Entering Canada with a borrowed bike
 

On July 2009 I intend to enter Canada, with a bike borrowed from a US Resident. It is a legal vehicle, brand new, in perfect conditions, with proper documents, etc.
I`d like to know if I have to get some special document for the fact I am not the bike`s owner (other than the motorcycle property certificate). My personal documents are in order (multiple entries Visa, passport, etc).
Also, need want to know if motorcycle insurance is necessary in US and Canada.
I`m a brazilian citizen.
Thanks,

Ricardo Rauen
Florianópolis SC, Brazil.
Visit my website: :: RAUEN - Aventuras de moto ::

Motorcycle insurance is required in both the US and Canada. With a borrowed bike I would make sure that there was "collision" coverage as well as "liability". Collison cover your bike and liability covers other people's property when it is your fault. Also get "uninsured/underinsured motorist" coverage. Although insurance is required, there are an amazing number of people who don't have it. This covers you when it is their fault and they are without or don't have enough insurance. The bike owner's current insurance can probably be used if the owner gets you listed as an authorized rider with the company.

For paperwork I would get a notarized letter from the owner allowing you to take the bike to Canada. You can write this up yourself listing all the details, names, addresses, bike numbers, etc. and have the owner sign it in front of a Notary Public. Most real estate or lawyer offices have one and the fee won't be much. This may not be "required" but could sure help smooth the way if the border guard has a question.

Then be sure and ride the Icefields Parkway in the middle of the Rocky mountains along the border between Alberta and BC.

Ricardo:

Keep in mind that the Canadian Customs staff (the border guards) really have no interest at all in who owns the motorcycle. Their only interest - if any - would be to ensure that you do not intend to leave the motorcycle behind in Canada, or sell it in Canada.

Canadian police - who you may or may not encounter during the course of driving around - may have a very slight interest in the fact that the registered owner of the motorcycle (as evidenced by the registration papers and the insurance papers) is not the same as the driver (as evidenced by your driver licence and/or passport), but as long as the motorcycle is not listed as being stolen - something that the police can easily check in this computer day and age - chances are that they really won't care who owns it either. The police will want to see documents that prove that the motorcycle is properly registered, has a current licence plate, and has current insurance.

Insurance papers in Canada and the United States all follow a common format, therefore, if the bike is correctly insured in the United States and you have proof of insurance, then it will be correctly insured for Canada as well.

Vehicle insurance (liability insurance, in case you cause harm to someone or something else) is obligatory in all Canadian provinces. There are very strong penalties if you do not have liability insurance. Collision insurance (insurance that will pay to repair your moto if you damage it) is entirely optional. As Bobkat suggested, it is a very good idea that you get what is called "uninsured motorist" coverage, in case you are involved in an accident with someone who (in contravention of the law) is not insured.

Bobkat's suggestion that you get a notarized letter indicating that you have the permission of the owner to be riding the moto and - more specifically, to ride it in Canada (to cross the border) - is a good one. I ride my Canadian registered motorcycle in Europe, and because it is registered in my wife's name, I carry a notarized letter indicating that I have her permission to be riding this Canadian registered motorcycle all over Europe. I have, on one occasion, had to show this letter to a policemen to assure him that I did not steal the motorcycle from my wife while she was sleeping.

Michael

Just make sure it has insurance. At least liability insurance. Some states, like Washington, allow you to have a legal registration and a current plate without insurance. That doesn't fly in Canada. Otherwise, enjoy!

Guidelines on both the US and the Canadian crossings get stiffer each week. I ride into the US and back into Canada two to three times a week and can honestly say that the attitudes from officers on both sides are very unpredictable. I would suggest that you contact Canada Customs prior to your travel and ask someone official what is the best thing for you to do with your situation.
Have a great trip and if you are traveling through Abbotsford, BC give me a shout.

Get a Nexus card, solves everyhting. The border interaction is down to a smile and a wave. If you fly, you don't even talk to anyone anymore, walk up to the machine, eye scan, press 2 buttons, get exit card and you're done.

A Nexus card might not be a practical solution for Ricardo, who is from Brazil.

I was replying to 61Timm