I have a question about international lisence(number) plate. I'm going to europe next year w/my bike. Do i need the international number plate. If so. Where can i get it?

Thanks.


[This message has been edited by kazut (edited 25 July 2001).]

[This message has been edited by kazut (edited 27 July 2001).]

Hi

I dont know where you are from, but as far as I know you can drive with you own numberplates in Europe. Never seen special "international plates" here in Holland, but have seen plates from all over the world.

Peter

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Peter Kik
Zaandam, Holland
peter.kik@tip.nl

Thanks, Peter
I'm in seattle right now. I thoutht When I go to europe I need the special lisence plate to ride the bike.

kazu

I like the sound of an international number plate.

Heading to Central America soon with NY, USA plates.

Have a GB sticker for the panniers, but any chance to avoid being a gringo would be welcome.

Know where/how I can get such a thing?

Toby


[This message has been edited by Grant Johnson (edited 29 September 2001).]

I cannot say about other countries, but in Japan, they require you to get (pay $30 for) an international number plate when going abroad because the local plates have Japanese characters that foreign customs, police, etc. couldn't read.
The Japanese "international number plate" is a romanized Japanese license plate. Not a true "international" plate. Don't know about other countries....

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Japan touring information

I rode my Canadian registered (plated) motorcycle all around Western and Central Europe this past summer, with the Canadian plates on it.

I don't think you can do anything else but travel with the plates from your own country.

I did obtain a round white sticker from the local auto association that had "CDN" on it (international code for Canada) and stuck this on the back of my motorcycle. The sticker was free. You could (and should) get one from the auto association in your country - or from any gas station, if you live in Europe.

Just to add another possibility. When we travelled with our Canadian (Alberta) registered bike from 1996 through 1998 we were unable to renew our vehicle registration. Alberta wanted us to fly the bike back there before they would renew the registration! Pretty expensive just for a renewal sticker for the license plate!

So, we basically said, stuff that, and had a plate made in France with our same numbers, which matched the renewal Alberta registration document which we produced on a Macintosh in Gibraltar, and the carnet (which was legitimate). And we drove that bike down through Africa and up through South America.

You know what? No one in any of those countries ever was able to log into the Alberta motor vehicles database to confirm whether the registration was up to date. Quel surprise!

As long as your number plate matches your registration and the documents haven't expired, nobody in most of the world cares. Only Canada and the US seem to think you have to have a government issued license plate with a state or province on it. And in fact Grant rode the bike from Miami up to Vancouver without a problem either.

Not absolutely sure about Mexico or Central America, but certainly won't be a problem in Europe.


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Good luck and safe travels!

Susan Johnson
Share the Dream at <A HREF="http://www.HorizonsUnlimited.com


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Susan Johnson

Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

This is mainly trivia, but I read the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (don't as why!) and it says in Annex 3:
"The figures shall be in Arabic numerals as used in United Nations documents and the letters in Latin characters. When other numerals or characters are used, they shall be repeated in the numerals or characters of the types mentioned above."
So, if your country does not use Latin characters (as is the case here in Japan), you would need a plate that conforms to this. Which is what we have in Japan: An 'international' license plate that is only used for traveling abroad.
Just a bit of international motoring triva!

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Japan touring information

I just rode RTW with a California plate and was never once asked for a registration document. After my real Reg. expired I made a new one in an internet cafe, but never had to use it. I never put the USA sticker on the bike and the number plate doesn't say USA it has CAL for california, but people just thought that was part of the number.

I had to get a local plate in Egypt, but otherwise, your home country plate is fine.

I've just been on to the registration people here in NSW Australia about that. Took 11 minutes and was complimented on a very unusual question. The stated rule was –

Get an inspection from some government registered (that is the local country) garage (get a translation if it is not in English) and send that back with a covering letter to them. I did not ask what if they did not have an inspection scheme! I think I'll take an old inspection certificate with me to show them. Maybe a copy or two with the results, signatures and stamps erased.

The whole thing sounded too sensible to me

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Regards Frank Warner
motorcycles BMW R80 G/S 1981, BMW K11LT 1993, BMW K75 G/S