U.S. customs / TIB / shipping out of L.A.
 

sooo

after finally having found the mexican aduana / immigration i was then heading for the US customs to get a temporary import permit for my bike

... which is necessary because i'm planning to ship out of L.A.

my forwarder from germany told me that i absolutely have to get my stamps on the entry summary form 7501 (necessary for L.A.), which i tried.

the officer at the border, however, insisted that i'd need an inbound 61 (whatever that is). i'd be happy to fill out another form, but he told me that US customs won't issue such a form, i'd have to get a broker.

this seems so completely unplausible to me considering that nobody checks your vehicle when entering the US border from mexico. also, it would be the first country on my trip (north from chile) where customs is not able to do so.

i entered the states anyhow and now found the following:
Non-Resident, Returning Military, and Returning Official Government Employee Importations of Personal Vehicle for Personal Use | U.S. Customs and Border Protection

.. which means that my forwarder was right and i only need to fill out that 7501.

my question to you is: can anybody please confirm that this is the right form ? i'd be happy to ride back to the border to get that bloody thing stamped if i can prove that this is the right form.

thanks,
martin

Temporary import US
 

I would also be interested on the final outcome here, planning a similar trip in the near future also entering from Mexico. I found the following from Feb 2015:

NONRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
A vehicle registered in a country other than the United States may be imported for personal use by a non-resident of the United States for a period not to exceed one year. The vehicle cannot be sold while in the United States and must be exported within one year from the date of entry. This period cannot be extended under any circumstances. The importer’s passport number and the name of the country that issued the passport must be supplied on the HS-7 Declaration form. Use Box 5 on the HS-7 Declaration form.

Here you will find further details and the above mentioned form: http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import

Correct gov website re import / export of bikes
 

Now I found the correct website describing in details the process and policies including how to use the form 7501.

Non-Resident, Returning Military, and Returning Official Government Employee Importations of Personal Vehicle for Personal Use | U.S. Customs and Border Protection