german registration
 

hi all.

my wife and i are planning on buying two new bikes in germany on the coming jan (2007). my wife have a norwegian pasport and i carry a german pasport, however we do not live in germany (we live in vietnam) adac told us that there is no problem for us to register the new bikes in germany i.e german license plates, but the bmw dealer in hamburg told us that we have to be residents of germany in order to register them, does anyone have any idea wich one of them is right, in october we have to place the order for the bikes and place a deposit and we dont want to do it for nothing.

many thanks in advance

marie & guy

Hi,

I've been having this problem in France, unfortunately i suspect it would be the same. The don't want to register to anyone that doesn't have a residence in the country. The easiest way to get around this is if you have friends/family in Germany who's address u can use (that's what i did). Since u have time before u are doing it, if u can get them to put your name down on some utility bills that should provide good proof of residents. Alternatively, u could register in their name or in joint names (theres and yours) if there is a problem. I hope this helps:)

P.s. anyone you recommend at adac (hopefully that speaks English)? I have my bike registered, but they won't insure me as i am not french. Been told adac can help but i can't read the website:(

Thanks

german rego
 

hello,

to register your bike in Germany you must be a resident. You will need the *Personalausweis* or *Meldebescheinigung* together with your passport. So your dealer in Hamburg is right.

Two other ways to get it registered.

First. Register it in a friends name.

Second. Get temporary export plates.

Good luck and enjoy German winter

Mika

thanks
 

thank you chunkylover and mika it is very helpful, as for the contact in adac we have been dealing with a women whose name is karina and since we have the same problem as yours (cannot read the site) she is writting to us in english, her mail is karina.stephani@adac.de and i hope she could asist you.
we didnt get an answer from her regarding this topic so we still hope for the best, the reason we choose germany is because i have a german passport, and it is the cheapest place, our other option is to buy the bikes in israel which is tripple the price and not the most popular license plate for all around trip...
i think now we shell check how to get those two documents that mika wrote about.

thanks again

marie & guy

second hand
 

How about if we buy second hand bikes, in Germany, any idea if that will be workable considering the bikes are already regisrared?
This might be a showstopper, in our extensive plans.. we HAVE to find a way around..:(
(Marie) on behalf of Guy&Marie

Chunkey,

try calling a mate of mine in Piegut - Stefane Jally on 0553 56 41 46. Hes an insurance broker.
I think hes on hols until next Monday

John

The only way, is for you to buy them for export. The license plate is for the person that owns it. A new buyer gets a new plate unless they live in the same town/area.
The "Meldebescheinigung" is for foreiners registerd to live in Germany so you would have to go through that process - non tarter really. And, if you are not EU nationals, the process is more difficult.

If you buy the bike for export, you get a "Z" or Zoll (customs) plate. Its RED so it stands out.
The bike must be out of Germany buy the time the plate expires (a month or so, max of 3 months I think), you can get insurance for the bike from the ADAC that will last the lifetime of the plate.

Once you leave Germany, nobody in other countries knows or cares about the system and it just a German plate. Buy your insurance as you go.
The docs will have this license plate in it and your name and if my memory is right, the (home?) address you declare.

There is a date stamped into the plate. Put a sticker on it;-)).

The UK is the simplest place to register them. No passport/ID etc. etc. Just find an address, get the insurance, pay the road tax, MOT if needed, do the import and off you go.

John

thanks jhon
 

thanks for the info, well no worries problems are there to be solved...one way or another... i think its better not to bang the head against the wall and just go around it and find the door... or window.

many thanks...and if you see a couple on two f650 dakar with red german license plates its probably us..:biggrin:

marie & guy

marie & guy
You should contact Stefan knopft at knopft tours, He offers a number of different motorcycle services and may be able to help with insurance as well.

http://www.knopftours.com/

If you have a German passport then all you need is a place to stay, you register as a resident, then you can register and insure both bikes in your name. Don't forget you may need to have an official document allowing your other half to ride the bike registered in your name. Some third world countries may require this...

thanks all sorry for not responding right back- we spent the weekend in hanoi, so much rain, we are lopking into all the options including taking the bikes with the export license plates, anyway we have to decide before the begining of october cause you have to place your order two month in advance so... thanks again

marie & guy

German registration
 

It is not possible for anyone who does not have resident status in EU to register a car or bike in his name.To be a resident I believe you have to have lived in one of the EU countries for at least six months of the preceding year and conform to a bunch of rules. Be careful what you wish for because once you get yourself registered as a resident you may find that you have exposed yourself to a number of legal and tax requirements you had not bargained for .
Also in the Netherlands , and I suspect in the other EU countries , they appear to have a rule that says you can only get a bike registered to your name if you have a drivers license, and there is even a limit as to how many vehicles any one person can have to
his name.
The simplest solution is to have friends or relatives who have a drivers license and insurance and put the machine under their name. This year doing this I also discovered that it is faster and cheaper to get yourself registered as the second driver of the vehicle under their liability insurance policy. This gets you the green card for all of Europe and even North Africa. As a backup measure get your drivers license and passport photo page and those of the owner of record( your relative/ friend) photocopied onto a single page and then both of you sign it . This proved adequate proof of having rightful posession of the bike to police and border authorities as far afield as Marocco.

As far as I know none of the above apply to Germany.

Also, since foreigners can buy property in Germany they should be able to register as residents, too. They just can't remain in the country for more time than the visa allows. This, at least in theory, should also permit vehicle rego.

I am registered in Germany as a resident and so far had no hassles, despite even having an Ird number and having paid taxes there.