Dear all,
Me and my wife are planning to buy a second hand motorbike in Peru and then tour through to Bolivia, then Chile and finally Argentina, where we would like to sell the bike before returning to Spain, where we come from.

1- Do you know if it is possible to take a bike out from Peru at all? We’ve heard some people say it is impossible if your don’t come back with the bike, is that right?

2- Also, do you have any additional info regarding what is needed to cross these three borders?
As far as I know:
-Valid Passport
-International driving licence
-Vehicle registration
-Carnet de passages (not required)
-Carta Verde (Do you know if it is possible to buy this in Peru or we can get the insurance in the border of each of the country?)
Otherwise, do you know where we could look for this info?

3 -We also have heard that it is imposible to import and sell a bike in Argentina. Any views on this?

It seems that our plan is going to be quite challenging! Many thanks for your help!!!

Guys I know that all of them are difficult questions but pls give it a try. At least at the first question

Hello

I have not done this but heard from others that it takes time till you get your papers and you need all papers to proof your ownership of the bike.
You can get 2 month insurance in Peru.
Try to get an Argentinian insurance online which is valid for Bolivia,Argentina and Chile, before you leave.
search the HUBB, it's all somewere hidden in the deep forrest of threds.
sushi

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1. It is possible to buy a bike in Peru, travel abroad with it and not bring it back. You would have to get a notary to give you the legal power to sign contracts in Peru, though - not sure what this involves but i imagine it involves lots of paperwork and waiting.
The main problem will be finding something to buy. Bigger bikes are very expensive compared to Europe and the secondhand market is tiny. I ended up buying a honda 125 as i was travelling alone and had lots more time than cash..
The general consensus seems to be that Chile is a better place to buy a bike if you're flexible about where you start from.

2. Crossing borders. I went north; Ecuador, Columbia, Central America and Mexico but only needed passport and bike registration - UK/EU licence was fine. Insurance was bought, when required, once i was through the border - not sure about bolivia, Chile etc.

3. No idea about selling in Argentina - try the search facility, i'm sure all the information is on here somewhere.

Regards
Ian

Ian, sushi,
Many thanks for your answers.

Regrding buying the bike in Peru it is great news that it is possible. I have read that one can buy the right to sign documents in the border for 50usd. I agree with you that is going to be more challenging to find a bike for two people as i have been searching on the internet and the secondary market is minimal. The problem is that i already have the plane tickets so i have to stick to the plan

I will take a look the option of buying an insurance from argentina. Thxs for the tip, if it doesnt work i will just buy the insurance on the border.

Regarding selling in argentina i have heard that it is impossible unless you legally import the bike and that this is expensive, but dont know how much could be. I will have to dig further on this one
Many thanks guys!

NO. Doesn’t exist a way to legally import and register a used bike in Argentina, cheap or expensive.
Usually applies for every country in the Americas, you only can legally sell a vehicle where is registered and all other cases will be irregular deals.
Plenty information here in the HUBB but not all is right or updated.
Saludos

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Javier...
Dakar Motos “ ”

1. definitely possible to take it out, I know people who did recently. I believe the main thing is having all papers in your name.
If you end your trip in northeast Argentina you may just be able to pop across to Paraguay where you have good chance to sell, or Foz do Iguazu in Brazil where you could get someone to help you with that on your behalf.

2. Generally all bike papers preferably in your name. Passport, license (Int. driving permit you won't need), vaccination certificates where applicable. 3rd party Insurance (SOAT) is required in about all countries -even Peru- and available at borders or in cities on monthly basis. Some countries will offer a Mercosur / ""carta verde" type policy too - Chile does. (I'm just searching in Foz do Iguazu, Brazil - there is a shop near the border which advertises "carta verde" but it's ONLY an Argentina 3rd party - .)

enjoy your trip

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I tried to buy a secondhand bike in Peru and found it really difficult. As said before, the number of bikes on the market is small but the other problem is that it is really hard to find a secondhand bike for sale by the original owner...they are almost always in someone else's name and then you need notary letters etc etc... can be a bit dodgey.

I ended up buying a new bike (Honda CTX 200cc... for sale now on the Hubb but in Columbia). Even then, the papers took 3 weeks to 'clear' AND when I got to the Bolivian border, I didnt have one paper (altho the Honda dealer told me they had provided me with Everything I needed) and was held up for 3 days... in the end I had to pay $140 for an agent to dummy up (forge really) the missing document and then 'import' the bike to Bolivia via a customs warehouse. That was simply because it was Peruvian registered and they have a big problem letting Peruvian verhicles over the border into Bolivia. The other borders are all easy... Peru-Ecuador, Bolivia-Chile, Chile-Peru no worries at all with Peruvian plates.

I met quite a few other riders on bikes plated in other countries (US, Argerntina, Columbia, Chile) and none of them had ANY problems getting into OR out of Peru whether they had the original ownership docs (ie bought the bike new) or an official document from a notary saying they had bought the bike second hand from another traveller somewhere... so my advice would be go for it (if you've already got yr ticks to Peru) BUT don't buy a Peruvian plated bike!! OR try to change your tickets and buy a second hand bike wherever there's the right one available. I had a ball so I'd definitely recommend the trip!!
Cheers Matt