Importing a bike into Dubai from the UK
 

Hi,

I'm going to be moving to Dubai in a couple of months and I am thinking about bringing 1150GS over with me. Normally I'd ride it over, but time constraints mean that it'll have to be shipped over. This is in itself is not too much of an issue (I hope!!), but what I'm not sure about is how I go about permanently importing the bike into Dubai and registering it with the relevant UAE/Dubai authorities.

I understand the UAE is a carnet country and since I am going to be staying in Dubai for some time I don't really want to have the bike on a carnet for all of the time I'm going to be there (even if that was possible - which it probably isn't) and so I would like to have it registered in Dubai with Dubai plates etc, etc.

Anyway if anyone has anything they could share with me about this that'd be greatly appreciated. So any advice on import duties (if any), costs, the procedure for registration etc, etc would be welcome.

Thanks,

Peter

Peter
Used cars are regularly imported into the UAE, e.g. from Japan, so you should be OK.

For starting information try the: Dubai government portal
Dubai government is very keen on online services so if you e-mail them you might even get a reply to specific questions, e.g. about possible import duties.

Vehicle registration is done in conjunction with agencies called Tasjeel ("Registration"). These are joint ventures between the police and petrol companies.

They are fairly efficient. If you try e-mailing them you might also get a reply.

Hope this helps.
Stephan

Importing bikes into the UAE is relatively easy. Duty will be 5% of value. Be aware that you must register and pay duty on the bike in the place it is going to be ridden (ie Dubai if you intend to live there - all the emirates have their own customs and motor registry services). The bike must be trailered to the registry the first time (they take a VERY dim view of unregistered vehicles - mostly because of the insurance requirements to cover the enormous blood money payable after hitting a person). Inspections are cursory. Gulf specifications do not apply to bikes (they can be quite strict for cars) and very few inspectors know what they are looking at. Dubai is an economy largely based on import-export so there are hundreds of (mostly) reliable, cheap companies that can walk you through the process.

An import licence will be expected and Stephan's advice is useful in regards to contacting the govt. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how efficient things are.

cheers
Brett

Thanks very much for both of your replies. I will send a mail to the Dubai government, but in the meantime I just wondered if you were able to help with a couple of issues you mention.

1. Brett - you mentioned cheap companies that could walk me through the process for importing a bike. I just wondered whether you had any details of a company I could speak to.

2. Brett - you say that the bike must be trailered to the registry for registration. I will need to check with the shipping company (who are bringing the bike from the UK for me) as to what will actually happen, but would the bike not need to be cleared through customs at the port of arrival and would the relevant registration not take place there? If not then how would I be able to get the bike from the port to my flat (presumably I'd need to organise a trailer!)?

3. Stephan - On the Dubai government website it states that "For registration of used car, buyer (must be resident of Dubai) & seller must be present. In case, the seller is not present, a sale deed letter from an authorized showroom or dealer is required. If the vehicle is from another emirate, the vehicle registration should have been cancelled there." Since the BMW (from whom I bought the bike) are unlikely to want to travel from the UK to Dubai(!) then I will have to show a "a sale deed letter from an authorized showroom or dealer is required". I am not sure what this is! When I bought the bike, BMW gave me a receipt but this shows the bike at being worth much more than it is now (nearly double) and I don't really want to pay 5% of the purchase price given it is now worth not even half that! Any thoughts on what the authorities would accept would be gratefully received.

Thanks very much,

Peter

‘Tasjeel’ have their own staff who, for a fee, do everything relating to registration for you.

Are you shipping the bike without UK plates? If so, you will need a trailer. I can help there, if required. If the bike has UK plates I would imagine they’d let you ride it out of the port (but the trailer offer is there if they don’t).

Regarding the web site, I think they only cover 99.9% of situations. I don’t think they’d expect the seller to be present in your case. Whatever the normal procedure, there’s always a way to get things done as long as you are friendly and open and talk to the right person.

As for import duty, I wouldn’t show the original receipt right away because as you say you don’t want to be hit for 5% of a high value. I’d have the originals and photocopies of my UK ownership documents. If, in the worst case, they did insist on the sale receipt, I think they would still accept the concept of depreciation because as you say the bike is currently worth less.

When are you and bike arriving?

Stephan

Your shipping company will have a 'customs store' in their warehouse - ie a secure area where customs officials will come and check the bike. There shouldn't be a need to lug the bike all over town.

I don't know much about companies in Dubai - I'm in Abu Dhabi.

I wouldn't be surprised if there are plates you can get for the few days between import and registration. (like the export plates when you take the bike out) Like I said, insurance is the big issue. Go to the motor registry and ask them. Yours is not an unusual problem. Heaps of people import their own cars into the UAE. There will be a system in place to deal with it. As Stephan said, check the govt website.

Thanks for your replies. Will be in Dubai around the middle of June with the bike hopefully being there a couple of weeks later. In any event I'll speak with 'Tasjeel’ and hopefully they will be able to answer my questions.

The bike has UK plates and so I guess will be able to ride the bike from the port to my flat pending getting registration sorted. Alternatively I may be able to leave the bike at the shipping companies warehouse at the port.

Anyway I'll keep you posted!

Cheers,

Peter

I'm here till June 21st for trailer assistance if required. After that, I can ask a friend to help you if needed. :)
Stephan

Import
 

I am sure there will be no import duty as you are relocating to live in Dubai. You will also not have to pay import duty on all your household items that you might want to bring along in a container. It would be a different story if you were already living here, buying a bike in the UK and importing it. In that case you would be paying the 5% import duty.

A friend of mine brought a car from Germany when he came to live in Dubai. He drove with his german number plates until his residency was sorted out. He then registered the car locally. You won't need anybody to go with you for registration. You must just organize insurance beforehand. Once that is done you take your bike and all documents to the registration place. They will do a roadworthy test and register the bike. You must have residency though.

My guess is that insurance is really what you need to worry about. There are not many companies that insure a bike. Some only do so if you insure a car through them as well, others only do third party for a bike etc.

Bottom line: don't panic. It's been done many times before.....

Regards

Dirk

Insurance in Dubai
 

Very true. Most of the cheap local companies don't want to touch a bigger bike. The company I insure my car with would insure my XR400 (in the past) but not a BMW 1200. ("nothing over 400 c.c")

The more expensive companies such as Norwich Union want you to insure your car with them too - at higher rates - and then they will quote for a bike (probably third party only).

If it's any help, I managed to insure a K1200RS in February, as a new customer (bike only), with Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance.
2nd Floor
Office Court Building
Oud Mehta Road
Dubai

Ask for Fiza ex. 278, Open: 8-5

Note: They did ask for a proof of no claims letter from my car insurer. I think it would be prudent to bring one out with you from your country of origin.

Another thing, they would only give me third party cover even though I was willing to pay for comprehensive, so no loss against theft. That might depend on the age of your bike (mine is a 2000 model) but make sure you bring adequate bike security with you from the UK or wherever.

Stephan

I have experience with 2 insurance companies:

1. Arabian Scandinavian

They insured my F650GS for about AED1000, third party only. When I bought a 1200GS they would have given me third party again, but no fully comprehensice. It seems the AED1000 is a flat rate for 3rd party, never mind model and value of the bike.

2. AXA (previously called Norwich Union)

After having been unable to get fully comp from Arabian Scandinavian I turned to AXA, as the previous owner had it insured there. I needed a non-claim letter from my previous insurance company and almost didn't get the insurance since I have no car insured with AXA. Anyway, my premium is 7 or 7.5% of the value, which is very expensive. I could have gotten 3rd party again at AED1000 (as I said, seems to be the going rate), but I 'don't want to risk that. The bike is just too expensive.

The contact details are: www.axa-gulf.com I sat in the queue for an hour (which is by the way why I got the insurance, since the lady felt sorry for me!!!!) and realized that the most jacked-up consultant is deepa.chandrasekhar@axa-gulf.com , or Tel +971 4 315 0202 (direct).


With regards to import regulations you can talk to the following relocation company. I spoke to the guy and they have just flown 5 Harleys from Europe to Dubai, so they will know. Just ask for the guy in charge for vehicles. By the way, they might also help you with all your other stuff. (no, I don't get commission!!!). If you do bring household items, then it makes sense to stick the bike in the same container.

Crown Relocations
Ras Al Khor Complex
Show Room 9, Ras Al Khor
Al Aweer
Dubai
United Arab Emirates
http://www.crownworldwide.com/icons/ecblank.gif
Postal:http://www.crownworldwide.com/icons/ecblank.gif
P.O. Box 51773
Dubai
United Arab Emirates
http://www.crownworldwide.com/icons/ecblank.gif
Tel:http://www.crownworldwide.com/icons/ecblank.gif
(971) 4 289 5152http://www.crownworldwide.com/icons/ecblank.gif
Fax:http://www.crownworldwide.com/icons/ecblank.gif
(971) 4 289 6263http://www.crownworldwide.com/icons/ecblank.gif
Email:http://www.crownworldwide.com/icons/ecblank.gif
dubai@crownrelo.com
Another good contact might be Haitham from BMW in Dubai. He might also be able to help. haitham@agmc.ae

Hope that helps.

Dirk

Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance
 

Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance charged me 800 dirhams and I found them pretty friendly and cooperative considering I had no other policies with them. :thumbup1:

When I rang AXA they would not even tell me what the bike premium would be if I switched my car to them. They wanted me to switch first and then find out! :nono:

Stephan

Thanks for all your posts. I'm getting the bike shipped out with all of my other stuff which works out pretty well because although my company is paying only for the costs of me moving all of my furtniture to Dubai to do that I'm having to take a whole shipping container (my girlfriend has an incredible amount of shoes!). This means I can ship my bike out for no extra cost as there is still going to be enough room in the contained among all those shoes for my bike!

Peter

Peter
Forgive me if I am posting out of turn but I felt I should mention it. Despite its modern outlook, cohabitation is still illegal in the UAE. If a couple were intending to do this, they should be very discreet. The authorities do not come looking to catch unmarried couples but if such a couple were ever to be involved in another situation (such as a burglary at home) it could be that the focus of any investigation might shift! Another such case might be a dispute with a landlord who would ‘have something over’ an unmarried couple should he decide to get nasty.

Only speaking for myself, I wouldn’t worry about a holiday visit from a person of the opposite sex (as the police would brush it off as such) but I’d feel very vulnerable about a long-term situation.

Have a look at this link from the British Embassy’s web site and then tell me to mind my own business. :)

Stephan

PS If they lock you up, can I have your bike?

Import Bike to Dubai
 

Greetings,
Could you please keep me in the loop, I will be moving to Dubai in March 2008. I am German but live in Canada I like to bring my Honda 6000RR with me into Dubai. I don't mind shipping via Container. Any info would be appreciated. Cheers. Frank

1200gs on the way
 

I have plan to ride it from Slovenia - as my status here is even a bit more complicated (kind of diplomatic...) it is additional trouble. At the moment trying to figure out how and where thru AD as I have to deal all thru MOFA.

Will keep u posted

DaNe

I'm going through exactly this with a car, but same difference...

I bought the car from a company Holland and had an export certificate from the Dutch authorities made out. The car has arrived in a 20' foot container yesterday courtesy of Gulf Agency Company (GAC) who I am using for the shipping / import.

GAC would normally go to the customs department (headquartered at Port Rashid) with all the documents and pay the duty on your behalf, however as the value of the car is quite high, I went with GAC and approached the man in charge to see whether I could get a customs exemption (you don't get if you don't ask). He entered the request into the system, pending the inspection of the vehicle, which should take place tomorrow.

I will keep you posted as to how the next few days transpire...

(I have imported a car before but that was 5 years ago which was relatively straightforward, but instead of muddying the water with old data, best keep on visiting this post for up to date info! If your bike is yours from the UK, all you need is a DVLA certificate of export - very simple).

Additional Info
 

Seeing that there are a couple of people moving to Dubai, I thought I share this one with them. I went to a bookshop in the Mall of the Emirates and came across this book Amazon.co.uk: Dubai Red-tape Explorer: Books . It deals with procedures like obtaining a local driver's license, getting your electricity connected and generally how things are done around here. I'm sure this book is a pretty good investment. (I just googled the title and copied the first link that came up)

Regs

Dirk

Peter,

Guess you've already arrived by now but I thought I'd add a few things anyway.

I did it the other way round and exported my Harley from Dubai back to the UK when I left in 2005. I seem to remember riding the bike home again without any plates after I'd deregistered it so going round on British plates for a few days shouldn't be a problem - that's if you can get the bike insured first - you might be able to do it on the VIN number.

I think Stefano, Brett and Dirk have covered just about everything, expect a little bit of hassle but you'll get there in the end (which pretty much covers living in Dubai too). As one of them said, you can't do much without sorting out your residency first, then you need a local driving licence, make sure you specifically ask them to include motorcycles as well as cars, with me they forgot and I had to go back, and then you can register your bike and buy a car. Before that, you'll have to hire a car or get taxis everywhere (and visit 'the hole in the wall' for your booze).

My wife and I had our cars insured with Royal & Sun (v. helpful) and I had the Harley insured with Arabian Scandinavian (chaotic but cheap). I think owners of sports bikes had more problems getting insurance because of the perceived greater risk but don't quote me.

The BMW dealer is a good place to drop in and say hi, I think there's an owners club now too, so they'll be able to offer you advice and get you started.

The Harley dealer on the same road is also a friendly place and if they persuade you to switch brands, there's an official HOG chapter (who'll be happy for you to tag along on an evening ride even on a non-Harley) and at least one other breakaway Harley group. They're not all poseurs and often make long trips into Oman and so on.

Off topic: I knew people who cohabited but Stefano is right to take the official line. Off the record, Dubai is a very informal place, go to a couple of bars with the HOG guys and you'll soon find out, and they generally wouldn't bother non-muslims but... I did know a guy in Sharjah who got arrested for inviting next door's maid into his house (it's a long story) and there's worse that can happen but this isn't the right platform for that. And like Stefano said, I'll just mind my own business now.

Sorry if my patchy memory has muddied the waters but hope you settle in okay - Dubai in June, I don't envy you.

Regards,

Indoors.

Waypoint: N25 25.231 E55 26.645 (Ajman) good selection and prices

There is also an established local web site now, BMW Bike Caravan which is good for arranging rides. Non-BMW riders are made welcome. I went along with Beddhist on his Suzuki and we had a very nice day before the weather got too humid.
Stephan

Drivers License
 

You guys all have changed over to a UAE Motorbike License? Is it easy to convert, or can you drive with a
foreign license plate. Did you ever got stopped and checked for Driver License and Insurance.
Any feedback would be great, also what are the cost’s and company who ship motorbikes from Germany to Dubai, or in my Case from Toronto Canada to Dubai. Sorry, I hope I don’t ask for to much.:scooter:

As in any other country, the moment you gain residency, you need to have your driver's license converted to a local license. If you have a Canadian license, I don't think it would be a problem. Check the following website for procedures: http://www.dubai.ae/en.portal?topic,hm_howto,1,&_nfpb=true&_pageLabel= List

I have never been stopped and asked for my license, however, I strongly encourage everybody to do the right thing. It's cheap, it's relatively quick and I can imagine that it can save you a whole lot of trouble.

For shipping your bike you can try Gulf Agency Company (GAC). They have quoted me 2500Dhs (500 Euros) to ship my bike from Frankfurt/Germany to Dubai by sea. You can send a mail to Deepak.Nichani@gacworld.com and ask him for a price. Tell him to give you a total figure. Otherwise he will quote you some weird breakdown that nobody understands. Just give him the crated size of your bike and the total weight. Your local Harley shop will give you these figures.

Alternatively check your local Yellowpages for freight / shipping companies.

As far as insurance is concerned, please check the beginning of this thread.

Hope that helps.

Dirk

Hey there,

I'm here in Dubai now, settled in my job, with a flat almost sorted, a licence which covers bikes and cars and my stuff on the way from the UK. I'm also using GAC to have my stuff shipped from the UK.
Desert Dog - I'm going to have the same problems with the value of my bike as you had - did you have any success in getting some sort of exemption?
I was going to ask GAC whether they can help clear the bike through customs, but the issue after that is how I get the thing registered here in the UAE.
I presume I just go to the RTA people, have it tested, pay many Dirhams, fill out some forms and buy a number plate or is the whole thing sorted out by GAC at customs?
As regards my license to be honest I had it easy as my company sorted all that out for me and it was realtively painless. That said with the sheer number of ex-pats out here the guys at the RTA seem pretty switched on and when I bought a car recently from a friend I managed to transfer title to the car pretty easily and for not to big a cost.

Peter

Peter, I lucked out with trying to get an exemption letter - if the car was not to be registered (ie a sand rail or something) I may have got away with it, but the upshot was that it needed to be registered and that was that!

The idea is to get a vehicle clearance certificate (VCC). Without this you will NOT be able to register a vehicle. This entails using a clearing agent (GAC in my case) who sorts out all the basic paperwork and walks you through the procedure.

In a nutshell, the vehicle is taken out of the container and is then inspected by the customs to check the chassis number, etc. You then have to present the invoice (if you have not previously owned it) and pay the 5% duty. The value just needs to be 'realistic' and not understated, as they can sometimes put their own value on it which you may not like.

Once you have exited the gates from the port, take the vehicle to Tasjeel and have it inspected - once it has passed, it's a simple procedure to end up with the 'mulkiah' or registration document.

Good luck...

shipping costs dubai - europe?
 

hi guys,

here's a fairly simple question. we are thinking about riding our bikes in from iran, then visit uae, oman and yemen and then ship two bikes back to europe (preferently belgium) - we have to be home before christmas. any idea what it might cost us to ship or fly the two bikes home (it doesn't matter when they arrive, so by boat is ok too) and to fly both girls home?

thx

trui and gaea

Shipping Bikes
 

I recently got a quote to ship a bike from Frankfurt to Dubai by sea and it was about 450 Euros. I guess you can take that as an indication. What I do not know is if the price doubles with 2 bikes as part of the cost is handling fees etc, which are not really depending on the quantity. To get an idea contact the "Gulf Agency Company". You can google the address.

Apparently KLM flys cargo relatively cheap all over the world. Call your local KLM office to give you a quote. Just note that whichever way you go, you have to have the bikes crated. It's always a good idea to speak to the local agency of the brand of bike you have. They sometimes have crates in the back yard from new bikes they received. Even better contact the agency, tell them when you expect to be in the area and ask them to keep 2 crates for you if possible cause they throw them away after a while.

As far as air fares for you are concerned try your local travel agent.

Hope that helps.

Dirk

Trui and Gaea - You can get flights from DXB to Europe pretty cheaply if you shop around - I saw some very cheap flights with Turkish to Frankfurt (something like 270GBP one way - which I guess is all you'd need) yesterday on opodo.com.
As for shipping the bike I was lucky in that when I shipped my bike out from the UK to DXB I was able to fit it into the crate that had the rest of my furniture and personal items in and so I effectively paid nothing for the bike.
I did however ship my bike from India (Goa) back to the UK earlier this year (by sea) and that cost me something like 300GBP-400GBP so the 450EUR Dirk mentioned sounds like a fair assessment - it also took about 4-5 weeks all told.

Desert Dog - As for getting my bike registered in DXB I managed it in the end. GAC (who handled the shipping of all of my furniture from the UK to DXB) delivered the bike straight to my house and once I had unpacked it and put the thing back together (!) it was a simple job of taking the bike together with the cutsoms clearance certificate (which GAC got for me) to Tasjeel who registered the bike in half an hour or so. As for paying customs fees, GAC dealt with the customs on this and I ended up telling them how much I thought the bike was worth over the phone and they used this as the basis for assessing the duty. Despite the fact that my bike is a BMW R1150GS I was somewhat liberal with my valuation and so I ended up paying 1000AED which I was pretty happy with!

Now I just have to find somewhere I can buy an open face helmet so I don't melt out here in this heat and I'm sorted!!

Peter

Peter
I've been commuting since I got back here in August :mchappy:
It's practically winter now! :Beach: Stephan

PS Try Sandstorm or Gecko for helmets but you'd be better off if you could get one brought over from the States - much cheaper.

the heat isn't too bad now, but I'm amazed you managed riding in summer!
Do Sandstorm/Gecko have a decent range of other bike gear - my European style bike leathers are not very practical for UAE temperatures!
Peter

Hi Peter,

There is another place called Motorcycle 2000 in Dune Centre in Al Diyaffah street, close to the big UAE flag. I bought my helmets there (flip-up) and am pretty happy with them. They also do a bit of riding clothing but mostly leather.

Other than the helmets I got all my gear from oversees. I might be wrong but I find that the selection of stuff here is rather limited and very expensive.

There are also some shops in Ras al Khor. Tristar, Motorcycle City (I think) and another 2 shops. Take a look. By the way: during Ramadan they are closed between 1 and 4 pm.

There is al so a shop in Ibn Bathutta Mall. But also rather expensive.

Another option is online shopping. There are plenty of decent online shops that ship goods all over the world. My mate just bought helmets from www.louis.de - Motorrad & Freizeit . He had no problems at all with the order.

I should also mention the BMW shop. It's worth a visit. Haitham, the salesman, is very forthcoming gives you a 25% discount if you ask nicely.

Regs

Dirk

Quote:

Originally Posted by caleype (Post 153131) Do Sandstorm/Gecko have a decent range of other bike gear - my European style bike leathers are not very practical for UAE temperatures! Peter

As Dirk says, Peter, the choice is pretty limited. They have some nice stuff but not much choice and the prices are on the high side.

I tried on the Fox helmets in Sandstorm and then got my friend to bring the right size from the States for about $50 less. I know they have to make a profit here and have shipping costs but there is also no sales tax so I don't think prices need to be as high as they often are here.

I also bought a nearly new BMW Rallye Suit for an excellent price on UK eBay this week and had it brought out by a colleague so there are ways to get gear at better prices.

I'm not sure if it's the same one (Motorcycle 2000 in Dune Centre) but there's a bike clothing shop on the roundabout at the end of Al Diyaffah street, opposite the Rydges Plaza Hotel.

While you're strolling down Diyaffah street, look out for the "Eye & Gynae Clinic". You never know when you'll need their professional expertise. :)
Stephan
Gecko: N25 06.640 E55 13.600
Sandstorm: N25 09.195 E55 14.075
Motorcycle City: N25 11.093 E55 21.207

Gecko & the UAE Desert Challenge
 

Gecko gets a very positive review from Touratech's Nick Plumb here. They have serviced my bikes for fair prices and supporting 20 bikes in the rally speaks for their professionalism.

The same article also highlights what a good experience the Desert Challenge is for any budding Dakar riders. Worth thinking about as a good introduction to heat and sand.
Stephan

I ended up getting a cracking lightweight mesh jacket and gloves when I was back in the UK. I'll post the details of the jacket when I get home tonight in case any one is interested, but it was pretty good value (the jacket was just over GBP80) and so far has done the job superbly. Now I just need to find a decent open faced helmet and I'll be sorted!
Peter

Are you home yet? As getting pretty warm here in Dubai so was wondering what the kit was...

Hey there,
Apologies for not getting back sooner - I was on my honeymoon! Anyway I bought a Segura lightweight mesh jacket and a set of lightweight mesh Truimph gloves. I got them both in London. I am sure you can get something similiar here, but I have to admit I didn't have a hughe maount of success!
Peter

moving to the UAE
 

I'm already here in UAE, in Abu Dhabi. Thinking about riding my old CBR600 out here for occasional use as its gathering dust there in the UK. (still fires up first time when I'm home though!) At the moment i'm nursing the thought of a road trip late summer early winter road trip, as much for the experience as anything else. Did all go well with the registration process, or was it a nightmare sufficient to call off the whole idea and buy a locally registered bike?

Hi there Sparks59
All went well with the process in the end. The shipping company who brought the bike over got the bike through customs and provided me with the customs documents. I did have to pay an import duty, but it seemed to be calculated on the basis of what I told them it should be (I gave them AED1000 for a bike which is worth considerably sufficient for the import duty to rightly be far more than that!) . Once I'd got these docs I just went straight to the RTA here in Dubai, together with the insurance I had had to buy here and the RTA processed it without too much effort - I had to buy a Dubai plate, but it wasn't much (I forget the actual price now) and they even fitted it to the bike there and then!
The Dubai Red Tape Guide says that you need to get export plates to both officially drive around in the UAE before you get your UAE plates (I rode around for a couple of weeks on my UK plates with no problems) and to get the UAE plates at the RTA (I was never asked for them by anyone!) - the Red Tape Guide is useful, but after my experience I wouldn't stress too much about what it says.
So all in all it's definately worth it if you can somehow cover the cost of shipping it over to the UAE in the first place!
Now I just to repair my bike after trashing it the other week riding around Hatta Pools (with these guys - www.UAEride.com • Index page)!
Peter