Originally Posted by Sojourning Mendicant

I just bought a motorcycle in Punta Arenas from another American. He had the original Alaskan title with him, while I am a Pennsylvania resident. We had to do the following steps:

1. Go to a notary (the one with all the plants on the first and second floor near the central square is the best one, as some others did not have the correct paperwork) and get a notarized bill of sale. This required the title, both of our passports, and his TIP. A few signatures, some thumbprints, and 5,000 CLP later, we were out the door.

2. Go to the aduana in the Zona Franca (it's actually ACROSS from the main shopping area, so to your right at the big roundabout by the port as you're leaving the city towards the airport) with the notarized bill of sale, TIP, title, and passports. I filled out the back of the title as the buyer and they canceled the seller's TIP and stamped his immigration papers so that he can leave the country and printed out a new TIP in my name. They also provided another document showing that I am indeed the owner of the motorcycle. I am now cleared to be in Chile for up to 90 days and enter other South American countries.

Note that I have NOT yet gotten a new, Pennsylvania title. This will not matter for S. America, but I obviously couldn't cross into the USA with the old plates and title. I wanted to get a PA title and plate before I flew down to meet the seller, but they required a rubbing of the VIN. I will fly back to PA from Lima in a couple months and take a rubbing at that point and get a new PA title and plate and fly back to continue my trip... so at that point, everything will be in my name and I can legally cross back into the US.

From what we were told at the special aduana, this is probably NOT something you can do outside of the Zona Franca. I'm also unsure of the process for non-US passports. Just like Rubin86, I'm not here to argue or debate about the legality of this process, specifically from the point of view of the American DMV. But we were told by the aduana officers that this is fine for South America for all border crossings, etc. Tomorrow I will cross the Argentinean border after purchasing insurance in Punta Arenas and I'll update you when I've changed countries.

Originally Posted by Snakeboy

So how would this be:

An european person buys a new bike in Colombia in his own name and rides it down south to Patagonia and then wants to sell it. And another european wants to buy it there. Theres no reason trying to get a chilean rego on it I suppose? Just a clean sale and transfer of ownership, will this be possible?

What steps to take? Go to a Notario and then Aduana or do it inbetween borders?

Originally Posted by Finskii

Snakeboy, if the transaction is (1) between non-residents of Chile, and (2) involves a foreign-plated bike, then the owner and the buyer will go to a Notaría. It is not necessary to go to Aduanas.

It is not necessary to register a foreign vehicle in the Chilean system and anyway it is usually (usually!) impossible to import and register a used foreign vehicle in Chile, except for legal residents of Zona Franca areas or returning Chilean nationals who have lived outside of Chile.

Note: A notaría is the office where the notario, who is a person, works; a notaría is essentially "owned" by the notario who has the licence to act in that capacity.

At the notaría there is usually a take-a-number device and then you wait for your number to be called. Owner and seller will request a compraventa for a foreign vehicle transfer. Both owner and seller present their passports and usually the ownership documents for the vehicle. The staff at notarías rarely speak languages other than Spanish. If you do not speak Spanish then you may wish to have someone help with this. Be extremely careful to be sure that the licence number and VIN for the vehicle are correctly recorded on the compraventa.

You will receive one original of the signed and "legalised" compraventa document. I strongly recommend that you pay for at least two more legalised copies of that compraventa and keep them in separate, safe places. In Chile, a "copia simple" which is a photocopy that is not certified or "legalizado" has very little value.

It has been my experience with foreign registered/ foreign-plate vehicles that even when the foreign registration is expired, this is usually of no consequence to Chilean authorities. I have seen bikes that are years out of registration that circulate freely with no problems.

Remember that a foreign vehicle is always required to have a valid temporary-import TITV (Título de Importación Temporal de Vehículos). A vehicle without a valid TITV can be seized and the operator can be jailed and/or fined.

Originally Posted by mad_dog_matty

Hi Snakeboy

I brought a Polish registered bike in Ecuador using the same process, a notary it cost a total of 100usd. I left Ecuador and entered Peru no problems i now plan on riding through Bolivia and selling the motorbike in Argentina to another traveller as my names not on the original documents could this be problem or is it just the same procedure using a notary.

Many Thanks

Originally Posted by Finskii

Snakeboy, if the transaction is (1) between non-residents of Chile, and (2) involves a foreign-plated bike, then the owner and the buyer will go to a Notaría. It is not necessary to go to Aduanas.

It is not necessary to register a foreign vehicle in the Chilean system and anyway it is usually (usually!) impossible to import and register a used foreign vehicle in Chile, except for legal residents of Zona Franca areas or returning Chilean nationals who have lived outside of Chile.

Note: A notaría is the office where the notario, who is a person, works; a notaría is essentially "owned" by the notario who has the licence to act in that capacity.

At the notaría there is usually a take-a-number device and then you wait for your number to be called. Owner and seller will request a compraventa for a foreign vehicle transfer. Both owner and seller present their passports and usually the ownership documents for the vehicle. The staff at notarías rarely speak languages other than Spanish. If you do not speak Spanish then you may wish to have someone help with this. Be extremely careful to be sure that the licence number and VIN for the vehicle are correctly recorded on the compraventa.

You will receive one original of the signed and "legalised" compraventa document. I strongly recommend that you pay for at least two more legalised copies of that compraventa and keep them in separate, safe places. In Chile, a "copia simple" which is a photocopy that is not certified or "legalizado" has very little value.

It has been my experience with foreign registered/ foreign-plate vehicles that even when the foreign registration is expired, this is usually of no consequence to Chilean authorities. I have seen bikes that are years out of registration that circulate freely with no problems.

Remember that a foreign vehicle is always required to have a valid temporary-import TITV (Título de Importación Temporal de Vehículos). A vehicle without a valid TITV can be seized and the operator can be jailed and/or fined.