bikes without papers and cops in Bolivia

[lifecycles]

Our situation right now is a bit troubling. When we entered Bolivia, we didn't go through the aduana (or passport control) and we never got the temporary import papers. We assumed Bolivia was like Chile or Argentina where we would get in trouble if we sold registered bikes. Turns out we were wrong. Now that we are trying to sell it is a big problem that we don't have the temporary import papers, because it means the buyer can't nationalize the bike to get Bolivian papers. It also means our bikes could get impounded (and us deported) if we get caught.

That being said, I had a minor panic attack when I woke up this morning to the hotel receptionist telling me two cops were in the lobby looking at the bikes. I greeted them groggily. They looked at me sternly and asked if they were my bikes. I thought "shit, this is it. someone tipped them off and they are going to take them away and theres nothing i can do"

but then they said they wanted to buy them, since they won't have to worry about papers and making them legal. and they offered us $5000/bike, which is about what we have been getting in terms of offers.

so the big question is this:

Do we sell to the cops, hoping they don't ask us for the papers (I hyperventilate just writing that)

Do we ride to the nearest border and check in legally (it's 600 km away and last week four bikers had their bikes stolen at gun point)

do we sell for 4k/bike to some sketchy brothers

-------
we are in a pickle

[*Touring Ted*]

Guys !! You smuggled yourselves and the bikes in Bolivia ??? Are you f**king crazy ????

Well, bit late now...

My advice is to stay away from the cops. Trying to sell your bikes to them could go really wrong.. Do you think they even have that kind of cash ? Do you know what a fortune $5000 is to a Bolivian cop ?? I assume that's US Dollars ? That deal smells REAL fishy.

I'm all for twisting the rules a little but you're an illegal in Bolivia, as are your bikes... Those cops could ask for your passport at anytime. Gives them a perfect excuse to throw you in jail and confiscate the bikes too.

I would head to an administrative city and get aduana to give you papers and ffs, get yourselves a Visa !! If anyone asks for your passport and papers, say they were stolen and you're on your way to the capital to get them replaced.. Don't show them an empty passport.

You don't need to give South American cops any excuses.... Don't make it easy for them.


Sorry guys, but what you have done is REALLY stupid.....

[MikeS]

Hmm I did the same, came in to Bolivia via San Pedro De Atacama in Chile, got the passports done and then totally missed the Bolivian Aduana altogether (it was a few miles away in the altiplano wilderness).

Anyway, when we left Bolivia for Peru, no one asked for the bike papers (we walked in to the office without bike gear on) and entered Peru normally.

You might want to try leaving at a small border, am sure a few $$s might sweeten things if they do ask about the bikes paperwork.

Good luck!

ps a Bolivian cop offering $5,000 for each bike really doesn't sound too convincing to me, I'd tread carefully there!

(re read your post and noticed you didn't even get your passports stamped - , that will likely change things and you should go to a customs office as Ted suggests. Something similar happened to me going from Guatemala to Mexico via a river crossing, there was no aduana at the crossing so I was told to go to a customs office in Palenque - who weren't interested and just couldn't give a sh!t so I never got any bike paperwork for Mexico either..)

[mika]

Hola,

be very careful with the cops. As Ted and Mike said, it is hard to believe that they will pay you this amount of money.

First get your passport entry stamp, than the bike papers and than sell the bikes ... even if this means to ride to the border.

Suerte
Mika

[lifecycles]

Well, we sold the bikes, 10k for the two of them. We are not the first and not the last to miss the aduana on the way into Bolivia. Now that the drama of selling is all over, it's slowly starting to sink in that our babies are gone and the trip is officially over. And now the hard part of reintegrating into society, bikeless.

[mika]

Hola,

well done. so, the cops bought the bikes?

make sure the money is not fake, make sure you take it out of Bolivia, or spend it before leaving.

Pls keep us posted about leaving without entry stamp.

Yes, all is possible in South America, just do it

Mika from Salta

[crashmaster]

Originally Posted by mika

Hola,

well done. so, the cops bought the bikes?

make sure the money is not fake, make sure you take it out of Bolivia, or spend it before leaving.

Pls keep us posted about leaving without entry stamp.

Yes, all is possible in South America, just do it

Mika from Salta

spend $10,000 before leaving Bolivia? I'm not sure I could do that if I tried.

Relax, its Latin America. It will all get worked out. "My passport? Well a stray dog ate it, but the vehicle permit was stolen by a roving band of armed transsexual chollas."

ì do agree that its a bit strange that two cops can spend 5 grand each on motos. There is more to that story for sure.

[*Touring Ted*]

Originally Posted by crashmaster

spend $10,000 before leaving Bolivia? I'm not sure I could do that if I tried.

Its funny how people on the board get so wrapped around the axle and call people stupid when they dont have entry stamps are a vehicle permit. Relax, its Latin America. It will all get worked out. "My passport? Well a stray dog ate it, but the vehicle permit was stolen by a roving band of armed transsexual chollas."

It's all "manana manana" until you're sitting in a Bolivian police station with all the cops sharing out your possessions or when they fine you whatever they feel like for not having the right papers... It happens all the time !!

You said so yourself about the "armed robbery". I've done similar things myself with paperwork and it just leads to moments such as:

"I had a minor panic attack when I woke up this morning to the hotel receptionist telling me two cops were in the lobby looking at the bikes. I greeted them groggily. They looked at me sternly and asked if they were my bikes. I thought "shit, this is it. someone tipped them off and they are going to take them away and theres nothing i can do"


Your words mate !!

Or were you just being dramatic lol

[crashmaster]

All depends on your tolerance for that kind of stuff I guess. Normally, I at least try to get the right paperwork to be legal, but if the system makes it ridiculously complex or difficult to get the right papers, I generally will push on and figure out a plan B, well, in Latin America anyway.

It does sound to me like there is more to this story because the guys were obviously nervous that they didnt have the right papers.

I've been confronted by cops twice when I didnt have the right papers and it was not a big deal, I was cool and explained my situation, and I had them show me exactly what I needed to do to be legal and that was that. Some of these cops actually do understand that you could mistakenly cross a border where one of the offices was closed, non existent, etc, it happens and is not unusual ìmo, especially in the altiplano.

[mika]

spend $10,000 before leaving Bolivia? I'm not sure I could do that if I tried.

at crashmaster:

As I dont know lifecycles, maybe he wants to buy a plot of land, or a camper van, or donate the money to someone .... I dont know. To spend it all on will take some time, even if he drinks as much as I do at the moment.

I agree with you, it is a bit strange for two cops to have this amount of money.

Hope we will hear the rest of the story from Lifecycles one day.

Saludos
Mika

[Vorteks]

In all villages where i stayed in Bolivia, i was offered to buy my bike. It started right at the border with the custom officer, then the chief police officer in Padcaya, an hotel manager, a taxi driver, an internet café manager. In Venezuela as well, i was offered 4 times to buy my other 600 XTE.

There are indeed controls tho. In a village 25 km south of Tarija, police targeted motorcycles and impounded 10 in one day. But it seems that everything got back to normal after a while, and, i guess, a few bribes.

You guys took a risk and got rewarded. It could have gone wrong as well, it s all a question of luck.

[crashmaster]

Always an adventure. Thats what makes it so much fun IMO.

[zundapp]

I just left Bolivia on my KLR 650, hated the place and the people were in general either extremely vindictive or just un-friendly, and no wonder... corruption is a part of life there so some poor farmers or unlucky tourists just bought the cops bikes fast enough to catch the rest of us...

I won't be going back...

[PocketHead]

I was asked this all the time but I think that it's always just bullshit and they don't mean you any harm but they don't have the money either. It's like some strange way of socialising with you.

[carlospezao]

Hey guys Im a Brailizian gonna give u good advise ,go back to chile get your import paper in chile and visas ,dont try to sell the bikes to the cops ,or any Bolivian ,sell the bikes in Chile ,car or bikes stole in Brazil and cross the border the do all papers ,they dont need a import permite to do this in Bolivia ,bullshit.
if u try to sell to the cops they will take your bke away.hehehhe
First thing u guys are ilegal in country,do this in Brasil no problem your are gringo but not in Bolivia .