

That is something you definitely can't do with a rental bike.īut shipping your own bike, either by sea or by air, can be extremely expensive. You can also set your bike up with all the accessories you prefer, customize it exactly the way you want it and set it up for long-distance traveling. You can take your bike to whatever country you like. The main advantage of traveling with your own motorcycle is that you will face NO difficulties at borders.

Do you want to pay huge shipping costs to travel on your own bike? The Royal Enfield that I bought in India was produced as a BS3 compliant motorcycle and because of that, I could not register it in The Netherlands either. On top of that, in Europe for example, the emission laws are so strict nowadays, that you also can’t permanently import a motorcycle that doesn’t comply with those emission standards. And when you don’t want to do that, your bike will become a museum piece in your garage, as you won’t be allowed to ride a bike with foreign plates beyond the temporary import permit time. If you are a bike lover like me, and you don’t want to sell your bike before returning home, but instead, bring your bike ‘home’, you may have to pay huge import taxes.
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I don't have a full list of the countries where you can get it done, but the USA is the most known country, and I've heard about Colombia and Chile as well.Īnother thing to keep in mind if you buy a motorcycle in another country than your own is this. With some police stamped papers, I could take my motorcycle to South Africa’s direct neighbors: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, but not any further than that.Īll in all, there are not many countries in the world where you can register a motorcycle in your own name as a non-resident. It always remained registered to the motorcycle shop where I bought it from (until this day). Again, despite trying to get it done, I didn't manage to register the bike in my own name. This time, I bought a CRF250L in South Africa. Because of this 'border anxiety', and the fact that I was going to Latin America next, where some countries will truly not let you in, if the bike is not registered in your name, I decided not to do it again.īut, sometimes life throws you a curveball and I ended up buying another local motorcycle abroad 1,5 years later. I was always scared they wouldn't let me in. So, it can be done, but every border crossing was nerve-wracking to me. I have taken this motorcycle across 25 countries while it was not registered in my name. Instead, a local guy bought and registered the bike in his name, and I gave him the money for the purchase and the bike was then 'mine'. It was impossible for me as a tourist and non-resident to register the motorcycle in my own name. The first time, I bought a motorcycle in India. I have done this twice, so I have a little experience with this method. If you don't want (or can't) rent a motorcycle, or if you are going away for such a long time that the cost of renting doesn't make sense anymore - you might consider buying a local motorcycle.

Can you register a motorcycle in your own name? If renting is not an option, and you consider buying a motorcycle locally, then the answer to the next question is essential to know. In most cases, it is not allowed, so don’t count on it. It really depends on where you are in the world, as in some areas you might in fact be able to cross into the neighboring countries. In this case, your best shot is to just rent a bike.Īre you planning to travel through multiple countries, then you should inquire with the rental company first, whether this is possible and allowed. Buying a local motorcycle will also require a lot of time and effort to find one, register it, and then sell it again after your trip.

It wouldn't make sense to go through all the effort and costs for shipping your own motorcycle. In this case, it's easy: rent a motorcycle! You are not planning to visit any of the neighboring countries, just Costa Rica. Say you have a couple of weeks off from work, and you are dying to explore Costa Rica on a motorcycle. Are you planning to travel to just one country or more?
