Hi,

I just bought a new motorbike in Sucre, Bolivia and I'm about to register it. However, I went to the police and a lawyer (abogado) who told me it's impossible to register a bike as a foreigner without residential status (I just have a tourist visa). I'm not surprised that the vendor told me a different story.

The only possible way seems to be to register it in the name of a bolivian person first (I hope my spanish teacher helps me out) and make a contract afterwards, which says he sells the bike to me.

Has anyone different informations about this or any experience with registering a motorbike in Bolivia? I will provide more information here as soon as the process is going on...

Thanks

to the Hubb,


the information you got from the police and the abogado is not correct, you can register a vehicle on a tourist visa in Bolivia.

suerte
mika

Thanks for the information mika. That sounds good. Could you share some more detailled information? When and where did you register a bike? It might have changed recently or depends on the place.

I described my experience and I think it's gonna be difficult to explain the police officer or the abogado that they're wrong, well I'll try.

Gracias
Hauke

I finally managed to register the motorbike in my name and since I couldn't find a post on the HUBB, describing how it works and how much time it takes, I will write it down here. I have done it in Sucre and the procedure might be different in other cities.

There are three offices in town, which you have to visit.

1. You can start at the DIPROVE office, located in the south, almost outside of the city. The DIPROVE is something like a mechanical examination of your bike. However, if its a new bike, they just want to see the serial number and a metal sign (called plaqueta), located on the opposite side of the frame (make sure your bike has this, I had to pay an „extra fee“ of 250 Bs, because on my bike it was missing. Before you can do the DIPROVE, they'll hand out a paper, on which the required documents are listed.

2. You have to go to the DIRECCION DE INGRESSOS (they're might be a different name in use for this office, that's what the letters at the building say), located at the other side of town. Draw a ticket for „vehicles“ and wait until your number is announced. They'll hand out another paper with a list of required documents (basically photocopies and the bike documents from the vendor plus a photo of yourself which you can do outside of the office). After you passed them all those documents, you receive a paper, that says the number of your signature plate.

3. With this and the other documents from step 1 you go back to the DIPROVE office. They give you a date for the examination. In my case, they offered me a date one week later. After asking kindly if its possible a bit earlier, they offered me a date for the next morning and charged me 100 Bs extra (without receipt). As described above, they just want to see the plaqueta and serial number of the bike. However, they give you the DIPROVE document in the afternoon (in my case at 6 pm, while the examination was in the morning at 8 am).

4. With the DIPROVE and the rest of your documents you go to the TRANSITO, located a few blocks east of the Plaza 26th de Mayo. As the other offices, they also want to have photocopies of all your documents (incl. Insurance). Moreover, they take photos of you and then prepare the so called SOLUCCION. Obviously, they can not hand this out immidiately (how crazy would that be?), but instead they give you a date more or less one week later for picking it up. After asking kindly if its possbile earlier (applying some pressure by saying my visa extends in some days and I have to leave the country soon), I could pick it up some days earlier.

5. With the SOLUCCION you can finally go back to office DIRECCION DE INGRESSOS to receive your license plate and start riding!

I started the process on a Monday and received my license plate exactly one week later. However, as described, you may want to apply a bit pressure and always ask for earlier dates. Otherwise it can easily take three weeks!

When buying the bike make sure the bike has the plaqueta (described above), the seguro (insurance) of the current year (mine was from 2016, so I had to buy a new one for 200 Bs) and, most important, the FACTURA, which is like a receipt, printed in colors, that contains your name (the vendor didn't gave it to me, so I had to go back to the shop and wait finally 4 days until it arrived from La Paz before I was able to start the whole process).

If you're looking for new chinese bikes, there are many shops in the German Bush street. How you may noticed, the shop where I bought the bike was not reliable at all. There were many things missing and the vendor didn't seem to care. I don't know the name of this shop, but its quiet a big shop, located in the middle of the German Bush on the right side if you go away from the city centre. The vendor is a mid aged woman with curly hair (there are not so many woman, selling bikes). I can recommend you definitely to NOT buy there!

Hi Hauke,

well done . Sorry I did not read your questions before, but as I hate paperwork I have so far paid *tramitadores* to do it for me. So couldnt really tell you what offices to go to. But thank you for the write up here on the Hubb. And enjoy your ride.

mika from Samaipata

WOW! What a hassle. Here in Peru (in the interior) it is SO EASY as we take care of it all for HUBB members!

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