land border crossing without carnet

hello all,

I am in Gaziantep and about to cross the border from Turkey to Syria with a car.
My questions are:

1) I do not have a carnet de passage for my car and I wonder if this will be a problem with the Syrian authorities?
2) I also heard there may be long queues of buses and trucks, also the difficulty of crossing vary from border to border. I am considering to cross from either Kilis (closest to me) and Reyhanli/Bab al Hawa - which one is likely to be more efficient, less busy and more "friendly"?
3) If there's anything else I should know, please do let me know.

Please reply soon. Many thanks!

For Syria you dont need a carnet, but youll have to buy some import sheets for the non-permanent import which are round about44$ or 48 $ road tax 6 or 8 $ + insurance which is another forty something (46 or 48 $ valid for a month) ( 100 $ diesel tax per week if you`re travelling with a diesel car)

For Kilis which I used 7 or 8 times I ve never met long queues of buses and trucks; Kilis is very efficient,correct and friendly; after the gate the bank is on the right hand, all the car stuff is in the middle and police with passports is opposite on the left side. When you enter with a diesel car dont waste the first day entering Syria in the evening, because the day you enter counts as the first day of those 7 mentioned above-- if you overstay those 7 diesel days lets say only for another day youll have to buy another week which is again 100 $ or you`ll have to bargain hard, but may be not successfully.

Since fuel is very much cheaper in Syria, dont waste your money in Turkey, but have some kilometers left; the next fuel station at the Kilis border is 4 to 5 kilometers after the border, but sometimes theres no diesel. Safe for fuel is Aleppo.

If you take the Reyhanli - Bab al Hawa border add to the above some 10 to 15 € for "helpers" (obviously some kind of contractors with the border staff) plus one or two hours for getting helped.

Dont know where you leave Syria, but obviously it is a must that you go back to Turkey - cause for Jordan you need a carnet, same thing with Lebanon; Lebanon is also nearly impossible to enter with a diesel car for environmental reasons (except if you have a very good story and some green bucks to make communication easier and even with that its not sure that you can enter )

Thanks a lot, painipo!

Entering Syria sounds a bit pricey but at least I'll be able to cross. Regarding your point about Jordan, I plan to go there and called the Jordan Customs office - they said I should be able to get in without a carnet, but I won't be surprised if what actually happens in the border is different. I will give it a try anyway and afterwards post an update to this thread.

Hi travellerbunny,
if things have changed with importing cars into Jordan, Id be very much interested, cause if theres no carnet necessary and there`s some importing sheet like it is in Syria it could be altogether much cheaper than a carnet.

After all what I forgot - diesel tax sounds awful, but since diesel was 0,07 € per liter its quite o.k.; butit ist rumoured that things changes and they take now 0,10 € per liter - so it depends on how much you can carry with you and quite fair compared to middle -European prices. Normal was 0,27€ which sounds also quite fair -- these are the prices end of last year but over the years they stayed quite stable

I crossed the Syria-Jordan border at Nasib/Jabir a few days ago with my car - without a carnet. The process was straightforward; the only additional thing you need to buy is the local insurance (which can be bought monthly - I paid JD 38 for 3 months). My car was given 3 months temporary entry permit, extendable from the customs office in Amman (although the extension may involve getting a carnet) for a further 3 months.

Also, I was told by a few drivers at the border that the carnet itself can be obtained cheaply at the Syrian/Jordan/Lebanese borders - the process is similar to buying insurance - but this "local carnet" will only be valid in these 3 countries.

Hi Travellerbunny,

Can you tell me where you car is registered? I was thinking of driving in a UK registered car but I've read that the requirement for a carnet is only waived for cars from the immediate region.

If you can tell me different so much the better!

hi jimr1,

My car is registered in Bulgaria under the name of a company I own and I am British.

At the Syrian border (Kilis) they seemed to be more concerned about my passport and visa (that costed me $52) rather than my car and its origin or papers. At the customs booth, I had to hand in some cash to the officer to avoid hassle ($5 was plenty). After leaving the border I was told by many Syrians and other travellers that many things depend on the mood of the immigration and custom officers at the border (and that bribes - sometimes asked in the form of excessive "official" fees and stamps - is an option you can consider).

The Syrian-Jordanian border was far more organised. Things are cleary signed and border staff were very professional (no dodgy fees/taxes!)
My car entered without a carnet and was granted 3 months stay in the country, but I had to purchase a local insurance. For Jordan the rules are quite clear; they can be found at http://www.customs.gov.jo/

Hope this helps

Thanks mate