Driving in US with non-US plates
 

Hi, does anyone know how long I can drive my non-US motorcycle in the US for? I don't plan to register it, I'll just be driving through. I plan to stay mainly on the West Coast...
Thanks!
Veys

I recently road for 3 months on my Australian registered bike but do believe that they have a one year limit. Good luck with your ride.

Hi Jeffrey.. how do you got your bike into the US and what do you have to do to temporary import the bike into the US ??'

Far as I know, there is NO TVIP system in the USA. If you enter via a land border (like from Mexico), you simply drive through.

US Customs/Immigration do not care about your vehicle ... only about YOU.
If YOU have a Visa you are OK. They may note your plate number but NO paper work is filled out. You just drive through. Your In!

If the bike arrives by plane or ship, things may be different. ?? Not sure on that ?? but don't believe there is any sort of TVIP in the USA. As long as vehicle is not reported as Stolen anywhere ... should be OK.

As a foreigner riding in the USA on a foreign plated bike ... you can ride (I believe) as long as your Visa (for YOU) is valid. BUT ... if you become a resident and get a local driving license ... then your bike must be registered in the state you are living in. So, this means, a US citizen (or legal resident) cannot ride forever on a foreign plated bike ... but many have ridden for years.

As a foreigner with a Passport, if you get pulled, you only need present your vehicle registration (or Log Book) and home country driving license ... (or just your passport) Most local traffic cops don't care about you or the bike and probably will let you off as a gesture of good will ... except in Canada ... where you will pay on the spot for your "infraction". The Police will process your plate number to see if the bike is stolen or if you are wanted. This is done with EVERYONE they pull over. Computers! doh

I am also interested to know the process how to temporarily import a motorcycle to US. What is needed? Anyone has this written to somewhere?
Insurance for sure, but any other things like WoF in NZ?

Plan to ship my bike to US in few months, at the moment looks like I will fly my bike from Auckland to LA.

Try this thread...

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...approval-51514


I went through it earlier in the year, was pretty easy.

In theory for 1 year.

You need to get a document from the US gov before you arrive, takes a week or so to get it so do it in plenty of time. No one asked for it and we went thru the border several times.

We left our bikes in the US for almost a year and rode 18500 miles and the only stops we had was close to the Mexican border and all they wanted to see was our passports and we had UK bikes

Ironically only time we were asked for paperwork was when we wanted to bring the bikes homes but our shipper dealt with it. Ping me direct if you have any further questions