All help appreciated. I entered Russia from Mongolia with a bike about 4 days ago. The bike is registared in the UK and I have a UK passport. I now want to dump the bike or give it away, it is only a C90 so don't get excited and fly out back to the uk. I have been told by other travellers that if I try to leave the bike and fly out I will be stopped at the airport.

Does anyone know if this is true? is it is any legal seggestions for getting out quickley? and what paperwork do I need.

Thanks for the help.

Well not sure where you have heard that ... we have been saying on here about 100 times that you will not be stopped if you leave Russia without your vehicle. You will have no problem leaving Russia.

You may have problems if you come back to Russia in future, either getting a visa, or being stopped by customs next time you are in Russia and asked to pay the import duty on the bike that they linked to your name / passport but for which they have no outbound paperwork.

Russia now stops people at the border if you are owing the state money (including parking fines). You will not be owing the state money (import tax) for the next 3 months (you currently have a temporary import permit) plus however long it takes customs to issue a penalty and for a court to approve whatever fine and or tax is payable on your bike according to customs.

Why are so many people these days trying to dump vehicles that they have been granted temporary import papers for? I hope that was not the plan all along? It is kinda conditional that if you bring a vehicle in and do not pay tax on it, then you have to take it out. Thats kinda the deal. The country agrees to let you bring your vehicle in without charging you import tax, because you are promising that you are not importing the vehicle. i.e. that you will take it out. If you dont take it out, then you either have to pay import tax on it or get paperwork from Police and Customs that the bike has been destroyed and therefore no tax is payable.

You can probably get paperwork saying the bike has been destroyed, if you go to the nearest customs office and ask if they have an approved crusher - or if the local customs chief wants a C90.

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Colebatch is 100% correct, you will not be stopped when you try to leave. I have left with a bike here many many times with no problem.

As he points out, you might have a hard time coming back here. You might try selling it for 1 ruble, get a notarized agreement, maybe it will help in future.

We had a friend who left without his bike then returned to russia some months later. He then rode the bike back out a land border, no problems at any point.

Thanks for the quick replies. I had allowed 2 months to ride across Mongolia and Russia and have bitten off more than I can chew. Half my time is used up and only a quarter on the mileage done. Already been to the police and they where not interested. I will try customs because I would like to be able to come back. Happy to pay the import tax to make it all legal. I am also trying to get on the trains siberiaht railway to cut down the milage.

Hi Walter, it was never my intention to leave it here. Last year did 7500 miles on the DRZ no problem, but what seemed like a good idea was not! Travelling at C90 speed is slow and you are constantly being buffered. I was ok in Mongolia with less traffic. Just looking for a way to finish the trip in an ethical way. So I can come back again on a more realistic bike.