I`m not sure if I`m in the right place of the forum to raise this question, but I give it a try. I`m a norwegian citizen and I work and live in Norway and I spend my vacations at the Philippines. I`m married to a Filipina and we have a house at the Philippines. In Norway I have a 2011 GSA and I plan to buy a new GSA at the Philippines. The problem is that the bike at the Philippines will only be used 4-6 weeks a year. So I got this very bright ideà...at least I think so.. :) Instead of spending a small fortune on another GSA, ship the one I allready have to and from the Philippines whenever I have my vacation. The questions are; 1.Do anyone know if it possible to ship my bike from Norway to the Philippines and return it to Norway without having a huge struggle at the Philippines custom? 2. Is it possible to use the bike at the Philippines using my norwegian licence plates, or does it have to be re-registrated?
I obviously don't know what your expendable income is, but it's obviously WAY MORE than mine for even asking the question. Seems like packing up the bike 2x/year, the wait time for shipping, and the $$$ involved is a lot of hassle for you. YMMV Good luck with this !
Transport by boat is not so expensive and fairly simple and easy, what can be a challenge is customs and LTO. I guess the only way to have this sorted out in a quick way is to know somebody inside the customs. If you have white skin and a long nose...it`s amazing how expensive things can be at the Philippines... Since we have winter in Norway between october and april, the bike is not in use for about 6 months, so it does not matter if the bike is stored or under transport.
Yes, you do have time on your hands then, I tend to ride year 'round over here. You're right it's not the shipping that takes up the time, it's the importing thru the government offices, clearing customs & etc.
Aco201 NO it is not possible to do what you want to do. First you must get approval from the Bureau of Import Services, which will take from 3 to 9 months. If you get that approval, Customs will charge duty and fees based on what the bike would be worth in the Philippines at the time it was new. Unbelievable I know. I worked to import a DR 650 for over a year and gave up after I had approval from Bureau of Import Services, however Customs stated the 4 year old bike was worth almost twice what it sold for new. A Filipino here bought a new BMW in Manila, paid, all duty, fees, etc. after riding it here for a year, shipped it to Europe to ride around for a summer. Upon shipping it back to the Philippines, Customs treated the bike as a new import. The owner had statements and paperwork showing all had been paid at the time of sale. Made no difference to Customs. They held the bike for over a year until the owner finally did pay after he saw an ad stating Customs had his motorcycle for sale. If I were you I would get a bike here, it is hard to deal with importing. As you probably know Philippine Customs is the most corrupt agency in a very corrupt country. Sorry I don't have better news.
Ouch! I kind of had this concern in mind. I will still try to have an answer from the customs, just to see how they replay. I`m prepared to pay the 1,5 mill pesos for a new GSA WC thow...I was just trying to look into a way to save som money.. Thanks for the information :)
Good luck to you. If I can be of help ask. I assume that you are familiar with the Philippine Adventure Riders site. You may want to ask there if any local riders know anyone in Customs that could help. When I wanted to import my bike, I had to have a face to face meeting at Customs, and even that was hard. I had to have my Filipina wife with me to get them to talk to me at all. It is my understanding that some of the Ports of Entry are easier to deal with than The Port of Manila. But, who knows which one and on what day. There are a couple of local Motorcycle Clubs that maybe helpful.
The last thing I want to end up is a fight and struggle through the philippine system. Communication is not easy at Phils...and to fight agains any goverment controlled offices, is really a pain in the butt. So I have to be 100% sure that shipping my bike to Phils, will give me no concerns what`s so ever. If any chance for problems, I buy a new a Phils. When you have white skin and a long nose, you really have no rights at all. I allready have a KTM 950 SMR at Phils, but I like to change to a more touring oriented type of a bike like the GSA. We are planing for a 3 weeks "tour de Philippines" early 2015, and I want the bike ready for that trip. :)
Hi Ac0201, It would be APITA (A Pain In The A_ _) to ship and attempt to get your bike through Philippines Customs and then the LTO -Land Transportation Office to get Legal Documents (OR/CR/ and a License Plate). I think that a better option would be to purchase a (Used) Bike Here that already has been registered and is on the street. Look at the Classified Section of: MotorcyclePhilippines.com // As you mentioned your GS - so I assume you are Big Enough for the Heavy Weights. New BMW's, KTM's, + are available here with good service facilities. But they can be somewhat expensive here (I'm a cheap guy and only 5'4" so Tall & Heavy Bikes not for me) on both sides of the marketplace here. If you are willing to downsize to save some serious money, maybe a New Kawasaki Versys at 360,000 pesos ???? Plus, where are you going to keep your bike secure, the battery charged here in the Philippines - awaiting your return for another Adventure ????? Just some thoughts and ideas to consider.// Sorry I missed your stating having a Katoom 950 already in country.= possibly sell or trade it towards ????? Regards, Chris Rea US Army-Retired Alfonso-Cavite, Philippines
