A friend and I are starting too plan on shipping our bikes from the UK to Buenos Aires,
My friend thinks we do not need them but I think we do need them for each country we travel through..

We are then going too ride from there up through too Colombia,then fly or boat them over the Darien gap too Panama.
To eventually get into America..and home from there..
We are intending to be in Buenos Aries around the end of November...
Any thoughts and tips would be most appreciated...
Mike..

Depends on what sort of trip you want to do. Are you dead set on riding the entire way? You could definitely e.g. rent bikes locally for the bits where there is very good riding, and use public transport otherwise, and have a wonderful backpacking trip.

You could save money on two-way bike shipping by buying another traveller's bikes once you get there, but your choice will be limited, and from what I understand, transfer of ownership of a foreign-registered motorcycle inside Argentina is a gray area at best. (The trick is apparently to cross a border with the seller - one party takes the bike out of one country, the other takes it into the next country under their name.) But if you manage to buy e.g. US-plated bikes in Argentina, then you'd have a much easier time selling them at the end of your journey in the US.

You could also buy local-plated bikes when you get there, but it's not equally easy in each country for a non-resident. The advantage would be that you're on bikes which local mechanics know how to fix, and parts are available everywhere. The downside is selling a SA-plated bike at the end of your trip will be a hassle (and chances are, it won't be compliant with regulations enough to register it back in the UK, even if you love it).

But depending on circumstances, shipping your bikes down and back out could be the way to go.

Main tip there would be to get different quotes, and not lock yourselves in to Buenos-Aires in particular. E.g. it may be meaningfully cheaper to have the bikes delivered in Montevideo or Valparaiso in Chile, depending on containership availability.

Responding to the OP's question: yes, you are issued a TIP (Temporary Import Permit) at each border. The process will feel familiar enough after you've done a few, with enough differences to keep you on your toes. When you find yourself leaving a country without canceling your old TIP or entering a new country without obtaining a fresh TIP, figure out what's going on and rectify the situation, since it is likely to cause you trouble down the line. Entering Panama from Colombia, for example, no one said anything about a TIP, so I found the appropriate office in Panama City and did what I needed to do. Another example--in Mexico there may not be someone at the border to tell you what paperwork you need to take care of, but failing to do so can have unpleasant consequences. Research in advance.

In case it's not obvious, merely asking general questions covering all of South and Central America on The HUBB won't necessarily get you the information you need. Doing some research on your own (guidebooks, blogs, older forum threads, etc.) and returning with specific questions will attract better results.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Thanks for the replies.
Moto Freight or James Cargo in the UK will be our shippers..
Fly them out,container home..
We both have yam T7,s..

Yes are intending to ride our own bikes all the way,Buenos Aires was one place the shipper said or we could go to Santiago...

Researching is at an early'ish stage at the moment but one has too start somewhere and this is the best place for info leader threads..
Mike..

You don't need TIPs for "the Americas", however we travel on a CdP (Libreta de Aduana). It provides simpler and better protection in the unlikely (and undesired) situation where the bike/vehicle is stolen/damaged beyond repair.

As markharf notes, sometimes you have to jump through some hoops to manage a TIP. A CdP also may present inconvenience if the customs people have never seen one, although we've never had a problem - we explain the process and they do what's needed.

Smaller border posts can be a challenge, in Brazil we entered via a tiny post and they had no idea what to do - for the CdP or for a TIP. In the end they gave us a TIP, after an hour and a half searching their manuals. Finally a Supervisor returned from lunch and knew how to issue the TIP.

Key point - always, always, make sure your CdP or TIP is properly closed out when you leave each country.

You're definitely making yourself too much headache. Usually border processes are simple and don't cause any problems. It can take long time, so just be relaxed, friendly and you most likely won't have any trouble. Make sure you get your exit and entry stamps for your bikes and enjoy the beautiful countries and the people living there. One of the World's best off-road countries is Argentina btw - so if you have time, this country is an off-road jewel, nobody's really talking about that much.

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+1 as man says you need TIP and insurance in every country unless you stay within 20km of the border.

Make sure to check out properly mexico for example charges $400 deposit which you only get back after you check out; otherwise they will pocket it

AND know the termination date of your TVIP. Leave the country BEFORE it expires. You can have your moto permanently confiscated if you exceed the termination date by even one day. Do some internet searching so you know the process. It's basically the same across all of Central and South America, TVIP for your moto, tourist permit for you. Both have to be obtained when entering the country, both have to be terminated on exit. It's your responsibility to do it. In addition, many countries require you purchase insurance (generally not expensive).

Well, that's nothing special for South America only, but for most of the countries. If you should expire your visa + TIP e.g. in Kazakhstan, not only your bike gets confiscated...

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All above comments on TIP are valid. You need to get them (and insurance) at each border and after one or two crossings you will find the process straightforward. Two other general points:

1. Don't even consider sea freight if you want certainty your bike will arrive on a certain date. Airfreight is much more reliable and in the past costs were not hugely more (not certain if this is true post COVID).

2. Be aware the import custom process for Chile are hugely less hassle than Argentina. At Santiago airport you can do it all in a few hours and at relatively low cost for fees by yourself. In contrast Buenos Aires has a reputation of taking much more time and money.

Sent from my moto g(8) plus using Tapatalk

__________________
Martin

finally back on the road again


http://awayonmybike.blogspot.com/

Again, I don't know about "most of the countries," but I've left a bike in the EU for long periods without consequences, and I know of people who've done that here in the US, too. Like everything else under the sun, YMMV.

As far as I know, you can legally leave a foreign licence numbered vehicle in Europe for max. 6 months (as a normal tourist) - afterwards you'd have to register and pay taxes. In theory, I guess nobody would really notice the expiration of your import documents immediately, since there usually are no border controls in Europe.
However, that doesn't automatically mean that you can expire your import permission without any consequences in Europe. In other continents I would be extremely careful with TIP expiration.
For USA TIP is 1 year as far as I know - and I wouldn't start messing around with the US customs either.

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South America is not Europe. Exceed your TVIP in most of these countries and you risk having your vehicle confiscated. Happens regularly, all the time, for real, no recourse. Do NOT exceed your TVIP in Central or South America.


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Sigh. Yes, I know about the various rules, and I know about the risks of over-staying in South America. Sometimes I make the mistake of thinking everyone always reads every preceding post carefully.

Thanks for the clarifications.

Mark

Many thanks for your informative reply,s
Airfreight into Beunes Aries is pretty eye-watering and we would Airfreight in,
Import formalities there are about about $1000...
It's getting expensive before we even get too ride out of the airport..
Mike.