Obtaining a “Carnet” for Your Guitar When Traveling

While this isn’t strictly a technical tip, it’s something that comes up more and more frequently as people travel with their instruments (mainly guitars) and ends up causing all sorts of problems. Basically, if you’re planning on taking an instrument you own into a foreign country, you would be wise to obtain a “carnet.” This is a document that’s obtained at the point of embarkation or even better, from your local customs office in advance (this is not something you want to deal with when your flight begins boarding in 30 minutes). The carnet allows you to temporarily export your guitar without having to pay any duty or local taxes at the destination country. However, you should always be prepared for the possibility of a refundable bond that will need to be paid upon entry to some countries. Being aware of this and being prepared can save you endless headaches when traveling outside the U.S.