Hey,

I am coming to the end of my trip and are looking to sell my bike. I am currently in Argentina heading to BA and then on to paraguay and bolivia. If sh!t hits the fan and i cant sell it for some reason, is it possible to scrap the bike at a local yard and leave the country with papers confirming so?

Thanks

hey, im in buenos aires, let me know when you are arriving, im interested in your bike, thanks
Damian
marcegranat@hotmail.com

You can definitely leave Argentina without the bike (as in you won't be stopped). Not sure about Bolivia or Paraguay and you definitely cannot do this from Chile.

However, if you do what Cleland says from Argentina, you will have a big headache if you ever come back - your passport will be marked with a bike that has overstayed and you will have a hard time explaining. Most likely you will be made to pay the duty on the bike as if you have imported it. And the duty will be calculated on some book value which will be a lot more than you think the bike is worth. And it will take a long time.

I would advise you to find a local Aduana office while in Argentina, and ask them if you can provably destroy the bike - in my experience they're quite helpful at answering hypothetical questions. All they're concerned about is preventing illegal importation.

I've heard rumours that it's possible to disengage your passport from the bike in Foz do Iguacu (which would enable you to just ditch it without consequences), but no idea of the details.

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http://sginsa.wordpress.com

wrong:
you can leave Chile without any questions or problems leaving your bike behind.
BUT they will ask you about your bike when you return within 10 years.

Well, maybe my info is out of date, but in 2011 a friend of mine was not allowed to board a plane out of Chile until someone Chilean came and specifically had my friend's bike TVIP transferred to them - i.e. when my friend left Chile he did not have a TVIP. I also asked Chilean customs specifically whether I would be allowed to leave Chile in 2013 leaving my bike parked there and the answer was a resounding no.... That's all the info I have on this....

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http://sginsa.wordpress.com

I imagine the simple answer is NO country officially permits any traveller with a foreign registered vehicle that entered under a TVIP to leave the vehicle behind for even a minute.

I have talked to a traveller who made a formal request to Argentinian Aduana to visit Urugay via the ferry for a couple of days and this was refused on the basis that it was not permitted by law.

That we all 'get away with' leaving a vehicle for months in Argentina and Uruguay is simply because we just do it and the current system in those countries isn't set up to cross-reference Immigration and Customs.

Doesn't mean it isn't possible. For instance, I spent a couple of days following Miligrand from Quinta Lala campground around Cusco as she went through the tiring process of getting us permission to suspend our TIP on the basis of medical need to return home - and I know there are similar processes available in other countries.

I suspect that there are only two ways to do it - one risk free and the other fraught.. Make a formal request to Customs to suspend the TVIP, OR just turn up at the airport and hope for the best. The possibility of blowing an expensive air fare because you are denied boarding may not turn out to be the best option. At the very least, do it in Argentina or Uruguay where the practice is at least tolerated.

BTW, this thread is a perfect example of people saying something is permitted on the basis that because they got away with it, it must be legal. Obviously all that is needed to debunk those sort of statements is to find someone who didn't get away with it.
Simple example is driving a car at 100mph. Getting away with it never makes it legal.

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Tony
Click here for Travel Photos & Travel Map

Hey,

I have just emailed you.