Insurance, Rego and Permits - South America
 

Hi All

I am new to this site so sorry if this info is covered eslewhere and I just havent found it yet.

Can anyone provide a step by step process of the rego/insurance/permits of an Australian purchasing a bike in North America and bringing it into Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile?

Is it a lot easier to purchase a bike within South America from a rego/insurance point of view?

Are there fees at border crossings for motorbikes and does each country have there own rego requirements?

thanks
Muz

HI

Best if you did some more searching here, but here is my perspective.

I bought my bike in LA and transferred the rego into my name there, this is easy to do once you have an address there. Once the TITLE and REGO papers are in your name that is all you need as far as border crossings anywhere south of the border. Take the originals, but also make VERY GOOD double sided colour copies.


As for insurance, I do not have any south of the Mexican border, it was too expensive for an NON US citizen to get any, but PROGRESSIVE are the people you need to talk to if you want some, I can send you an email address if you need it.

As for the border crossings, sorry I do not have it all in one spot at this stage, too busy travelling, but I have documented the crossings quite thouroughly, so you will have to trawl through my web site for that info :)

Good luck
Cheers
TravellingStrom

G´day mate
I can speak for South America and an official looking letter from the previous owner seems to cover all bases. Permits ive never needed and as for insurance id book a date with photo shop. Ive found it very valuble to have a laminated coloured card with all bike and personal details down one side and your insurance company, contact information and included countries on the other. Outside of my passport, its all ive often needed.
I hear Mexican and American insurance are a different cup of tea, will be researching that myself before long.
Laters,
Adam

Thanks for the info. Very helpful.

TravellingStrom - did you have any problems at all getting insurance in America. Is it a third party insurance like in Australia? Do you have be living in America or just have an address there?

Thanks

All you need is an address to get insurance and title for bike in US. You can use mine (if in Washington State) or many others will let you use theirs it is no problem. Suggest you buy in the US as bikes will cost much less here and be easier to title. There are many post on here about buying in South America, lets just say it can be done but looks like a real pain and their import fees drive up cost to twice US price. The only other option I would consider is buying a US or Oz registered bike from some traveler not wanting to ship his back home. Insureance bought in US will be good in Canada but you will need insurance in Mexico, (not required but if you have a problem they will not let you leave till it is settled (means pay them off). Other counties have insureance requirements and you normally buy at border. You can get insureance for four or five countries in the south together but not Chile. Chile does not require insurance and I could not find anyone that would sell me insureance for Chile.
hope this helps, study the other threads and blogs and you will glen enouth information to make it work.

RJT:scooter:

Hi

As Roadhog said, no worries as long as you have a US address. It is becoming a lot more expensive since I bought some and I was recently quoted, $250 for ONE month and that was just liability insurance that I wanted. But, as foreigners, we get no choice of what we really want.

I know originally it cost me about $600 for 6 months, that was an agreed value with extras, so this latest quote is stupid.

I would buy a US bike but make sure you get the Title in your name, I am still waiting for mine to be renewed, and now that I am back home, it is a hassle to do. They won't re-issue the Title without current rego(paid in March) and also insurance, but no way I am paying $250 for that as I sold the bike in March and it is still in SA.

Cheers
TS

I am obout to to the same thing, I'm an aussie gonna arrive in LA mid sept and buy bike there.

I would like to hear about how you went about all this and discover the pit falls. I intend to spend 8 months riding as many countries as possible so if you have any tips I would dig hearing them.

cheers troy

Decide on how long you will stay in the states for a start and get some quotes for insurance for that time only. If you go north to Canada and Alaska, remember to have this time also covered as you will need to return south.

From Mexico south, it is each country is different, some you need it, some you don't

Check some different threads already running about this, or wade through my blog and pick it up as you go, all border crossings are covered extensively and also insurance if needed

Cheers
TS

good onya strom

sent ya mail via your site, legend mate, cheers

OK, I will try and get an answer to ya soon.

In the meantime, for insurance stuff for the USA, look around here on the HUBB, my info is 12 months old and prices and conditions have changed a lot.

As for the rest of the countries south, the quickest info available is right here Country Information - Drive the Americas

I used that extensively during my travels and even updated some sections that were lacking in info, but it was extremely useful

Cheers
TS