How to buy motorcycle in Argentina as an alien?

[gingerman]

Hi everyone,

I plan on flying to south america early next year to do the Pan-American highway in reverse fashion, bottom up.

However, I'm having a hard time understanding the legalities of buying a motorcycle (or a tuktuk!) as an American non-resident in Argentina/Bolivia/Chile, whichever is easier to acquire a ride. On top of that, I'm not sure how to get a Carnet de Passage (Temporary Import Document) for border crossings and maybe other documents I don't know about.

If anyone could point me in the right direction, I would be grateful :)

 

[El-Dracho]

HI Ginger,

Welcome to Overland Bound!

That sounds like a great trip you ae planning. Regarding your question you could check the OB Map for members in that area, message them and see if they can help you. Maybe @Alanymarce (based in Colombia) or @Gustavo Amaral (based in Brazil) can help?

A good resource for information like that is also the Horizons Unlimited HUBB.

The CdP is issued by FIA automobile clubs. Please check first if you need one for your trip. As far as I know, this is not necessary for South America. Your local automobile club, e.g. AAA, can answer this for you. They usually have a department that deals with exactly this.
I think I have written something about the CdP in detail somewhere in the forum. I'll have a look and if not, that's a good opportunity for me to do so later.

Greetings from Europe,
Bjoern

 

[KD7WCD]

Hi everyone,

I plan on flying to south america early next year to do the Pan-American highway in reverse fashion, bottom up.

However, I'm having a hard time understanding the legalities of buying a motorcycle (or a tuktuk!) as an American non-resident in Argentina/Bolivia, whichever is easier to acquire a ride. On top of that, I'm not sure how to get a Carnet de Passage (Temporary Import Document) for border crossings and maybe other documents I don't know about.

If anyone could point me in the right direction, I would be grateful :)

Sounds like a great adventure you are undertaking. Keep us updated on your journey.

Cheers

 

[El-Dracho]

Regarding the Carnet de Passages, I have summarized what I consider to be the most important points. Take a look here, please:

OB Approved - Carnet de Passages (CdP)

Since questions about the Carnet de Passages have already been asked here in the forums several times, I have summarized what I consider to be the most important points. I think that this is maybe of help to a few overlanders here. If you are planning a long-distance trip, perhaps to Australia...

www.overlandbound.com

I hope this helps you. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

 

[gingerman]

Regarding the Carnet de Passages, I have summarized what I consider to be the most important points. Take a look here, please:

OB Approved - Carnet de Passages (CdP)

Since questions about the Carnet de Passages have already been asked here in the forums several times, I have summarized what I consider to be the most important points. I think that this is maybe of help to a few overlanders here. If you are planning a long-distance trip, perhaps to Australia...

www.overlandbound.com

I hope this helps you. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

Wow, thanks for the write up! This is incredibly well written, I'll dive into it this evening.

Cheers :)

 

[LaurieWalker]

Exciting journey planned! For legalities, contact local authorities in Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. Join travel forums for insights. Consider local legal assistance and ensure proper documentation, including the Carnet de Passage.

 

[John and Mandi]

You do not need a Carnet for the Americas. As for vehicle purchase, there are weird rules that can prevent a foreigner from crossing out with a vehicle registered in that country. Chile is where people buy vehicles but every now and then someone is denied leaving. Join the Pan-American Travelers Association on FB and ask your moto purchase question there. Also read through the country entries on WikiOverland. You will be told that buying a US registered vehicle/moto is the best option so you could check ADVRider for any upcoming motos in S.A. and other info than we would know (we drove it in a van). You can purchase a US registered vehicle that is out of country and register it without being present, you may need to get someone to help and sign a power of attorney. A very active member on the Pan-American Travelers FB group (Alex Smith) has helped with the sale/purchase and registration for many foreigners (non-US citizens) and mailed them the registration/new tags if they are issued.

 

[Alanymarce]

As others note, you don;t need a CdP for America; however we consider it a good option, and have used CdPs not only where necessary (e.g., Australia) but where not necessary. This is NOT a recommendation, simply a recognition that it offers some protection which TIPs do not. Bear in mind that some CdP agencies charge ridiculous fees so the choice is easy. In our case we can get CdPs at very low cost, so it makes more sense for us.

 

[DogoChileno]

I hope this information is useful.
To be able to buy a car, truck, motorcycle (that can circulate on public roads) in Chile, foreigners must have residency and, consequently, have a RUT ID. This is due to how in Chile the domain of vehicles is registered.