Good afternoon everyone.
Earlier this year I was touring Africa with a motorcycle I purchased in South Africa, but sadly because of COVID I got stuck and could not move any further up north.
Because I own a German passport and I was moving to Sweden, I decided to ship my motorcycle to Hamburg.
The bike has recently arrived and the freight company is supposed to organise an appointment with customs, where I would be opening a T1 form (transit) to be able to drive the bike from Hamburg to Travemunde, get it on the ferry and cross it to Sweden where I would be starting all the import and registration paperwork. Once I get to Sweden I can insure the bike there, but not before.
According to the freight company (based on what customs allegedly tells them), I do not need a third party insurance, which seems quite risky considering that I will be driving almost 100 km on German roads. I contacted customs directly and was informed that they do not provide any kind of insurance and that I should do that privately. Also contacted automobile clubs (AvD, ADAC) who also were not entirely sure about this situation and recommended getting an "export insurance" that apparently could be obtained from a license plate maker, but so far have not been able to contact one.
As for private companies, some offered insurance but the prices are astronomically high (specially considering I probably won't be driving for more than 1 hour on German soil).
Does anyone have any experience with this issue?
Thanks for your help!

Hello and welcome,
Have a look here there should be something of use.
https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hu...cheap-34822-16

Hi Nicholas:

Welcome to the HUBB community.

Unless you have liability insurance issued by the country in which your motorcycle is plated (South Africa?) that is valid in the EC (not very likely), you will need to purchase liability insurance to legally operate the motorcycle in the EC.

There are various vendors who offer the minimum legally required amount of liability insurance to operators of vehicles that are plated in countries outside of the EC. In Germany, the easiest way to get this insurance is (last time I checked) at any ADAC office.

I think it is unlikely that you will be able to purchase insurance cover for one day only. I have purchased liability insurance from ADAC in the past to cover my Canadian-plated motorcycle when I am riding it in Europe - I bought it in 30 day increments.

The insurance cover that ADAC (and all the other vendors) provide is what is called "Green Card" insurance. It will cover you in just about all the European countries, most certainly in Germany, Denmark, and Sweden.

I don't know how much ADAC charges these days - probably around €100 for 30 days. As long as you keep the same licence plate on the bike, the insurance is valid for the whole term. So one way you could minimize your expense is to purchase 30 days coverage from ADAC, then keep the South African plate on the bike until the term is up. By that time, it will probably be too cold / snowy to ride the bike in Sweden - and you could then start the importation process once the insurance expires.

Michael

Michael, thanks for the reply! I did contact ADAC but they said they could not provide me with any insurance as long as I was not registering my bike with German plates, so maybe regulations have changed recently.
I am aware that getting insurance would be at least for a month but private companies charge around 200 euros per month, while once I get the bike to Sweden I'd be registering the bike there and temporary insurance is 50 euros per month. I did find one that might provide me a five day cover for 100 euros, but also claim that I should be registering the bike in Germany, which is not really useful considering that I will have the bike in transit.
Thanks for your advice!

Would the cover they offer for €100 be valid whilst you are going through the registration process - i.e. can you ride the bike on SA plates until the German registration process is complete and the new plates have arrived? That gives you time to transit to Sweden and start the Swedish registration process there.

__________________
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This is the answer, I think. When you buy a vehicle in Germany for export (even elsewhere in the EU), you get these special export plates that let you drive it around until their expiry date. They have a red or yellow sideplate with the last date of validity stamped into them. They come with valid third-party insurance up to that date.

Hi Nicolas,

ADAC is not interested to provide coverage (AXA is the underwriter) as you are Swedish resident and have bike with SA plates, and for them that is kind of "strange and is a no go".

We on the other side are specialist insurance broker for overlanding travellers and can provide coverage for your needs.

Shortest time window is 15 days, price is 131,00 eur.

More info on our website: EU

and on our thread here on HUBB: https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hu...een-card-93020

You can email us at: insurance@lobagola-mototours.com or PM me if you want to go that way.

BR
Dooby

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Bike purchase, storage, expedition tours / insurance, health & repatriation, transport, rally training
www.lobagola-mototours.com/ www.lobagola-insurance.com/

One last thought, may or may not be useful - hire a moving van/truck and transport it that way. You'll want a one-way rental, and it might not be cheap, but worth checking into.

__________________
Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
------------------------
Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Or just contract a regular hauler (like DSV or another) to collect the crated, palleted bike at the Hamburg customs warehouse and deliver it to a cargo terminal in Sweden.