This is about the tourist carnet (Carnet de Touriste) - a guarantee document of the International Touring Alliance (AIT). The special feature of this document is that it provides visa support to citizens of Ukraine and their family members for visiting countries of the Schengen Agreement. As is known, the main obstacle to travel is the visa barrier. As a rule, obtaining an entry visa requires a tourist voucher, an official invitation, or a private invitation. At the same time, individual tourism enthusiasts who simply want to tour around a country of interest are left out. And that is where a tour carnet comes to the rescue. The guarantors in this case are the All-German Automobile Club (ADAC) together with the Austrian Automobile, Motorcycle and Touring Club (ÖAMTC).
Advantages of the tour carnet also include the fact that it can be issued for various numbers of days. This document has seven validity periods: eight days, 15 days, one month, two months, three, six, and a year. You yourself can choose the most suitable option. In addition, there is the so-called family travel carnet: it is issued for two parents and children under 14 and allows saving money. The cost of the carnet is from 60 to 140 euros (depending on the chosen validity period) and is paid in hryvnias. Of course, a tour carnet in your hands is not yet a visa in your passport, but it is the most convenient and accessible way to obtain one.
Lesya OPOTYAK, head of the department of international accompanying documents of the "112 Ukraine" service, told us more about the tour carnet and other documents for convenient travel.
- Our company has been providing services to Ukrainian travelers for nine years now. One of the main areas of our activity is the development of automobile tourism and the creation of a system for providing technical assistance services. To ensure these designated areas of activity, the "112 Ukraine" service implements such products of the International Touring Alliance as the tourist carnet, the international camping card, and assistance-exclusive.
In 1997, our country was the first in the CIS to put the tour carnet into operation. Since then, this document, developed and implemented by AIT specifically to promote the development of international tourism, has significantly facilitated travel abroad for thousands of our citizens. Today, the advantages of the tourist carnet are known to many. For example, we have clients who have already purchased 10-17 carnets, so the usefulness of this document is obvious.
By the way, never purchase a carnet from various dubious intermediaries! The "112 Ukraine" service is the only organization in Ukraine authorized by AIT to sell tourist carnets and other products of the alliance. We have to deal with unscrupulous competitors who try to speculate on the name of our product ("tourist carnet") and the rights it provides. A discovered counterfeit tour carnet can cause serious trouble for its owner. And remember: this document is issued only in the presence of its consumer! Personal presence is necessary to provide complete and objective information about the composition of the product and the rules for its use, taking into account the content of the documents. We are convinced that this procedure best contributes to the protection of consumer rights.
I would also like to draw attention to the payment procedure. When processing all necessary documents at the place where the tour carnet is issued, the consumer pays for the product through a bank institution and receives receipts. Given that none of the visa support products guarantees obtaining a visa, we pay special attention to our obligations to return the paid money to the consumer in the event of a refusal to issue a visa or in other circumstances when a person cannot use our product.
As I already mentioned, in addition to the tour carnet, there are two more documents that significantly facilitate travel abroad, especially for owners of their own vehicles.
The International Camping Card (ICC) is an identification card distributed under the auspices of three international non-governmental tourism organizations - the International Touring Alliance, the International Camping Federation, and the International Automobile Federation - to simplify the procedure for registration at campsites and provide discounts during their visits. At the same time, together with the camping card, you are given a guidebook containing information about campsites, their location in different European countries, and the system of services at each of them. Discounts are provided on the entrance fee, the cost of a place at the campsite, the use of sports facilities and equipment, payment for meals on the campsite territory, and the use of household premises and appliances.
Another product of ours - assistance-exclusive (SVAT) - will suit any traveler. Many of us are familiar with the problems that arise due to the language barrier or due to not knowing where to turn in a particular non-standard situation. It is in such cases that SVAT is needed - help from a network of automobile and tourist clubs in Europe to you and your family members in the right place and at the right moment.
So, what services can the holder of a valid SVAT use? First of all, this is road assistance for your car, which can be used twice for free. Provided that you cannot move independently, you will be provided with transportation of the car. If, for example, an accident happened to you and you are unable to drive the car yourself, you will be provided with the return of the car to Ukraine by a pilot driver. In addition, before a trip abroad, you can get help in planning the optimal travel route. And if you decide to buy a car abroad, you will be provided with control of its technical condition. SVAT provides a number of other important services that will give you confidence in the safety of the trip.
I would also like to draw attention to the fact that you have the opportunity around the clock to contact the dispatch center of the service ‘112 Ukraine’ and upon return to compensate the spent funds. We will provide you with the support of qualified specialists of our company in terms of advisory, reference and dispatch services.