Nicaragua to Texas - Power of Attorney at Borders
 

Hello friends,

I am planning to buy a bike in Nicaragua and drive it from here to Texas through Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico.

I have a friend here in Nicaragua who can put the bike (second hand) in his name and we will get power of attorney documents from a lawyer here saying that I have complete power over the motorcycle.

My question is, will this be sufficient to cross all the borders I have mentioned above, or do you think there could be complications arising from the bike not being in my name? What additional documents do I need? What can I do now to be as prepared as possible so that I minimise the chances of being refused to cross somewhere.

I know that I should carry multiple copies of all my documents, but if you have any other pointers or advice I would much appreciate the help before I commit to buying the bike and setting off on the trip.

Thank you.

Curious as to what make and model of bike which you might buy in Nicaragua to bring back to Texas ' An antique Indian or Harley ?
Remember , most if not all bikes sold in markets outside the USA do not necessarily conform to any of the EPA ,NHTSA and DOT regulations required for being legally registered in the USA . You can ride it across the US border but when you eventually try to sell it or register it for a plate or insure it you will find that to be nearly impossible . Or getting it adjusted and fitted for the US regs will cost a small ( or large ) fortune . Leaving it for an ornament for display and off the road should be simple enough .

Or are you selling it in Mexico before going into Texas "?- If you assume full ownership of the bike in Nicaragua , that would avoid many problems .

Hi thanks for your response. The bike is a 2013 Honda XL 200cc. Ideally I would sell it in US but if that is not possible I would try to sell it in Mexico towards the end of my journey. Does that sound like a realistic plan? I would be happy enough to let it go for $1000.

I've never seen a '13 XL200 in Mexico At that price $1000USD it should sell, about $1975 MXN.

Power of Attorney: I'm hoping to use this next month
 

Hi!
I use a home-made power of attorney (Letter of Authorisation) for my friend's bike to enter North Macedonia, Greece, Albania, Italy, Kosovo in the last 2 years. I understand that it should work in central America, but I expect the best thing to do is have it notarised by a "Notario". My logic is that all commercial vehicles are owned by someone other than the driver, so the concept is not novel for a border force. (I will know in about a month.)

home made?
 

Exactly what is a "home -made power of attorney " letter ?
Is it some sort of standard form that you found on the internet and filled in with your own data , then printed it in hopes of passing it off as having some sort of legal value ?
I am curious because I have no personal experience with " power of attorney " documents . What I do know is that such things must have some sort of legal foundation , like Overlander says , with an actual licensed attorney's name , registration number , stamp, or seal and approval by the authorities to make it an actual legal document .

If you are willing to go to the bother and cost of such a document would it not be less of a job to simply outright buy the bike from your friend and to transfer the ownership officially to your name ?
That would eliminate all the questions at the borders and make selling the bike so much simpler .


Since you , optimismprimarily , posted the question back on 29 August 2022 you may already have progressed into this deal . Please let us know how things have gone thus far .

I did wrote about that topic recently.

• power of attorney
• certification by apostille
• authentication by a consular or diplomatic agent

Article: https://vanlife.4x4tripping.com/2021...rowed-car.html


I did a transafrica with a car I didnt own at that time - so I had do invest some time about that topic. In switzerland just the owner have to singn for the "power of attorney" - in other countries you had to do the job at a notar.

Using a apostille is the safe way.

Surfy

Yes I gut turned away from the Tapachula (Mexico to Guatemala) border crossing this week because my letter of authority to take my friends Mexican bike into Guatemala was not notarised. I got it notarised and they let me in. At the Guatemala to Belize border today they did not ask for any evidence that I had the owner's permission.