis though.....:rolleyes:
     
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