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Travellers' questions that don't fit anywhere else This is an opportunity to ask any question, and post any notice you wish that doesn't fit into one of the other sections.
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  #1  
Old 29 Jan 2019
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Purchase & Register Abroad
Hello,

I'm from the US and considering purchasing a motorcycle in Europe to tour for 6-12 months and sell it locally where I purchased it at the end of the tour.

Does anyone know how registering and insuring the motorcycle works if you don't have a local license or permanent address?

I do have a US motorcycle license and will have an active IDP.

I'm thinking of purchasing a BMW GS directly from BMW in Germany. But if this is easier done in another country I can adjust.

Thanks in advance!
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  #2  
Old 29 Jan 2019
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We have a motorhome in Germany, but while we can own it, we can't register and insure it so we came to an arrangement that the company we bought it from acts as our proxy.
An Australian friend used a German friend to act as his proxy.
Another route would be to get a residence permit which is quite easy for an Australian.

As far as I know, only a German citizen (or someone with a permit) can own and operate a German vehicle
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  #3  
Old 3 Feb 2019
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There are countries (including my own) that allow foreigners to buy and register vehicles without residency.

One decent option would be to buy a bike in Germany on export plates. You can get insurance up to 12 months on those, and you can then sell it anywhere in the EU to a local with no problems.
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  #4  
Old 4 Feb 2019
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You can also do it in the U.K.

And maybe the easiest for you as you already share a common tongue. Almost

All you need is an address.

Then you need to get insurance. You will likely have to buy a 12 month policy. That will allow you to ride around Europe for 3 months.

But nothing is stopping you from taking out European insurance for a longer period of time.



I already have a few African Landrovers registered at my house and at least one XT600E roaming around Colombia.
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  #6  
Old 4 Feb 2019
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Originally Posted by *Touring Ted* View Post
You can also do it in the U.K.

And maybe the easiest for you as you already share a common tongue. Almost

All you need is an address.

Then you need to get insurance. You will likely have to buy a 12 month policy. That will allow you to ride around Europe for 3 months.

But nothing is stopping you from taking out European insurance for a longer period of time.
1) The UK traffic insurance prices are pretty much insane.

2) Any domestic third-party insurance in the EU will give you a free Green Card for its entire duration, not just 3 months.

3) That said, the UK is not going to be in the EU any more by the time the roads are clear enough to ride. Its best use will be to pop across the channel for a day to reset your Schengen 90-day counter...
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Old 6 Feb 2019
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I think you would find it difficult to register the bike in France unless you have proof of address / residency, and eu driving licence.
Also you will need a european certificate of conformity, don’t know how old your bike is but they are only available for 2003 bikes onwards.
The only other way is a “vehicle collection “ but they have to be over 40 years old

Personally I would be wary of UK registered bikes at the moment due to the impending Brexit and the “advice” on the .gov website which is almost changing on a daily basis.
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  #8  
Old 6 Feb 2019
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You will need an address for the vehicle to be registered to, and insurance to be issued to. It is a pain but without an address your going to be stuffed.
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  #9  
Old 6 Feb 2019
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Originally Posted by twessels View Post
tour for 6-12 months and sell it...I'm thinking of purchasing a BMW GS directly from BMW in Germany.
Heh, just read those little details.

Terrible plan. The big GS holds its value relatively well on the used market, but you're still throwing three to five thousand euros out the window just by driving it off the lot.

For 6-12 months in Europe with no heavy offroading, there is no reason why you can't get a first-gen wasserboxer plus an ADAC membership for a quarter of the price of a new 1250. Or, hell, get an R80 with factory panniers.

Go to mobile.de, switch the UI to English and check out used bike prices.
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  #10  
Old 6 Feb 2019
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Originally Posted by ogri.bowser View Post
You will need an address for the vehicle to be registered to, and insurance to be issued to. It is a pain but without an address your going to be stuffed.
Again, depends on the country.

In Estonia you don't need to be a resident. You can provide your address in the US or whatever, the authorities will accept it.

In Germany, if you buy a car on export plates, it's *assumed* you don't have a local address. That's the point of export plates.
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  #11  
Old 10 Feb 2019
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If you're alright with extending the boundaries, I hear Georgia, in the caucuses, has quite lax rules around foreign ownership and registration.
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  #12  
Old 10 Feb 2019
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Originally Posted by AnTyx View Post
Again, depends on the country.

In Estonia you don't need to be a resident. You can provide your address in the US or whatever, the authorities will accept it.

In Germany, if you buy a car on export plates, it's *assumed* you don't have a local address. That's the point of export plates.
Quite correct, and when you "buy" the exports you can have them valid for 2 or 4 weeks to collect the vehicle and export it to where it is going, if you attempt to just drive it around on export plates expect to be stoped and have the vehicle seized.
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  #13  
Old 11 Feb 2019
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Originally Posted by ogri.bowser View Post
Quite correct, and when you "buy" the exports you can have them valid for 2 or 4 weeks to collect the vehicle and export it to where it is going, if you attempt to just drive it around on export plates expect to be stoped and have the vehicle seized.
https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizen...e-the-car-home

German export plates can be valid for up to 1 year, and yes, that means you can drive them around the EU for a year. (They're somewhat expensive, as their cost basically includes a year's worth of mandatory insurance.)
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