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Visas and Red Tape
The first thing we did to get our papers in order was to purchase new 48-page passports to ensure they would be valid throughout our trip and provide sufficient room for all the stamps/visas we hope to collect.
With some idea of a route we then could set about getting the paperwork in place to actually get into the countries. We knew the main obstacle was going to be China and that they would stipulate precise dates of entry and exit (as well as everywhere between!) - so we started there with a plan of working backwards. At The Adventure Travel & Overland Show in September 2013, we had met an agency called China Overland. These guys are able to sort all the necessary paperwork for you and also organise groups to travel together. This has the benefit of reducing the cost of the guide, as only one guide is required for the whole group, as opposed to us employing one just for ourselves. After letting them know our plans and the approximate time we could be in the area, they came back with a proposed 28-day guided tour, entering from Kyrgyzstan and exiting to Laos, in a group of 6 people in 3 vehicles. Although a guided tour may seem a bit 'touristy' we hope that this will give us a welcome break from the responsibility of planning our route.
Knowing when we had to be at the Chinese border we then got the visas for Russia and Kazakhstan. This was a relatively straight forward process instigated through their Embassy websites and completed within 10 days by post.
The Australian visa was all done on-line and can be done at the border for all the other countries we plan to visit. Up-to-date information can be found at The Foreign & Commonwealth Travel Advice website.
Our other main consideration was the Carnet de Passage - basically Mario's passport. Certain countries insist that you have this documentation in order to 'temporarily import' the vehicle. This avoids having to pay import duties on the vehicle and, should we not be able to leave the country with the vehicle for any reason, will pay the duties on our behalf. We definitely need a carnet for Malaysia and Australia, however there is conflicting information as to how necessary it is for South America. Officially it appears to be required but other travellers' practical experience suggests it is never actually asked for at the borders and plenty have travelled the area without one. As the carnet is only issued in blocks of 12 months we intend to obtain it just before we enter Malaysia with the hope of it still being current throughout South America. As our vehicle is UK registered we have to apply for the carnet through the RAC, being the only issuer for our country. Full details are at RAC Carnet de Passage.
Finally we ensured our driving licences would stay valid throughout the trip and obtained International Driving Permits at our local Post Office.