Travelling international by a borrowed car

Border crossings with a borrowed car, a rental car or a company car can quickly get into a deeper inspection, if the car is not issued personally to you.

If it is the car of your father or a rental car, or borrowed by a friend - you should prepeare yourself for this discussions.Too with a replacement car after a break down this preparation is helpful.

Many country have own laws about what the traveller has to bring with by driving a car who is not registered to himself.

This three levels of preparation could be required for international travel, depending on the countrys you like to visit with a car who is not registered to your name:

1. power of attorney
2. certification by apostille
3. authentication by a consular or diplomatic agent

As I did a transafrica (from Marocco, Mauretania, Mali, Benin, Nigeria,Cameroon, Congo, Dr Congo, Angola, Namibia, south Africa) by a borrowed car, I have there also some personal experience for travelling with a borrowed vehicle. 

Power of attorney  (AUS, US, UK, EU)

Here you need to optain the document who belongs to your country and can look even state-specific different. Above I try to link the Dociuments for some countrys, but with a web search you will be able to get them at your own.

The motor vehicle power of attorney is used by a vehicle owner to allow another person to handle certain responsibilities on their behalf, such as, registration, obtaining a certificate of title, or selling the vehicle. In most States, this form is required to be signed in the presence of a notary public in accordance with power of attorney laws in regards to property.

Certification by apostille

Apostille

Apostille is a higher level of authentication of documents which is necessary in the case when a certified document is submitted on the territory of a foreign state which is a party to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement for Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents adopted on 05.10.1961.

Carnet ATA

For states which are party to the Hague Convention, certification in the form of an apostille is sufficient. Documents do not need to be certified by a consular agent and are otherwise recognised in the country for which they are intended (Article 2, Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents).

For all states which are not party to the Hague Convention, the normal certification process without apostille applies, in which authentication by a consular or diplomatic agent is required.

Here is a list of countrys and their status

https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41

I did personally use that method for my transafrica journey. I had a "power of attourney" of the owner which was validated by appostille, And on top too the required Carnet ATA which was itself  issued for myself. 

authentication by a consular or diplomatic agent

Here you can ask for the authentication of the contract at the local consular of the desired country. I did never detect a traveller who did use that method. 

If you know link to travellers, please add them with the comment function below.

Conclusion

For imternational journeys and travels it makes always sence to fly below the radar of the officals. Try to keep everything as usual as possible, so that the officers dont start to search deeper. 

To drive an borrowed verhicle on international journeys or worldtrips are not common. So the officers start to say "here we have a problem" and it could be one of the vectors for asking for a bribe.

Be prepared keep running everything smoth. I did even carry laminated expression with pictures to be able to show quickly, that I am carrying everything what may be necessary with me:

two fire extinquisher, two breakdowns triangle, two signal west, first aid kit  - everything to show that I`m well prepared. 

Don`t try to fake Documents, even if you can read that it did work out for some travellers - it can bring you in really serious trouble. It is not hard to go the legal path.

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