Border crossing in central / south Amercia
 

Hi everybody,

I was wondering if it was necessary to have your bike at your name for the multiple border crossings in central and south America.
I am thinking of a French friend who wants to buy a bike in the US and drive it through latin America.
As a tourist. He will not be able to have it put at his name and will only have the bill of sales. I read somewhere it could be an issue for example in Guatemala, any confirmation?

thanks for the insights

The general rule is that yes, this will be a problem at each and every border. There may be workarounds....but I sure wouldn't want to try it. People complain enough about those borders (particularly Central America) even when everything is legal and all paperwork is in order--I averaged a couple of hours each, but some people take far longer and even find themselves stuck overnight.

There is no real reason not to have title and/or registration in the owner's name. Your friend can buy a bike in the USA, register it in certain states (not all of them) using a local address, and ride until he's tired of riding. That's what people generally do.

If you find a way to do it differently, lots of people would like to hear about it. Otherwise, do a diligent search on the HUBB and you'll find descriptions and suggestions by various people who've done it the way I'm describing.

Good luck.

Mark

Ok, thanks for that answer that goes in the way of what I heard.
Living in mexico, i know that you cannot register a bike at your name unless you are a resident with corresponding migration visa.

I would be interested if someone could help me find information of how to register a bike for a foreigner in the US (which states, how long does it take...)

If someone has feed back on buying a used bike in any south American country (to an other adventurer for example) what about the paper work?

This friend is thinking of sending a bike from France, which might be a good idea, but way more expensive.

Possible in the US
 

Buying and registering in the US is possible as a foreigner, but the rules vary by state.
I come from Denmark, going to the US next month, buying a bike and taking it to South America.
Florida is supposed to be the easiest place to buy as a foreigner, but you have to check with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for each state. Just google them for contactinformation and give them a ring - that's what I did:clap:

I agree with Mark, I spent long enough at each border doing paperwork with the correct documents, in most cases.

Buy in the US, I did in California and have a local address for Title, easy enough to do

One thing I did not bargain for in Ca though, was the sales tax. Even though the bike was 2nd hand, the cost of the transfer was $440, $40 was the transfer cost, $400 for sales tax!!!! A big rip off!! Maybe Florida is different, but I landed in LA and needed a bike near there


Cheers
TS