Inspection and Temporary Import of Bike to Japan
 

Hi all,

I am currently planning a longer trip to asia.
I intended to stop by in Japan. All information states, that a CDP is required to enter Japan and use your bike temporarly.

The JAF website (JAF For Visitors Bringing Vehicles with Carnet de Passages en Douane) states under Note 5
So far so good, unlucky for me is, that I am Swiss and my Motorbike is registerd in Switzerland. And not the big deal, we signed the 1949 convetion but never ratified it.
If others are unsure if there country is part of it check the UN webiste https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDe...mtdsg5&lang=en

So now back to my question, anybody there who has an Idea on how Inspections and registration in Japan works?
And how much this would cost aproximately?

Thanks for any help or websites for clearer information.
Unfortunantly the JAF-Website also only states a FAX-No. No E-Mail.

I hope to get some Information before I have to make an international longdistance call to Japan.

Thanks
Eagle

Read this:
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...915#post450963

The short answer is: Do not volunteer any information. Say "yes, of course I will register." The costs of registering are tremendous. I know many Swiss and Germans who visited, but nobody has ever inspected or registered the bike. Customs does not know all the road rules (and it is not their business what you do after importing), so you will probably be OK.

As always, Chris :thumbup1: gave the appropriate answers already!

Had German bikers coming to Japan and it was never a (big) problem. Best way maybe coming in from Hokkaido. You may want to check out Heidi & Bernd's webiste: welt-tour.com - Japan. This is the Japan part, but they travelled more or less all over the world.

I am biking with a German license plate since a month in Japan (even in the snow) and had no problem so far. Some people wonder about it and I just say, yes yes, its fine. Two cops in a car spotted it as well, I saw, but they didnt bother to check any closer. I hope it stays like that.
Greetings, Thomas

Hi Guys thanks for the info
I will do that too :-)
Hope everything goes well next august.

If you avoid the bike inspection/registration process upon entering Japan, are you putting yourself at risk of your insurance (Japanese or otherwise) not paying out in the event of a crash?

I could see an insurance company saying something like "Well, your bike wasn't properly registered to be ridden in Japan, so we don't have to pay."

hi Guy

true that this could be a problem. But I don't know how the registration and inspection works. I did not find any procedure nor price on how to do this nor how much the costs are.
Only information I found so far is, that you cant register a bike in Japan without living there. So this is not really an option, as I don't plan to move to Japan, as I only do a bit longer vacation ;-)

If you know how the inspection works, please let me know

Greets
eagle

A bit of a "Catch 22" in this case. It is pretty much impossible to have a temporarily imported bike inspected and registered. It would cost thousands of dollars.
The important thing is to not injure anybody, as that is all jibaiseki thrid-party insurance covers.

Just a short update:

Max, a biker from Germany who air-transported his bike to Japan is running into more than enough problems.

He cannot get a mandatory insurance, because his bike has German registration.

He cannot get Japanese registration (even if he wanted) because he does not have insurance.

It seems that they are getting more strict over here - or maybe they are getting their act together?

All previous German bikers came via Hokkaido - (again) maybe those folks up there are more flexible?

Anyway, for bikers from Germany ... don't expect it to be as easy as it was in the past. Maybe "you" want to contact the German government to finally sign that treaty ;-)

Klaus

Did Max get his bike from customs? Or will they not release it without insurance?

I never heard of being German as a reason for not getting insurance. Many shops just don't want to deal with a foreign bike, no matter what country.
Tell him to try other shops. I will send you a copy of insurance doc from a past traveler. With an "example" they may give him insurance.

Chris

Chris is totally right...

I did say the same thing to Max but he went for shaken... I don't think japanese are getting tougher on law, I just think he did the mistake to enter the japanese redtape system instead of following the other way...
The solution is still simple, many world traveler friends have done it last year, Including germans:
1) Go to a bike shop, without your bike.
2) Say you want insurance for 6month, Give the serial number of the bike (Not the plate number), your name in Japanese( katakana), address in Japan. This is enough for the basic insurance.

The guy will give you the paper in the hour, and that's it, DO NOT mention your bike is with foreign plate.
Then with this paper, the temporary importation paper and the driving licence translation.
You will "legally" drive in Japan. That being said in case of an accident the only thing you are covered for is the physical injury of the third person not the material damage.
All the world riders that I know of ( 8 in the last two years) had this coverage and had no problem at all.

Good advice Yan.
I should change the insurance information on my website.
I forgot that you only need the serial number, not plate number!
As for address, any address will do.
Your insurance doc from Wakkanai had your French address. But I have seen Japanese addresses too. The major obstacle is getting SHORT term. Most shops only want to sell 2 years, as that is the requirement for shaken inspection.

As for Max, I gave up on him.
He won't take anybody's advice.
He will probably screw it up for future travelers by informing the authorities of things they have never paid attention to in the past.

:thumbup1:

There you go. How was that saying: don't wake up sleeping dogs!
For the past couple of years there had not been any problems. We were able to welcome / homestay 5 German bikers. They all came in via Wakkanai. They never had any problems, whether it was insurance or riding in Japan. And of course, they didn't worry that much either! Don't ask too many questions and you won't get stupid answers (or answers you don't want / like)! Anyway, again a big thank you to Chris for all his efforts!!

Max has not ruined anything for anyone. His inquiries were made at a small regional office in Yamanashi. The staff wanted to get Max on the road and made every effort to find a way, but at the end of the day they have to live within the law.

The law is you cannot legally ride a German registered motorcycle in Japan. If you do you are breaking the law and accordingly accepting the risks/liability. If that is the type of RTW traveler you want to be that is fine, but i suggest respecting other who think differently.

It is possible to register a bike in Japan, if you have a Japanese resident who will allow you to do in their name. It costs around $600 ( excluding any agent fees ) including Jibaiseki, and some of that, possibly up to $200 can be got back when the Jibaiseki is cancelled. This applies to older bikes only, like the Africa Twin ( 90's and earlier bikes ). Newer bikes require emissions, brake and noise tests and can cost up to $2000 due to the test costs. This would be a breach of the CDP, however, unless you tell someone, no one else here is likely to, as it is not their business and most like to see crazy RTW travelers. Further, if you did get the bike registered, i suspect the Japanese resident would require you buy Ninihoken, so that they were not liable for any accidents the bike was involved in.

The police in Japan, generally do not know which countries bikes are legal and which are not. Asking them about it will change nothing, as they still will not know and not even know where to look.

When people here mention insurance, it is Jibaiseki. Most foreigners in Japan do not consider it insurance and would not ride with it as their sole cover. This is what it does cover ( from Mike at Gaijinriders );

1. Pays ZERO for property damage
2. Pays only for the other party's injuries - not yours ( limited to $40K )
3. They send you a bill for any payouts they make due to your accident
( for anything above the $40K and any property damage ).

Most riders in Japan have Ninihoken and this covers property damage as well as other parties injuries to substantial amounts, depending on premium. It is only available to legally registered vehicles. A copy of a Japanese shaken ( registration paper is required ). My wife received her insurance license recently and inquired about Ninihoken for foreign registered motorcycles and was told it was not available, by Mitsui and Sompo. Ninihoken ranges in price from around 26,000 for around $150k cover to 43,000 for unlimited cover.

I strongly suggest, it is better to talk about and know the risk, no matter what path you decide.

And sometimes it helps if you inform yourself before you bring a bike in and get stuck.....

If it can be useful for you, i'm going to put my own experience.
I was in Bali, june 2011, managing the bike shipping to Tokyo.
First of all i was in touch with JAF (Japan Automobile Federation), to know how to proceed to get the bike in, and with Chis of course.
I was told by JAF to send them, at least 10 days in advance, all the papers copies (including passport copy), as they have to check the CDP data to release the temporary permission. Once at the JAF Tokyio office, i had to show them the original papers, then tehy've gave me what i need, not before told me you must sign up an insurance policy before get to Narita airport to get the bike ready to roll.
At Narita they've checked frame, engine, plate, CDP and a valid japanese insurance, they are use to put a small insurance sticker on the bike plate, wich it is still in place nowadays...
The process was, more or less, the same to get out from Wakkanai to SAkhalin. Russian side fixer required same paperworks copies in advance to clear the custom "easily" in Korsakov harbour.

insuranceadventure
 

my point is simple:
ride carefully in Japan and you should be out of most trouble.
And,
making a world travel, there are way more dangerous spots on earth than Japan. How about riding in India? Insurance? Traffic rules? Mexico ... Gunpoint? ...
So,
making a 100% risk free journey around the globe is probably not possible. The risks in Japan are quite low if you stay within your limits and limits of the rules and you are probably fine without any insurance or even a driving license, because the police will not stop you if they have no reason.
Riding since January with a German license plate I got stopped 2 times, once speeding, once riding into a closed street, both my own mistakes and they did let me go while I apologized respectfully and honest. Each time they saw the insurance, they were happy and saw that I did an effort to be legal. Even the JAF translation of my driving license didnt catch much attention. About the German licence plate they didnt now at all what to think or do. And in general: foreigner: too complicated to deal with.
So,
I understand the efforts to be legal as possible in another country, but please dont wake up sleeping dogs at the same time.
So maybe we just have to communicate to everyone who is coming, that riding in Japan with the wrong plate is possible but has certain risks, you decide yourself.

So far lucky and hope to see one or the other rider on my travel starting soon,
Thomas

Thank you for this post.

This is something what everyone should have in mind when he start a RTW

Let me ad something that most travelers are not knowing that general rule to be used in attempts to temporary import a motorbike or automobiles in to the some country is not to pack it in the container if possible ...whole idea is to arrive with motorcycle on the ship,train..then technically custom must consider your car or bike as part of luggage or something Whit is your tools to travel.....some Germans shipped a bikes to Taiwan and head huge problem and on other occasion German gay arrived to Taiwan on the ship with a bike and BINGO>>>>they issue temporary import papers.

BBC News - Gunther, Christine and Otto: A love story

Then Japan. For seven years Holtorf had been running up against the same problem - Japan's refusal to recognise German car registration. That’s because in 1926, when the first multi-national agreement on car registration was drawn up, Japan refused to sign it. It did sign the follow-up agreement in 1949 – but this time Germany didn’t, on the grounds that it had signed and ratified the first.

Once again, German diplomats swung into action on Otto’s behalf, but this time they hit a brick wall even harder than North Korea’s. It seemed that nothing could be done.

But then Holtorf got wind that customs officials at Shimonoseki, a port served by a lorry ferry from South Korea, might turn a blind eye and accept Otto’s carnet de passage. He took the risk.

Holtorf says: “Technically Otto was illegally in Japan. It was a gamble and there was a danger that the car would be confiscated.”

Everything went smoothly, however, and Japan became country 166.

Hey guys, going off at a slight tangent here but ...

"It is possible to register a bike in Japan, if you have a Japanese resident who will allow you to do in their name. It costs around $600 ( excluding any agent fees ) including Jibaiseki, and some of that, possibly up to $200 can be got back when the Jibaiseki is cancelled. This applies to older bikes only, like the Africa Twin ( 90's and earlier bikes ). "

Can anyone confirm the exact year of manufacture this applies up to?

The reason I ask is that my 2003 XT600 (UK reg) is here in Japan and is totally knackered - ready for the scrap heap. the problem is that its on a temp import so customs are saying it MUST leave Japan once the 12 months time limit is up (August 2015) so im thinking to send it on a return trip to Korea and back (thus leaving Japan) and get it fully imported under my friends name then scrap it here.

I cant just pay the tax and switch from temp to full import they wont allow it.

Sending it back to the UK looks like it will cost £2000 so anything cheaper is a bonus.

Any help is much appreciated.

Dom

Import and registration are two different subjects. You can import the bike without registering it. You only pay the taxes. You can't ride it in that case, but then you just want to scrap it, so this doesn't matter.

Now, if the bike was stolen and you get a police report, you won't have to/be able to export it. (Probably still liable for taxes though.) Unfortunately, there isn't much of a market for dead travel bikes, so it probably won't be stolen even if you park it on the street with the keys in the ignition.

Sending my bike back from Kobe to europe cost me 1700usd + 320usd collection fee.. thats a lot less than the 2000£... Interfracht is the company.. let me (or chris for the matter, he gave me their details) know and ill look it up..

Yup, Interfracht is the company you should contact!
If you need their contact info, please send me an e-mail:
klausdorth(at)web.de!

I did a trip from Serbia to Japan with stop to S.Korea on DR650 and shipped bike back to Holland, this October for 1700 Euros.

Interesting info!

Can anyone confirm if a motorcycle from Belgium needs to be registered?

I read about Germany, Switzerland, Monaco and Slovenia, that would require registration.

If Belgium is party to only the 1968 treaty and not the 1949 treaty, they your technically need to register (however, this is impossible as previously mentioned).
This shows what Belgium is a party to the 1949 Convention on Road Traffic
https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDe...mtdsg5&lang=en
And also the 1968 Convention
https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDe...lang=en#EndDec

So, your vehicle is probably OK to use without the mysterious registration that I have never seen in almost 20 years of helping travelers.
Ask JAF for details
JAF For Visitors Bringing Vehicles with Carnet de Passages en Douane

Your IDP, however, may be issued in 1968 format (valid for 3 years). In which case, you will probably need an official translation from JAF because Japan only accepts the 1949 one year format.

Hello everyone,

I know this is an older thread but hopefully someone will be able to help out.

I'm planning on going to Japan on a 1-year Working Holiday Visa and would like to take my 2011 Triumph Tiger 800 with me which is in Australia, where I am also doing a Working Holiday Visa. I'd enter Japan with my Portuguese passport (in case that would matter for import matters).

Any suggestions?

Thank you!

Get a carnet and don't keep your bike in Japan for a day longer than one year.
Other than that, you should be fine.

However, considering the costs, I would recommend you buy a used bike in Japan and sell it when you leave. (Unless you plan to ride back to Portugal).

Hi Chris:

My motorcycle was manufactured in Japan: do you think I would be able to import it trouble-free based on the legal principle of Jus soli (citizenship by place of birth)? :cool4:

Michael

Thank you Chris.

I'd like to keep the bike after the year in Japan. That's why I am thinking about taking it from Australia to Japan.

Any ideia how much the sea freight would cost from the East Coast of Australia to Tokyo and how long it would take?

I can report that Interfracht is one exceptional company, 1300€ all included from Tokyo to Bremerhaven. Absolutely smooth without any problems, and without any additional charges. Awesome service, german company with a branch in Ginza. I can recommend to max.

Really seems expensive to get a bike into japan. Me and my wife are planning a trip to japan the long way round via usa. Seem like we will be the better part of 4k to get our bike shipped and into the country.