hi, we're (2 people , 2 x luggage) heading to Brazil on 15th September and looking to buy a bike there. Plan is to head through iguassu falls into Argentina , down to Patagonia, up through chile , Bolivia and Peru.

i can see that we need to obtain a CPF for brazillian bike however there are mixed comments on whether or not we would need proof of address or not and the level of proof we would need (bank account etc) . although alot of the posts are quite old (2004), has anyone had more recent experience? once/if this is/can be obtained, is it straight forward to get insured?

I can see that bikes bought in Argentina have trouble leaving the country but Peru purchases seem free to roam, perhaps i've not looked in the right place but i cant see much about border crossings from Brazil if anyone can advise?

another option would be to look at importing own bike however James shipping have said it woud be too difficult to ship to Brazil and that we'd have to pick up[ in BA. Hill shipping have quoted much less however, the price is currently £695 with crating, crating and shipping to RDJ but not including customs clearance. Hill shipping said they can put us in contact with an agent to support with this.

has anyone got any thoughts on all of the above? all help much appreciated!

thankyou
Any help what so ever we arrive in rio September this year and want to gat a bike there
Will I have problems getting across borders etc . How do I get insured etc many many thanks

Hi Angus,

we lived in Rio for nearly two years.
Buying a bike in Brazil is not possible for foreigners. We bought bikes only after nearly a year living there, once we had all our documents in place: including a permanent VIPER visa.
Without a permanent visa, CPF number, registration at your local consultorio office etc.... you will not be able to buy or register the bike to your name.

Shipping to Brazil: I would not recommend this either, due to insane bureaucracy etc.. your bike may stay stuck at custom for ever. Might end up somewhere on eBay a couple of years down the line. I could tell you stories and that includes shipping stuff to Brazil by brazilian themselves and big companies!

You should send your bikes to Argentina. Else, buy a bike in Peru (easy to register and cross borders) or Bolivia. Few threads about these 2 countries. Or buy from travellers but not sure how that works.....

Good luck.

__________________
Maria

www.franglais-riders.com

Little late response; i understand that you are EU citizens, shipping bikes to French Guiana leaves them in the EU (French Guiana is EU, with Euros) Short hop to Brazil...