I'm riding Canada and USA on my Australian Reg bike. Today in Quebec the police stopped me and told me it was illegal in Quebec to ride my bike. They let me go but fined me $350.
They told me to check USA States ... I've ridden in 200 countries and never has this happened

Is this just ignorant cops or do I have problem...appreciate comments

What was the wording on the citation? Anything to do with not being properly insured? Did they ask for any import documentation?

Maybe RHD vehicles are illegal in Canada

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Tony
Click here for Travel Photos & Travel Map

Hi Tony

They said my Australian Registion is not legal in Quebec and therefore the bike should not be ridden Quebec. My licence and insurance were ok. My registration is current and valid in Vitoria

The fine which I thought harsh was because I was dodging traffic jam so I can't grumble about that... It's more the issue that they say my Aust Rego is not legal in Quebec and probably illegal in some other Canadian and US States

As said, I've travelled RTW just about without ever hitting this issue.

I presume it's ignorant cops but very worrying... They delayed me two hours...5 cars!

If your paperwork is in order, you have just got an ill informed officer

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My memory is becoming that good, I should be able to organise my own surprise party soon

What was it your mother used to tell you? More haste, less speed - to which you can add - less money. Bad luck, but at least you are philosophical about it.



By the sound of it, if they could have pinged you for riding without valid rego and insurance they would have, so you could likely keep on riding and just avoid the temptation to ride on median strips or footpaths or filtering too fast or whatever you were doing to merit a 350 dollar fine.

Not exactly what I'd call being let go. Few thousand miles south and you could probably bargain that down a fair bit.

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Tony
Click here for Travel Photos & Travel Map

They were emphatic that foreign rego isn't valid in Quebec and advised me to check each state rules for my journey in USA

I assume they are wrong but when you have 5 cars full of Police ( they kept arriving... It was bizarre) telling you you're riding illegally because you're on Australian plates it's rather disconcerting

Is it normal also to insist on Immediate payment? They wouldn't give my passport back till I paid them. Again I was surprised

By the way, I was my charming and humble self so it wasn't in any way my reaction that caused a counter reaction

I'm very confused and a bit concerned this will happen again as I have a long journey ahead

If you have a receipt that is properly filled out and signed by an identified officer then it might be they are able to insist on immediate payment. I've heard of French police insisting on immediate payment by foreigners and insisting they walk to the nearest ATM if they don't have cash.

I'm curious about the high fine. What was the 9 digit driving offence or file number.

Quebec does not list a beat policeman as one of the collecting entities. Can't find any reference to them being able to collect money on the side of the road but could be. If you haven't got an official receipt, you've probably been had.

Suggest you go to a local courthouse and speak to the clerk of the court or equivalent and check up on the traffic infraction and means of collection.
They may also be able to get information from a government department re legality of driving a foreign registered vehicle imported under a temporary vehicle Import Permit or whatever they gave you at customs when you imported the bike.

Or just drive on and chalk it up to experience.

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Tony
Click here for Travel Photos & Travel Map

Wow, more than in the entire United Nations.

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TBS.com

Driving in Québec - Tourists

Licence holders from outside Québec may drive a vehicle on a public road in Québec for up to six consecutive months without holding a Québec driver's licence.

These conditions apply:
your driver's licence must be valid;
any licence restrictions also apply in Québec;
you are allowed to operate only the corresponding class of motor vehicle in Québec.

Beyond 6 months, you must hold an International Driver's Permit, which allows you to operate the corresponding class of motor vehicle in Québec for the length of time the Permit and your driver's licence are valid. You must have both in your possession when driving.

Regardless of the length of your stay, if your driver's licence is neither in English or French, getting an International Driver's Permit is highly recommended. You must apply for a Permit in the country that issued your driver's licence, before leaving.

[url=http://www.saaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/driver_licence/visitors/]Driving in Qu

Op had an issue with bike registration, not licensing.

Bob

Sent from my mobile

I didn't see an outcome to the OP's citation...

Should have been dismissed.



No. Section 7(1)(b) of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (MVSA), allows a visitor to temporarily enter Canada with a motor vehicle without complying with the MVSA if the vehicle is used only by a visitor to Canada or a person passing through Canada en route to another country.

Notes:

You alone may use the vehicle.
Any change in your status, such as receiving permanent residency in Canada, may make your vehicle inadmissible and you will be required to export or destroy it.
You may not sell or gift the vehicle while in Canada.
The vehicle cannot remain in Canada longer than the time limits allowed under your temporary entry.


I've driven my USA registered truck and ridden my motorcycle through Quebec without any issues what-so-ever.

This kind of thing is sickening. Quebec sometimes seems like the most corrupt outpost of North America.

I assume it was local cops and not Highway Troopers (who are federal)

Ed March had a very similar problem...

Ed's March across Canada - Quebec - Canada Moto Guide

I don't know where you come from however in Canada there are no such thing as Highway Troopers. In the province of Ontario you have the Ontaario Provincial Police (OPP) patrolling the Highway ans in Quebec you have the Quebec Provincial Police. QPP. For the rest of the country you have the RCMP and in Alberta the Provincial Sheriffs Office.

Neither the OPP, QPP or Sherriffs are Federal.

Please if you are going to call out corrupt police officers or departments get the story right.

Riq

Riq is correct in his description of policing in Canada, however, to provide greater clarity, the following is a slightly different (hopefully clearer) way of saying the same thing:

We have one federal police force in Canada, that is the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The RCMP provide policing to communities and rural areas that do not operate their own police force.

Two provinces that I know of (Ontario and Quebec) operate their own provincial police forces. These happen to be the two most populous provinces. In these two provinces, the RCMP does not have a 'public' presence; the provincial police forces provide policing in community and rural areas that do not have their own police forces.

Any community in Canada can set up their own community (in other words, municipal) police force. This is the normal practice in communities with a population of 100,000 or more. Smaller communities usually contract with the RCMP or (in Ontario & Quebec) the provincial police to provide police services, simply because this is less expensive per capita than setting up a municipal police force in a small town.

There are no 'highway specific' police departments in Canada. But, there is a certain amount of specialization within the federal, provincial, and municipal police forces to do traffic work. In other words, within a big city police department like Toronto (about 4 million people live in Toronto), the Toronto Police force has a specialized division that deals exclusively with traffic. But there is no visual distinction (uniforms, cars, etc.) within these specialized units.

Police officers in Canada are very highly paid. It is not uncommon for a police officer in Canada to make CAD $100,000 (USD $70,000) per year in salary. The entry level qualifications are also very high, at the very least, a college degree, more commonly, a 4 year university degree.

I've lived in Canada almost all my life, and it is very rare to hear of corruption amongst police. Occasionally, a scandal erupts if a policeman has been found to plant drugs in a suspect's car, but exhorting a bribe from a citizen during a traffic stop is unheard of.

I'm not saying that the original poster's story is untrue - just that if it did happen the way he reported it, it is a very uncommon occurrence.

Michael

PS: 'Sheriffs' exist in Canada, but only for very specialized purposes - they deliver court documents and things like that. They are not involved in any way with police work.

Apologies; I thought the highway cops were Federal. This makes me even more nervous because which ever way you slice it the Police seem to do more take than give here in Quebec.