How to Import Your Motorcycle from the EU.

PaulXC

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Probably been covered a few times before but I’ve just imported my French registered Xchallenge and so while its still fresh in my mind this is how it went.

You will need …

1) the original EU Certificate of Conformity. For some reason I didn’t get a copy when I bought the bike in France so I had to stump up £55 to BMW for another one. If you need a duplicate BMW CoC you need to contact BMW UK tel: 01344 426565 and they will put you through to the right department. Mine took about 3 days to turn up after I had paid them.

2) You now need to show that the bike meets the extra UK conformity regs – i.e the speedo reads in mph and the headlight beam dips to the left. Cost one new headlight or a second hand one off Ebay and maybe a new speedo unless yours can also shows mph. (Note: our car has a kmph speedo but you can also get it to display MPH on the LCD display in the centre of the speedo. They accepted a page from the car’s manual, which was in Spanish, which showed you how to make this function work.) The Xchallenge is no problem as you can make it read in mph or kmph.

If you need to change the headlight and or dials you will need some evidence of this. Either a bill from a dealer showing that they did the work or a statement from them showing they inspected the bike and it has the correct lights/speedo. The XChallenge was sorted by a very nice Tosser - Rudi at http://www.rudiemoto.com

3) OK once you have sorted the above go to
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motorin...cle/ImportingAndExportingAVehicle/DG_10028413 and download “Application For British National Type Approval Motorcycles”. Fill it in and send it off with the European Certificate of Conformity and the proof showing the lights and speedo are compliant. Oh yeah they want £70 for this.

Wait a couple of days and they will send you a UK type approval document.

Then the bike insured – Carole Nash did mine on the chassis number on the proviso I got it registered with 14 days.

Then head down to your local DVLA and fill out a form and show them your insurance documents, the UK and EU type approval notices and the original EU registration documents – (the French is called a Carte Gris). Hand over more money £55 plus road tax £66 in my case and wait a few days. Your new UK reg number will be issued. Then get a number plate made up – about £15 or so.

Total cost
UK Type approval notice £70
UK 1st Reg Fee £55
Road Tax £66
Number Plate £15
Total £206 inc a years road tax.

And in my case another £55 coz I didn’t have the original EU Cert. plus Carol Nash £155.

The only cock-up I had was DVLA actually issued an 03 plate for a bike that was 1st registered in March 07. I went back and they changed it on the spot and gave me an 07 Plate. They said they were very sorry and had no idea why they had given totally the wrong number. …

Got Williams in Manchester to make me up a number plate and they also said that they would do the 6 safety recalls outstanding on the bike now it was UK plated. Last time I asked them they said I had to take it back to the dealer in France.

Paul
 
In my previous job I spent a lot of time dealing with EU Block Exemption law in the automotive sector. From memory, manufacturers are obliged to provide a certificate of conformity with all new vehicles. In principle these should be made available to new buyers at the point of sale.

In practice, most don't bother and often demand that consumers and cross border traders pay for these documents. Some do this out of ignorance whilst others will use this tactic to deter cross border transactions.

If time allows, I would quote the Block exemption ruling and demand a free certificate. If you've already paid, then ask for your money back.

So much for free trade in the EU.
 
If time allows, I would quote the Block exemption ruling and demand a free certificate. If you've already paid, then ask for your money back.

So much for free trade in the EU.

I did think that at the time but I needed to get it registered to get the insurance renewed. Carole Nash only give 14 days of cover on the chassis number. So i pretty much had to stump up the money. However ..... now I have it I'm quite happy to have a go at getting my money back.

The BMW dealer in France definitely didn't ever give me a copy of the document. In fact I remember picking up the bike outside BMW in LaRochelle - he handed me the keys, gave me the registration document, the spare key and the handbook, said "don't forget to oil the chain" and with that he walked off. Not the most comprehensive vehicle hand over I ever experienced.....

Paul
 
Well done for posting the thread Paul. I was surprised how easy it was to import a car when I did it a few years ago - well worth a bit of paperwork time then. I'm in the market for a new car now but the dealer in Belgium that I bought the last one from told me that they couldn't do it anymore because of pressure from Ford. So much for the "EU open market" :rolleyes:
 
Great stuff and very useful information, but anyone got any advice on importing a bike from outside the EU? I'm aiming to bring my 06 1200 Adventure in to get it re-registered in the UK. I bought it last year in Kuwait and as far as I know it is European spec. Any advice or suggestions will be gratefully received.
 
Hi there, me too - I want to bring a GS back from Saudi Arabia and the dealer sez it will be EU Spec.
Peter
 
Madjock and PRWatts,

My 03 1150GSA is on a pallet at the HD shop waiting to be airfreighted back to the UK. It is euro spec model (but no paperwork). In fact how many specs are there??:nenau

What a lot of hassle, First off I had to drain oil, fuel (one QD connector broke) and remove battery. It is 45 Centigrade where the bike is parked up. Now I'm told the bike has to go to the inspection centre to have it checked before de-registering. No chance now. Plus the fact I will not get an export plate to use when it arrives back in the UK.
Even though I own the bike, I still need a letter of no objection from my company to ship it.

Considering I spend all the working week offshore, I don't get much free time and no; it is Ramadan and flying out on the 5th Sept.

In the end, it may cost me a grand to get it back home and now PaulXC is saying more money will be lifted from my wallet in the UK.
Feel like torching the thing in the desert and bury it in the sand. But, I like the bike even though the cost of a new 1200GSA is within my reach.
 
The procedure is as PaulXC's post, but if the bike is less than 10 years old and you cannot come up with a Certificate of Conformity, you will have to undergo a MSVA test at a VOSPA test centre, costs about 100 sovs.
 
The procedure is as PaulXC's post, but if the bike is less than 10 years old and you cannot come up with a Certificate of Conformity, you will have to undergo a MSVA test at a VOSPA test centre, costs about 100 sovs.

Do I assume that it is the same procedure if the the bike is more than 10 years old and no certificate of conformity, although I don't believe you can have a certificate on a bike that old ?
If you happen to know of course.
Thank you.
 
Madjock and PRWatts,

My 03 1150GSA is on a pallet at the HD shop waiting to be airfreighted back to the UK. It is euro spec model (but no paperwork). In fact how many specs are there??:nenau

What a lot of hassle, First off I had to drain oil, fuel (one QD connector broke) and remove battery. It is 45 Centigrade where the bike is parked up. Now I'm told the bike has to go to the inspection centre to have it checked before de-registering. No chance now. Plus the fact I will not get an export plate to use when it arrives back in the UK.
Even though I own the bike, I still need a letter of no objection from my company to ship it.

Considering I spend all the working week offshore, I don't get much free time and no; it is Ramadan and flying out on the 5th Sept.

In the end, it may cost me a grand to get it back home and now PaulXC is saying more money will be lifted from my wallet in the UK.
Feel like torching the thing in the desert and bury it in the sand. But, I like the bike even though the cost of a new 1200GSA is within my reach.

Hi Mr RP - don't torch it - sell it to me. I can pay you in Sovs, You-rows, Yanqui Dollah, RNB you name it. I have an offer of an 04GS here but the price is about £7k where they go for £5200 in Blighty. I plan to ride mine home when the day is over. Guys drive cars from here to EU all the time.

BTW I have a bike in UK and was considering Temporary Import into KSA but cannot find out if this is possible. Does anyone know?

Thanks Peter
 
Over 10 years old, No CoC required, Looks like you will be better off selling yours there!!!! You could then buy my 2010 model (In FS section):cool
 
your bike

Hi Paul, just a quick question, the prices in France seem higher than in the UK. did you think of selling it over there, or does the same not apply to that model just curious as i am thinking of doing the opposite by registering my 1200gs in France. Cheers K.B.
 
I am importing a bike with a KPH clock. Would they accept using a fixed GPS showing MPH as the speedometer reading?

I've heard someone used a bicycle speedo to get round it and it was accepted :confused:.
 
This is (probably) no longer accurate. At least, not for some of us.

My 2003 R1150GS has an old style CoC. BMW can't or won't issue a new style CoC. VCA/VOSA/DVLA/Whoever will only accept new style CoC's.

So now I need to book a Single Vehicle Examination which is a pain because the VOSA centres that can do this are spread far and wide... I have to go to Southampton for mine. On the plus side, the £85 it costs is cheaper than the cost of getting a CoC from BMW (£56, which I am getting refunded) and the £70 from the VCA (which is getting part-refunded (barstewards)

I am still soooo tempted to just park the bike up for a year and as soon as it hits 10 years old get it MOT'd and pop along to the local DVLA office.. cheaper and easier.

Mind yew, by the time I did all this the rules would have changed and I will end up with a bike I can't register at all ! :-}
 
My Experience

I bought a 1990 R100GS PD last weekend.. in Munich..rode it back on borrowed trade plates..

MOT'd it on Monday (Tape on the headlight, and speedo conversion stickers off of ebay)..

Thursday visited local DVLA office with MOT, Insurance and original German Reg Docs.

Filled out Form V55 and VAT Form 414 available over the counter

Paid £55 for Reg, and £41 for 6 months tax.

Authorisation for Number Plate and Tax Disc arrived this morning (Saturday)

Shimple!!!:JB
 
I also found it very easy, two cars boughts straight off Volkswagen in Wolfsburg and then registered new in the UK.

And the import (this time GB to Germany) of my 57 GSA in 2009 was ever so easy. BMW didnt charge for the CoC, German MoT wasnt neccessary as the bike was still younger than 2 years and the German registration took 15 minutes and No extra costs (at that time the actual bike was still in the UK)
Packed the plate, flew over, rode home. Shimple II :JB
 
I bought a 1990 R100GS PD last weekend.. in Munich..rode it back on borrowed trade plates..

at the risk of being a doom-monger / miserable git, did this mean you weren't properly insured ? If so and (say) you had hit and injured someone and the insurers of whoever you borrowed the trade plates from said "you're on your own", you may have ended up on the receiving end of a big f off bill for damages, costs etc. Even if not at fault, if you were sued in Germany (or wherever really) without insurance backing, it may be v costly, even if you won your defence.

Just a thought. You may have been properly insured in which case I may be typing out of my 'arris. Wouldn't be the 1st time :D
 


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