[QUOTE]Originally posted by skip:
[B]Hi
Iám hoping to ship 2 bikes from South America to Austraila in september,

I shipped a bike (Louisiana plates) from Houston to Aukland by air and then from Aukland to Brisbane by ocan in mid April -05. The bike had to be crated. The crade HAD to be made of PRESSURE TREATED lumber. The air shipment went smoothly but the ocean shipment from NZ was a mess. I sat in Brisbane 19 days waiting for the ship to arrive and then another 7 days for Patrick Port Service to get my crate out of the consolidated container. The bike was not clean enough so Quarantine took it from there. I had a CDP issued by Canadian Automobile Association. With that the Customs released the bike with no problem. Panalpina was my agent. The port fee was A$500. Another A$500 went to Customs and Quarantine and the agent charged A$400. I rode clear aronud and across Australia (22070 km) without insurance other that the US one. Didn't even know you had to have a local one. Same thing in NZ where I was stopped and ticketed twice for speeding. No one ever asked to see proof of insurance. Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck.

There is no obligation to have insurance in New Zealand. This actually makes it cheaper for those of us who do buy it, as the companies have to offer something attractive to make it more worth-while. Also those people who don't buy insurance are often the ones more likely to have accidents, especially single vehicle accidents. With them out of the loop, companies can offer cheaper rates.
Regards

Nigel in NZ

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"The world is a book and those who do not travel read but a page"- St Augustine

Yes I shipped my own bike from france several years ago to Brisbane and was faced with the same probs. The problem here is no 2 states are the same and the Customs/ quarrentine ppl don't no if they are coming or going! So you get all this information that is not relevant just what suits them on the day. Welcome to Oz!!

I would suggest to come through Darwin or a port that has more relaxed officials then they won't give you the real run around. Just my two bobs worth.

Good luck
Ivan

Thanks for the info, thats given me something to think about. cheers skip

I don't think Tony Blair is going to have much weight with Aussie customs mate..LMAO.

Try giving John Howard a ring.

Does anyone have any idea on importing a bike permanently iOz? From the UK via South America? (I know about having the bike spotless - I got stung a few years ago for having a bit of dust on a pair of Merrels I shipped home and in typical Australian fashion, they wanted to charge me more to destroy them than to clean them - go figure) And I'm thinking Brisbane - QLD - would be the cheapest place to register the bike, on the east coast at least. I tried to find out about this a couple of months ago and even after a few emails and phone calls I was still confused.
Any help would be appreciated.
Ta.
Michelle

If the bike is over 15 years old it is easier.

If you are emergrating teh rules are easier ... I think.

However ... take a look at the secondhand bike prices here .. you may find it is cheaper to buyy here rather than ship...

there is more about 1/3 the way down this page
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tri...er/index.shtml

The process of importing vehicles into Oz is confusing (to put it mildly), we are a Federation of States so you have to deal with several layers of Government - Federal and State.

Step one is to get hold of an Import Approval from the Dept of Transport and Regional Affairs (DOTARS) http://www.dotars.gov.au/transreg/vsb/vsb_10.aspx you need a VSB10 form and you can download an explanatory booklet as well.

The criteria is explained for personal imports. You can either own the vehicle for more than 1 year or the vehicle is older than 15 years, they are the only private import approvals allowed. You'll need to prove who you are which can be a pain if you are overseas, passport photos, etc etc.

Once you've got your import approval - not a guranteed process I'm afraid as the staff at VIMPORTS are a bunch of koalas who prefer to get the rubber stamp "denied" out more than the "approved" one. Send more information than is requested - copies of registration documents in your name, invoices showing your name and dates of servicing and purchase, a photo of the VIN and build date plates as well. Any extra information that you can provide will ensure that the process is a bit smoother, if the vehicle is less than 15 years old its really important to prove that you have owned it for more than a year.

Now that you the Import Approval you can book transport to Australia.

You can either do all the customs and AQIS (quarantine) clearance yourself or get a Customs Agent. Customs and AQIS are very professional and seem to have the attitude of helping you get the vehicle into the country (wheras DOTARS is about keeping it out), they will assist you with paperwork an N10 form is required and Customs and AQIS share the same buildings (in Brisbane). Customs will need the Import Approval, they will calculate the clearance fees, duty and GST (VAT) and give you a bill to pay in cash or by EFTPOS - no cheques or credit cards. Its likely that the AQIS inspection fee will also be added at that point as well. All fees are subject to the vehicle passing inspection, re inspection means more fees to pay. Be very wary of allowing customs agents a free hand at this stage as its an easy money earner for them "Oh by the way customs had to re inspect thats another $250". When you've paid all the fees customs and AQIS will give you an authority to have the vehicle released - subject to the inspections having been completed. You'll have to get in touch with the stevedores to find out if the inspections have been completed.

AQIS have some rules about vehicles which have been in foot and mouth endemic areas, check the AQIS website for all of their requirements.

To get the bike from the wharf/airport you have to pay in cash the landing fees to the local shipping company agent - not to the stevedores, they get paid by the shipping company. They will give you a release authority which enables you get the vehicle out of the bond area.

Thats sort of it for the Federal Government - with no doubt a few minor hiccups in the process.

Now for the State requirements, before you can ride the vehicle anywhere it has to have compulsory third party personal injury insurance - I have access to a Trade Plate which has made getting vehicles off the wharf a breeze.

My current understanding is that a vehicle imported (not on a carnet) into Queensland is always unregistered and has to be either transported or put on a Trade Plate to move it around. An unregistered vehicle permit will not be issued unless it is being driven directly from the wharf to a garage which will do the safety certificate inspection (MOT/TUV/RWC as they are known around the world)

http://www.transport.qld.gov.au/qt/L...tion2#register
gives the process that Queensland Transport requires of you.

Its likely that Queensland Transport will put some pressure on you to undergo the written drivers licence test and swap your licence over straight away - you have three months to do that so take your time. Having a vehicle owned by you and registered in Queensland and not having a Queensland Drivers Licence after 3 months means that you will be driving unlicenced after that time - even if you are NOT in Queensland at the time so beware. The State by State registration and licencing is an absolute nightmare for someone wanting to travel around Australia.

Two things Roger - just to clarify (or muddy as the case maybe)

The 'own for 12 months' thing - I think you also have to be 'with' the bike - no buying it overseas and storing it there while your in another country and then getting the bike 12 months later. If you follow me.

As far as riding interstate is concerned - once approved by one state it should be accepted by the others (at least temporarily while you tour around). If you plan on moving into another state - different again. Not quite as bad as moving to another country.

Ooops, you re right, once registered in one State its accepted in all, subject to the vehicle being roadworthy, etc.

The three month rule on garaging the vehicle in one State still applies though, if you move to another State you have 3 months to get it re registered, get a new drivers licence, etc.

I still have my life licence from the UK (expires 2025) and have been known to put on my best pommie accent when stopped riding my wife's bike, "just on 'oliday orificer". But I think my days are numbered with the advent of the national database a couple of years ago, it wont take much to link my name to my wife's address. However in twenty six years of riding in Aus I've used the "just on holiday" excuse about a dozen times and got at worst a lecture on the price of drivers licences in Victoria against the five quid I paid for the UK licence back in the 70s.