Self-driving Iran: with or without carnet de passage?

[Ewookvanlife]

Hello to all!
We are planning to get the temporary Iranian CDP (cause we didn't do it in our country, before start traveling) and we found this Hossein Sheykhlou from over land to Iran company. We know the history about the good and the bad Hossein, later we investigate a lot, we think this one it's the good ones. But we will be more trustly if we know somebody who did before the papers with him. Somebody's did it? Or somebody's knew persons who did it before?
Thank you for the information

[_Ellen_]

We have been with the Hossein you mentioned 2 wks ago. He helped us to cross the border and we slept in his guesthouse the first night. Also he helped us to buy SIM-card and get money changed. We had CDP but he told us that he can do the temporary import without CDP as well. To us he seemed a very good and reliable person. Just to be on the safe side fix the price beforehand, just to avoid misunderstandings.

[Roadtophnompenh]

Hi Ellen, everything went smootly with Hossein, and how much did he want for his service ?? And how was his guesthouse ?? Far away from the border ?? Prices ??
Thanks in advance, i will be hidding that way also end of next month normally !!

[Koen]

Also very interested in how this worked out,
Pricing, which border etc. .
ADAC for my small motorbike is expensive,
€3000 deposit plus €300 to get the carnet
For a moped of €1500

[Roadtophnompenh]

In Belgium its similar, the carnet costs 248 euro and de deposit is in fact the car-worth, but if going through Iran-pakistan-india its for a car minium 5000 euro !!
They say they deliver it in 15 days, curious if that works out well. Send them an email months ago, knever getted an answer from them !!

[Boobaa]

Hi all,

just sharing my experience:
I made my experience with “Old Hossein” in June 2022 at the Iran-Armenia-border. We were in contact via WhatsApp long before and agreed on all details: 600 € for a Temporary Carnet des Passages for a car to enter Iran for 30 days. It would have been 500 € if we would have used the Azerbaijan-border, as he lives close to that. We met him at the border as agreed and he works together with a little company which sits in the border building and organizes everything. They know everyone at the border and know who to ask in which order to get your stamps and approval for the temporary import licence.

We had to wait 5 days for our papers, as the main customs authority in Teheran changed some tariffs or car-valuation-table (at least that is what we understood) and all was on hold. First I thought this an attempt to get more money, but it clearly wasn’t. Even if I waived my 50 € - bill, there was nothing they could do. After spending 5 days with the border staff, I had the feeling that everything follows a strict burocratic order with very little corruption, even if it looks like chaos. Hossein was super helpful all the time, did his best to support and even gave us an insurance for free as an apology (even if it clearly wasn’t his fault).

My understanding, which could well be wrong, was, that we received our “temporary carnet” as some kind of exception and after the main customs authority in Teheran changed tariffs, a “temporary carnet” for a car would now cost more than 1000 €. (Maybe someone can give an update?)

If you stay longer than 10 days in Iran with your car, you need Iranian number plates. That would be ~50 € and half a day at the traffic police in Jolfa. However, everyone, even officials, said its fine if you don’t get them and just play stupid if you get cought We drove thousands of kilometers, never had issues with the police and everyone was just super nice to us. The five days at the border were an intensive experience, but definitly worth it and the time in Iran with our car afterwards was one of the best experiences of my life. Such a wonderful country! We meet Hossein later again and spent some more time with him, which was awesome.

We did not manage to get a useful overview of who is doing what when we did our research before the trip, therefore let me try to sum up:

Old Hossein
Hossein Ravanyar aka "Mr. Hossein" aka The Original
http://www.iranoverland.com/
- Excellent experience. 100% trustworthy and reliable.
- Decades of experience in Iran, knows everything and everyone
- Super cool guy

New Hossein
Hossein Sheykhlou
https://www.overlandtoiran.com/
- No experience

[jimnys.journey]

Hi all,

just sharing my experience:
I made my experience with “Old Hossein” in June 2022 at the Iran-Armenia-border. We were in contact via WhatsApp long before and agreed on all details: 600 € for a Temporary Carnet des Passages for a car to enter Iran for 30 days. It would have been 500 € if we would have used the Azerbaijan-border, as he lives close to that. We met him at the border as agreed and he works together with a little company which sits in the border building and organizes everything. They know everyone at the border and know who to ask in which order to get your stamps and approval for the temporary import licence.

We had to wait 5 days for our papers, as the main customs authority in Teheran changed some tariffs or car-valuation-table (at least that is what we understood) and all was on hold. First I thought this an attempt to get more money, but it clearly wasn’t. Even if I waived my 50 € - bill, there was nothing they could do. After spending 5 days with the border staff, I had the feeling that everything follows a strict burocratic order with very little corruption, even if it looks like chaos. Hossein was super helpful all the time, did his best to support and even gave us an insurance for free as an apology (even if it clearly wasn’t his fault).

My understanding, which could well be wrong, was, that we received our “temporary carnet” as some kind of exception and after the main customs authority in Teheran changed tariffs, a “temporary carnet” for a car would now cost more than 1000 €. (Maybe someone can give an update?)

If you stay longer than 10 days in Iran with your car, you need Iranian number plates. That would be ~50 € and half a day at the traffic police in Jolfa. However, everyone, even officials, said its fine if you don’t get them and just play stupid if you get cought We drove thousands of kilometers, never had issues with the police and everyone was just super nice to us. The five days at the border were an intensive experience, but definitly worth it and the time in Iran with our car afterwards was one of the best experiences of my life. Such a wonderful country! We meet Hossein later again and spent some more time with him, which was awesome.

We did not manage to get a useful overview of who is doing what when we did our research before the trip, therefore let me try to sum up:

Old Hossein
Hossein Ravanyar aka "Mr. Hossein" aka The Original
http://www.iranoverland.com/
- Excellent experience. 100% trustworthy and reliable.
- Decades of experience in Iran, knows everything and everyone
- Super cool guy

New Hossein
Hossein Sheykhlou
https://www.overlandtoiran.com/
- No experience

So we just entered Iran with the help of old Houssein and had a good experience. We even visited him at his village and camped together in the woods which was awesome! We would recommend him as well. But we went to Jolfa and got the plates. Took us a whole day. Houssein told us we have to give them back and we will get a paper that is needed at the border. What was you experience without this paper? No issues while leaving? We were wondering what would happen if we forget to return the plates...

Thank you

[Roadtophnompenh]

I am also a little curious about those number plates, will be in Bazargan in couple of weeks, it wouldnt surprise me if you play stuppid, dont get the plates, and dont deliver them back, nobody bothers when exiciting in Mirjaveh at the PAK-border. Of course its not legal, but i learned in the years, if you dont try it, you will knever know it !! Its a gamble in my eyes ??
Anyone had similar thaughts or tries ??

[Koen]

What are the cost of houssein?

Thanks

[jimnys.journey]

What are the cost of houssein?

Thanks

Depends on your vehicle.