Bike registration in Central America ?
 

Does anyone know which Central American country has the lowest cost to permanently register a bike that has a current registration in the US. I am in Costa Rica but the cost to register is prohibitive. I know short term that i can cross the border every 90 days while i am here. I would like to trade in or sell my current bike (750 Honda Shadow).

"registration" in nicaragua is cheap, but you must be a citizen or resident. also, you will have to import the bike into the country and pay duties. likely much more than registration. i suspect it might be the same elsewhere...

Thanks Teevee,

The Duty or tax in Costa Rica is 50-70% of what they determine the bike value to be, therefore, may not be worth it.

you can only cross the border once then you have to take the bike out of CR when your 90 days are up. The bike cannot reenter for the next 90 days. If you come to Panama they stamp the bike in your passport & you cannot leave without it.
It basically comes down to how much you want to sell the bike for. In Panama there are about $500 in legal costs & registration + import duties on valuation of the bike.
As a non citizen you would not then be able to take the bike out of Panama.

Panavalk,

I am in Costa Rica and my 90 days are up in a few weeks. You say i cannot cross the border with Nicaragua for three days and then return to Costa Rica with the bike. Is that correct?

Panavalk,
As a tourist, you are afforded the right to drive the vehicle for three months without paying taxes. The time begins when you enter the country, not when the vehicle enters the country. For example, if you enter Costa Rica on the 1st of October, but your vehicle enters on the 1st of November, you will only have two months to drive the vehicle, not three. This is very important to keep in mind. You will be required to pay a local tax, some additional fees, all of which add up to around $90.00 US (normally this is all part of the customs procedure). At the end of three months, you have the right to extend the right to drive the vehicle for an additional three months. In order to do this you must follow the following procedure (this is what the law stipulates):

You have to leave the country prior to the three month limit, anywhere for 48 hours. When you re-enter, they will re-stamp your passport, which will allow you to drive the vehicle for three additional months. If you wait until the three month period is up, theoretically you are required by law to pay the taxes on the vehicle. We highly recommend that you do not drive the vehicle if the permit has expired. Any vehicle being driven after the permit has expired is by law, an abandoned vehicle. The police have the legal right to confiscate the vehicle and not give it back. Most likely, they will compound the vehicle until the taxes are paid. Either way, it will not be fun.
This is what i found on the internet:

not sure about the vehicle, but i'm certain that leaving the country re-starts the 90 day period for the person. most likely it would do the same for the bike. however, i have read that some countries will not let you re-enter within a certain period of time after departing.

CR has insane duties. nica's duties are 35% on motos over 250cc. registering in nica wouldn't help you as you would still have to temporarily import it to CR.

Panavalk,

You are right. After checking around in Costa Rica, it is true that after 90 days you must permanently register and pay the duty or get the bike out of CR without the ability to return. However, i can cross the border and return.