Tourist plates
 

Anybody bought a motorcycle in Europe being a non-EU resident and registered with a tourist plate? I'm planning to do so in Spain this coming may and I would love to get some tips from anybody who's done it.
Thanks / Jose

Never heard of a "tourist plate"?

Steve

Also know as Export Plates, although officially could be called anything.

If you search for these two words you'll find a bit of info already.

Can't help you with Spain, but it's possible in Germany (expect beauraucratic hassles when re-selling your bike, as the rego gets deleted!). In France this should also be possible, seeing all French car makers run temp buying schemes as an alternative to renting. But here, you'll have to speak French.

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Salut from Southern France, the bikers' paradise,

Peter.

Spain do have tourist license plates. I had those for a year in 1998. Things might have improved since then, but if they haven't then the process of getting them is long and tedious. The award is that you pay no taxes when buying new.

Here's what I wrote about it back then:
http://rocinantestravels.com/spain/r...tOfTheShop.htm
(if the link is too long, then copy and paste)

Main point and difficulty is that you need an adress and an official contract if hiring (you can use a friends adress but then he will have his name on the documents), you/he needs the NIE (Numero Identificacion Extranjero = Foregner's ID number) which you get through the local police station (may take weeks), and then you got the insurance challenge.

It's slow but doable, and a lot easier if living in Spain then if travelling through.

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Dag
http://www.RocinantesTravels.com

I'm a Canadian working in Saudi Arabia. Last year, I went to Italy & purchased a Moto Guzzi from a mom & pop shop in Parma. I explained to them that I wasn't an EU resident & would I be able to register the bike in Italy. After a lot of discussion and hand gestures between the shop owner & his son in Italian, they managed to get me the bike with Italian plates. I'm not sure what type of smoke & mirrors were involved since I don't speak Italian but, I think the owner's son had it registered in his name then, he turned around & sold it to me. I'm not sure if everything is above board but the bike has legal Italian liscence plates. They even offered to store the bike for me while I return to work in Saudi.