Buying within the EU - is it easy?
 

Hi all,

I'm currently without a bike and this makes me unhappy. I'm cycling through Europe and today this idea sprung to mind.

If I buy a bike in Hungary (my first eu country), am in the EU, so perhaps I can ride it to the Netherlands without trouble. Then change the plates without to much trouble since the bike is likely to be built to the same standards/demands.

Is this a good idea or am I making things difficult?

Bike I can afford is something very cheap, around maybe 500 euro. A Yamaha XJ for instance.

Alex

Not going to work my friend.

In every country in the EU (except Ireland still and to some extent the UK if you tell a few 'lies' for the insurance, it is a total nightmare of residency permits, weeks potentially of queueing in council offices etc. And as for 'changing the plates' forget it, even though the EU in meant to be a 'free trade' area most governments have all sorts of bogus environmental taxes (read import duties) on 'foreign' vehicles. Couple that with draconian 'testing' procedures and road tax you can forget it.

Sorry.

If your really into the idea do a search on here into buying and registering in Ireland. Look for bikes on here www.donedeal.ie.

mmmmm not really the case, since the OP is European.

I've absolutely no idea about hungary, but some countries make it easy to buy for export, giving you the possibility to cancel registration and take out temporary insurance and numberplates for a number of days, allowing you to ride home and register there.

I've bought bikes in neighbouring Slovenia ( I'm not Italian , I just live here) , and it took all of twenty minutes to do the above, I know croatia is similar, and in Germany it's a perfectly commonplace thing, I'd suggest forgetting about Hungary and heading straight to Germany instead.

No idea how re-registering in holland works, but the Dutch administration is likely to be far more efficient than the equivalent down here.
Used vehicles don't pay any import tax inside the EU.

Its never referred to as import tax, its comfortably given some other name, eg VRT in Ireland.

Actually missed that the origional poster was from within the EU. doh

Thanks for all the input. I miss riding and since I'm crossing from Ukraine to Netherlands I thought to do the last stretch with a bike. This is 1) cool 2) I have a bike when I get home.

If u buy the bike in Germany it's only one week from home. Still cool, but probably not worth the issues.

Shit, this is less easy I hoped it to be. Why! They should make life easier for us;)

Alex