You are on the road and realise that 12 months just isn’t going to be enough. Well as far as I am concerned there is never enough time to satisfy my hunger for travel experiences.There are so many more parts of the world to see! You are a long way from home country and your carnet is nearing it’s expiry date.

So how does one extend their carnet whilst away?
Should I let the Carnet expire?

We found ourselves in Pakistan when that time in our trip had arrived. We weren’t sure where to begin, but luckily our networking with other Overlanders who had gone before us had paved the way and collected all the necessary information.
So this is what you have to do

1.Hopefully you still have access to phone contacts and email addresses of your own country’s Automobile Associations. I recommend emailing them to advise them of your intention to extend your carnet and also in which country your motorcycle will be when you extend.
In our case it was Australian AA (Automobile Association) and RACV.
Request an extension and ask the cost of another 12 months.

2. Armed with the correct phone number for payments, call with credit card details for your payment. Payment can not be made to Australia AA via direct debit and it must be credit card. It is also not a good idea to email your credit card details, hence the phone call.
In our case, the receipt was within minutes,  emailed directly to us along with being CCed into the AA of Pakistan advising them of our payment and of The No Objection Certificate.

3.The email and phone details of the Automobile Association of the country where you and your motorcycle are situated should be provided by your own country’s AA.

4. Email or phone the Automobile Association of the country you are in and request an appointment.

5.The AA of this country will check your carnet for correct details and to ensure it has been processed through customs legally. (Yet another reason to check your carnet every time you enter/exit a country)
Unfortunately, there may be another cost here as we found in Lahore,  Pakistan. The discounted? Price charged by Pakistan AA was $100 US. But hey, we received cups of tea in the beautiful wood lined office.

6.Voila.  you have another 12months of legal wandering around the world.

Other information.
A.only one carnet extension is allowed. So two years is your max.
B.The vehicle must have been through customs before the host country will approve your extension.
C.The cost of the extension, in our case the indemnity insurance was the same as the initial cost. The bond was transferred directly. (Please note this may differ for countries apart from Astralia)
D.The address of the Pakistan AA was incorrect, so ensure you ask them directly for their correct address.
E. emails we used in Pakistan and Australia.
louise.downey@aaa.asn.au
tim_warburton@racv.com.au
saif ullah-  aapakint@yahoo.com
F. If you intend to ship, fly or ride/drive home then  NO don’t let it expire before re- entering your home country. If you don’t intend returning the vehicle to the country of origin then that is another issue.

Wishes of Happy travelling from Roostersoverland.
Cheers from Pakistan!