Green Card for an EU borrowed bike?
 

I'll be riding a bike that is owned by a Lithuanian and registered in the EU. He has insurance that I will reimburse him for. Do I need to procure a Green Card from his insurance to be legal riding in various Western and Eastern European countries, including non-EU former East-bloc, like Ukraine?
Thanks.
JohnD

Absolutly recommended.

Riding outside of Lithuanian borders, you'd need to have some form of proof that you're allowed to use the bike. Depends on how Lithuania does it - could just be a hand-written note, ideally a notarized authorization, or your friend could add you to the registration as an authorized user (like they would do for a spouse). Chances are that nobody is ever going to check this, but it's worth doing the minimum for peace of mind.

For insurance, teeeeechnically you don't need the printout within EU/EEA borders - you just need to be able to prove that you have insurance. E.g. a PDF of the policy on your phone should suffice. But again, for peace of mind, best to go to the insurance agency's office and ask them to print out the actual Green Card on green paper. They are required to do this for free on request.

Oh, and you obviously need to have all the paperwork you possibly can to cross into Ukraine.

AnTyxc: Thanks for the information and advice. Actually, you gave me some good advice last year when I rode up to Nordkapp and down the Norwegian Fjords (thanks again!). I carried paperwork from the owner but never asked the insurer for a green card. I will do it this time as I hope to visit Kiev and perhaps Chernobyl (to see if I can glow in the dark).
:D

Ukraine is seriously picky about vehicle documents (and personal documents) when you enter and leave the country. So, be darn sure to have an appropriate written permission - as explained in the previous post - before attempting to enter Ukraine.

FYI, it seems to be acceptable procedure for motorcycles to head up to the front of the line when entering Ukraine... on two occasions, when I lined up at the end of the line, local people in line told me to go ahead up to the front.

Plan on at least half a day to get in and out of the country at the border crossings. The process is painfully slow. You can buy Ukraine insurance just inside the border crossing.

Michael