Exiting China on a Chinese Registered Motorbike
 

Hello! Does anyone have experience leaving China on a bike registered in China? I can buy a bike here and register it no problem as I am a resident, I just don't know what kind of paperwork to expect upon leaving China or if there is anything that would prevent me from doing this.

I plan on riding west towards Europe and Africa with no plan on returning the bike after my work contract ends.


Thank you in advance! I appreciate it

No idea about Chinese exit procedures but:

1) What citizenship do you have? I.e. if you are an EU citizen, then as soon as you cross EU borders on a bike you own on foreign plates, you're essentially importing it and are expected to pay customs dues, register it locally etc.

2) If you are not expecting to return to China on the bike, what will you do with it at the end of your trip? To sell it outside China, you would again need to pay customs dues to register it locally in another country. Or maybe you scrap it - make sure that the country you're in will accept the scrapping paperwork to close your temporary import permit! Then you also probably need to return the plates and registration certificate to China to end the original registration there, unless you never want to step foot into China again in your life.

3) Does the Chinese vehicle paperwork have an English translation? I expect the countries immediately bordering China know how to read Chinese paperwork and confirm you are actually the owner of the vehicle, but get two or three countries away, and you might be thought of as a thief.

I appreciate your response. I'm looking for more concrete details about what is expected at the Chinese border. I see in some older threads that it's real lax and you just go. Others say you need an ATA with a deposit and guarantee you'll come back. I think I will head to the DMV here and ask. I'll update with anything I find out. Others' experiences would still be useful, though.

Thanks for the heads up about the EU. I am an American citizen, so I won't have to pay any import tax unless I want to sell the bike there. I'll get translations of the motorcycle's papers if this works out.