WHAT IS A CPD CARNET?
A Carnet de Passage en Douane (CPD carnet) is an
internationally recognised document for the temporary
importation of vehicles for touring purposes.
A CPD carnet provides the Australian Customs and
Border Protection Service (ACBPS) with a guarantee for
payment of duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST)
should the temporarily imported vehicle not be exported
within the specified temporary importation period.
A CPD carnet is valid for 12 months from the date of
issue and must be obtained before your vehicle is
imported into Australia. Your vehicle must be exported
before the carnet expires.
CPD carnet vehicles:

must be exported before the CPD carnet expires

cannot be sold, loaned, mortgaged, hired, given
away or disposed of, without permission from ACBPS
and unless a Vehicle Import Approval is obtained

may only be used for personal touring.
IMPORT EXPORT REQUIREMENTS
1.
If you plan to be in Australia for more than 12 months, a
temporary importation may not be the right option for you.
Extensions to CPD carnets are only approved under
exceptional circumstances.
HOW TO APPLY FOR A CPD CARNET
CPD carnets are issued for a fee by motoring
associations in your home country. The National
Guaranteeing Organisation (NGO) in your home country
sets the applicable fee. In Australia, the NGO is the
Australian Automobile Association (AAA). Information
about CPD carnets is available from the AAA website or
email: [email protected].
WHO MAY USE A CPD CARNET
CPD carnets may be used by tourists or temporary
residents to temporarily import vehicles to tour Australia.
TYPES OF VEHICLES
CPD carnets are accepted for certain types of vehicles
including:

cars

motorcycles

campervans

sports utility and recreational vehicles

caravans and trailers.
CPD carnets are not accepted for:

coaches and buses

trucks, lorries, prime movers and semi-trailers

racing cars and rally vehicles

vehicles imported for exhibition, testing or evaluation.
2.
3.
Present your carnet at an ACBPS counter:

for import – at the port where your vehicle
will arrive to have your vehicle cleared for
delivery

for export – at the port where your vehicle
will depart.
Provide the following documents to ACBPS:

a valid CPD carnet

Bill of Lading or Air Waybill

overseas registration papers

your passport or birth/citizenship certificate.
Make a booking for a CPD vehicle examination if
required.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (AGRICULTURE)
To have your CPD vehicle released from Customs control
you must arrange for quarantine clearance to occur at the
first port of arrival for the vehicle. Contact Agriculture
Biosecurity on 1800 020 504.
EXTENSIONS TO CARNETS
Extensions to CPD carnets will only be approved under
exceptional circumstances which are/were beyond your
control. Those circumstances must be significant enough
to prevent you from exporting the vehicle before the
carnet expires.
ACBPS will only consider an application for an extension
when an application is made within 60 days of the carnet
expiry date.
Approval from both the AAA and ACBPS is required
before the carnet expires.
If an extension is approved, you will receive advice from
the AAA to contact the nearest ACBPS office to make an
appointment to have the CPD carnet extension endorsed
February 2015
For further information about extensions to CPD carnets
contact the AAA on (02) 6247 7311.
REGISTRATION AND INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS
IN AUSTRALIA
Each Australian state and territory road traffic authority
has specific registration and insurance requirements for
vehicles.
Information about registration and insurance
requirements may be obtained from the AAA website.
OTHER INFORMATION
For a list of countries where a CPD carnet is accepted,
refer to the AAA website.
Information about Agriculture Biosecurity requirements for
imported vehicles is available from the Agriculture
Biosecurity website.
Information about Vehicle Import Approvals is available
from the Department of Infrastructure and Regional
Development website.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For general information about temporary importation see
the Temporary Imports fact sheet.
For further information on ACBPS matters:

visit www.customs.gov.au

email: [email protected]

contact the Customs Information and Support Centre
on 1300 363 263.
February 2015