Do I need to bring my bike title with me?
 

Hello,

I am buying a new Yamaha T7 this week. I can go to the DMV and get my plates and registration right away, but the title will take 10 weeks. I am planning on crossing the Mexican border in early April and hoping to travel as far as Panama. In 2019 I traveled through Mexico and I brought my title, but I don't recall whether it was needed. The HU website does not say anything about needing a title, just registration, is this correct? If a title is needed how do people who finance their bikes travel. I am buying the bike outright, but do not want to delay my travels waiting for a title. Thanks for the help.

To my knowledge, it's ONLY the USA that has this concept of separate pieces of paper for "title" AND "registration". Everywhere else I know of the Registration is THE ONLY document.
I THINK (pretty sure!) all you need for Mexico is the Registration as that's what has YOUR NAME and the BIKE DETAILS on it, but happy to have an American weigh in with their experience on this.
Have a great trip!

I generally carry mine, but I only recall needing to show it once and that was in Central Asia somewhere.

The Colorado registration 'document' is a small, xeroxed-looking piece of paper- it looks fake even to me. The title on the other hand has swirls and curlicues and stamps and signatures and looks OFFICIAL. The border official (I think it was Azerbaijan) frowned at the registration, and smiled broadly when I pulled out the title. :D

Having said that, I don't think you need to have the title with you.

..............shu

I've always understood that if a title had been issued, it was important to carry it. The title establishes who the owner of the vehicle is--the registration authorizes it to be operated on public roads. So if someone (usually uniformed, sometimes armed, and occasionally belligerent) wants to know who the owner is, they want to see your title.

Ok, I know that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. How do other countries make do with just a single document? And why am I never required to show my title here in the US (where it stays at home in a lockbox)?

It's my recollection that there were times in Central and South America where the border guards knew this about US-registered vehicles, so they demanded titles (no doubt hoping I wouldn't have one and would have to offer cash instead). On the other hand, it could be that I expected them to ask, therefore just handed it over as a matter of course.

I also recall an ex-Soviet border, maybe between Romania and Ukraine, where my title was demanded by a no-nonsense, miniskirted and jack-booted border guard--female, by all indications. This obviously left a lasting impression on me, whatever you make of that. In any case, I carry my title when leaving the US and Canada.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

I'd be interested to see a pic of each - suitably anonymized of course.


BC, Canada Registration document is just a printed page, not particularly fancy at all, and thus far no issues.

I think all they really want to see is SOMETHING that looks reasonably official with your name and the bike numbers on it. I've never seem anyone look too closely - except Egypt, but that's another whole world - all they look at I think is the license number to see if it matches so it's not obviously stolen, and perhaps an expiry date so they can catch you on that.

Outdated information: When I rode my US bike through Mexico and Central America in 2007, I passed through seven countries. At every border crossing (except for going into Canada and returning to the US) they specifically asked for the title. I had it with me plus a few color copies of it.

When I got home, I reported my experience in threads similar to this, "Do I need to bring my title?" and numerous people said that they didn't need their title and several people who told me that I was wrong when I said I needed my title.

More recently, I went to Mexico last year and crossed at Tecate where they explicitly asked for the title.

Again, I've had people tell me they didn't need to bring the title to get into Mexico.

So... I don't know why people have such different experiences. In my case, I needed to have my title. Other people seem to do fine without it, though I don't know how. What do they say when the customs official asks for the title?

Your bill of sale proves you have legal title to the goods you have bought, but is not necessarily "The Title" in the US meaning of the words.

More outdated information.

In my younger days, I never had title to my vehicles as the bank still carried the note, so only had the vehicle registration (Oregon).

During that period, I made a dozen trips between US and Mexico and when the border agents or various checkpoints asked for the "title", I confidently handed them the registration. It was never rejected and never questioned.

First listing for Google search on “Documents vehicle enter Mexico” specifically says title AND registration:

https://immigrationtomexico.mx/how-t...co-the-basics/

So apparently there are the rules, and then there’s real life. Not too surprising.

Registration doc for Colorado (9 cm x 12 cm)

https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds

Title doc for Colorado (full page, full color, watermark, etc)
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds

As I said, the registration is a simple, small document that doesn't look very official. It has almost always been accepted at borders. The Title looks very official.

...............shu

Malaysia and Thailand are at least 2 that have Titles. I have been asked several times for the ownership document in different countries and always carry it.

I guess the question is "Why not bring your title?" Some places you might not need it, some places you might--so just bring it. I usually brought a copy on cardstock which I presented at first, but that can also cause problems, because I've been held up twice while they looked (in vain) for a watermark on the copy. I've also gotten through borders several times with just a title, no registration, but that is not recommended...