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Customer Close-Up: Serge & Motorcycle in Africa Using a Carnet de Passages en Douane

Thursday, October 16, 2025

Call Boomerang Carnets, Your Carnet Specialists

At boomerang carnets®, we are grateful to all our customers.  To celebrate them, we recently launched a Customer Close-Up series, spotlighting how businesses and individuals use carnets to expand globally, serve clients, and fuel growth.

Our second Customer Close-Up features Serge Lafreniere, an adventurer who hit the road with his motorcycle on his dream journey across Africa.  For his trip, boomerang carnets issued a Carnet de Passages en Douane (CPD), a customs document for on-road vehicles traveling abroad in countries where required.

Often called the “Vehicle Passport,” the CPD allows temporary admission of road motor vehicles into foreign countries without paying import duty and tax.  Many of our customers take advantage of the CPD for their international travel, whether it is a luxury caravan world tour, an RV trip across Europe to celebrate a wedding anniversary, or, in Serge’s case, a dream motorcycle adventure across Africa.
 

Why Travel with a CPD?

A CPD for your on-road vehicle enables you to:

  • Clear your vehicle through customs in a foreign country.
     
  • Avoid payment of import duties and taxes when temporarily importing your vehicle into a foreign country.
     
  • Travel with peace of mind—priceless.
     

Dreams Come True—Serge’s Adventure

On the road in Tanzania, Serge stopped at a wildlife crossing to take photos of a giraffe and shared the excitement of his adventure.  In his note to us, he wrote: “I saw a giraffe by itself near the road.” 

Serge’s Adventure continued: Pictured is Serge’s motorcycle near one of his accommodations, and elephants in the water.  A note from Serge points out, “Check Baby Elephant—Serge.”   

And…

While in St Lucia, South Africa, Serge witnessed something unforgettable from his hotel window and shared the experience with us: “This is in South Africa St Lucia hippo walking in parking of hotel.”  The road can bring surprises at every turn and we are most grateful to Serge for sharing his motorcycle adventure across Africa.  
 

A Decade of CPD Service

In 2015, boomerang carnets was honored to be appointed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) as the official issuing association for the CPD in the United States and Canada.  In 2025, we proudly celebrate ten years of serving travelers and exporters with this essential document.

Today, we issue CPDs in the U.S. and Canada, alongside ATA Carnets—the “Merchandise Passport”—which we provide in both the U.S. and the U.K.
 

A Word from Serge

Serge also left kind words about his experience working with Leah Ogryzek, our North American CPD Agent & ATA Carnet Specialist:

“Leah Ogryzek was very good help from my first phone call. She did her best to help me. Sometimes it’s not easy to understand, but she always answers my calls, my emails. Thx to you.”
 

For All Your Carnet Needs

Our New Animated CPD Video

Carnet de Passages en DouaneSee our new animated CPD video: "What is a Carnet de Passages en Douane, or CPD?"  It is a concise introduction to the CPD, what it is, who needs it, and how it makes crossing an international border with your on-road vehicle easy and economical.  Running time is 1 minute, 11 seconds.
 

Thank you, Serge!

Our thanks to Serge Lafreniere for sharing his adventures in Africa and for his kind words about our service.  We wish him many more years ahead of fun adventures on the road.
 

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