Carnet issues taking bikes into Europe for charity bike ride

Sounds like the situation before the single market. Having to take prefilled in custom forms for every item or tool when going to another country. Every business visit had to be prepared week's in advance.

From what I found for the Hotchillee Carnet article when someone stated a little bit of paperwork should not be a problem.

If you are travelling with the bikes you do not own, you will need a Carnet which covers all the bikes on one form (Read further for details needed). So you will need to contact all the cyclists and get all the information for it. Cost is about £350 + VAT, one business website seemed to indicate extra charges as well. The only way you wouldn't is if each cyclist was present with the bikes at the same time. So three in the van, and three bikes and you should be fine. Do not think, "ah forget that we will chance it" as one charity doing a similar ride got caught out and charged, or at best you are not allowed in. Either way the event is screwed. Factor in some travel time in case you are stopped at customs to be fully checked against the carnet. That might take several hours if they do.

I would suggest you peruse your local Chamber of Commerce Website as they should have more details, hopefully a helpline and maybe an online portal ready to apply (London Chamber of Commerce does). I would also plan to get all the infor ASAP and not leave it too long as any to-ing and fro-ing to get details correct will eat into precious creation time. Minimum you will need is manufacturer, model , frame number, weight, purchase price, country of origin. You might or might not need to cover wheels, drivetrain, head units as well so get that confirmed. Are you taking other support equipment (track pumps, spare wheels, the cyclists kit)?

Other things to get a definite answer on. What happens if a bike listed on the official carnet doesn't go? (rider pulls out or replaces bike / parts for some reason). Would you need a new one? What happens if a bike is stolen or not brought back for any reason? If it is a hire van, owned by the charity but not you, will that need to be on the carnet?

And in general, don't forget to take the road kits to comply with French road laws. Not sure what Spain or Portugal might have as well. 

Can you also post back here the process in the end once you are safely back, maybe Road.cc can do an article on it for general info. Most Euro visitors travel with their bike or send it via a dedicated firm but it would be nice to know. 
 

What a mess!

It might be worth contacting British cycling if your a member they may have some more info? From memory the BBC ran a story on this at the beginning of the year when it all went wrong for another group. 

N2 by any chance? Brilliant ride.

Theoretically you'll only need to clear customs at entry and exit of first Schengen country (France) as there'll be no borders between France, Spain and Portugal. Although this applies to people, once you're in, you won't see another customs gate until you leave the Schengen area. You could still get pulled over by the police for id check, or a vehicle check, but if you have an entry stamp you should be OK. Ref the documentation, I'd be inclined to seek detailed advice when you apply for the carnet, it's not something you want to be arguing the toss about with French customs. If there's 20 of you, the cost between you all should be reasonable. I think also I would consider getting a ferry to either Bilbao or Santander if I was doing this.