Hi there, I hope someone has some suggestions to getting a EU insurance for a bike kept in a different (EU) country.

I bought my bike in the 2010 in the UK where I was living, and then I moved permanently to the Netherlands. I tried to keep the bike here with me but Amsterdam is not the right place for a KTM 990 (rain and wind 300days/year), so I brought the motorbike to my childhood town in Italy, where my parent still live and I go quite often.

Current situation:
- I’m resident in Holland
- motorbike is in Italy, UK registered, not insured and Sorn.

I’ve considered importing the motorbike in Holland and getting a Dutch insurance, but there’s a silly import tax based on the VAT the Dutch tax office missed ($$$), that summed to the cost of bringing the bike up here, plus MOT and all the rest, turns around 2k euro. Also, I don’t expect to live here for too long and I’d be pissed off in going again through the import fees the next time I decide to move.
Keep the bike with the British plate is neither an option, because for some reasons the British insurers allow maximum 90 days outside the UK and expect you to perform MOT every year (go & back), last I am not anymore resident.
Italy doesn’t sound to be an option because also there I am not anymore resident.

So far I kept the motorbike off road, so insurance or not, it wouldn’t had made much difference, but I now would like to roam for a while and even if I am not an insurance believer, I’d like to avoid argues with the police in a country which I don’t understand the local language.

So I am not sure if I have any way-out, but I am pretty sure that nowadays I am not the only one who keeps the motorbike somewhere else from where he lives.
(Help!)

Will get back to you tomorrow, have to make some calls to find if there is a solution,

ride on
Dooby

Sandro:

My suggestion is just a 'shot in the dark' that is not based on any specific knowledge of Italian licencing, but, for what it's worth, have you considered inquiring with the Italian authorities to see if it is possible to get a temporary plate issued by Italy?

Because your parents still live in the Italian town, you have a legitimate claim to a temporary Italian address... if your only objective is to plate and insure the bike for a limited time (less than, say, 12 months), it seems to me that it would be reasonable for the Italian authorities to issue you with a temporary plate, allowing you to ride the bike without formally importing it to Italy.

Again, just a thought, not based on any formal knowledge of the rules.

Michael

Actually there's no such thing as a temporary plate down here , at least not for used vehicles.
I'm sure others will chime in with better suggestions than mine but according to your status as a foreign resident you should still be able to just import the bike to Italy, the procedure is a bit of a pain but perfectly doable , then just get an online policy from genertel that offers full breakdown cover in Europe and can be suspended for all the time that the bike isn't being used . (ie, you have up to 24 months in which to use up your 12 months of cover )
Failing that , why not just 'sell' it to a family member , and import it in their name ? ( preferably someone fairly older so you save a bit on insurance . )There are no limits on who actually rides the bike or where, as long as they have a full licence. Having a bike that isn't registered under your own name is normally not an issue anywhere, at least until you leave the EU

Thanks all for your valuable suggestions. I'll give a try to the ACI next time I'll go there.

They will be happy to offered their expensive services..... Go to the Motorizzazione civile instead.

Nope, nothing is available as far as I have found. I think Michael is closest to what can be done, good luck

Sandro:

Another thought, again, a 'shot in the dark' not based on specific knowledge of the Italian rules, but based on knowledge of how these things work in other countries:

Have you considered permanently importing the bike from the UK (not Holland) to Italy, and declaring it to be 'settlers' effects"? Normally, when a person moves from one country to another, they are allowed to bring with them their personal effects, including a vehicle, and those possessions are referred to as 'settlers' effects' and are not subject to taxation. In the case of vehicles, it is common for countries to say that you must have owned the vehicle for a certain period of time (typically 6 months), but that is not a problem for you, you have owned the bike for quite a while.

In other words, just go to the Italian licence plate office, tell them that you have moved from the UK to Italy, and that you want to put an Italian plate and Italian insurance on your bike. Heck, if you can make that request in perfect Italian (even better if you can do it in the local dialect!), I can't see why they would refuse.

Michael

Importing (immatriculation) of the bike in Holland should not be very expensive if we are talking about a used bike on UK plates - just BPM.

As you don't say what bike it is nothing more can be said.

IF you had applied for a tax exemption when moving into Holland and you'd meet the requirements you'd be paying nothing.

I suggest you sell the bike in the UK and get another one on Dutch plates. Easiest solution.

__________________
Overlanding & Customs Paperwork Specialist