Importing A Motorcycle
Before committing on importing your own bike into Hong Kong, please consider supporting local businesses.
However, if your dream bike is not available for sale locally or, as in some cases, the price difference with other countries may be unreasonably higher, self import becomes an attractive solution.
If you have already decided that it is the way you want to go, before taking any actual steps, if the bike you intend to import is new, you must check if it complies with the Hong Kong noise and pollution emissions restrictions. For that, it is suggested checking this page, this other page as well as checking with the Environmental Protection department (EPD).
Once you have determined that your bike is fit for import and can be registered in Hong Kong, next thing to think of is the final cost on the road of the bike, which will be the sum of :
1. The cost of the bike, as stated on the purchase invoice;
2. The cost for shipping it (as per invoice from the forwarding company);
3. Other handling charges and potential testing costs in Hong Kong;
4. First Registration Tax or FRT, which is equivalent to 35% of the bike's taxable value, which in turn is the sum of the above points 1, 2 and 3.
Many countries allow to buy goods free of VAT, if they are immediately exported overseas.
If you are buying your bike to ship it to Hong Kong without registering it first in the country you are buying it from, ask the dealer if they can deduct the VAT from the sales invoice. As the VAT in some countries can be as high as 22%, the saving could be quite significant and will probably determine how much worth a self import can be.
Other additional purchases, such as accessories for the bike and/or perhaps a crate suitable for long haul shipment, if they appear on the same invoice and shipping documents, they will add to the taxable value. Therefore, if you buy them separately, they won't be subject to the FRT.
Depending on which country you buy the bike from and/or the model of the bike, always make sure that:
1. The headlight is either unidirectional or for riding on the left side of the road.
2. The speedometer is in Km/h
If they are not, they will need replacing.
The shipping cost will vary a lot and it is something you need to find out by yourself, either with the help of the dealer you are buying the bike from. Or through friends and relatives.
In order to have a quotation for the shipping cost, you will need to know the volume in CBM, as well as the gross weight, which includes the bike, the crate and whatever you are shipping with them (i.e. accessories).
The crate is something you can ask the dealer to give you free of charge. You can ask them if they keep the bike in the metal or wooden crate it was shipped with from the factory. However, not all crates may be suitable for container/sea-freight or airfreight. In that case, you will have to have one made. The dealer should be able to assist you with that. The cost is generally around USD200-300.
Chances are, you will want to start the engine before shipping, to make sure the bike is running OK. In that case, be advised that a small amount of petrol is allowed in the tank during sea/air transportation. However, it must be declared, so that the forwarding company is aware of the nature category of the shipped goods and classify them as "dangerous goods". No additional cost should be considered. However, it's better to check with the forwarding agent.
When the bike arrives in Hong Kong, you will probably need to move it from the port/airport to its storage place until the bike can be put on the road. If you do not have a parking space already, ask the forwarder if they can offer some free storage period, in which case, leave it at their warehouse for as long as possible, as you won't be able to ride it anyway.
Please read the content of this article in full before the bike is shipped, as there are some important procedures and deadlines to bear in mind:
For the import procedure that involves dealing with the local Customs and Excise (C&E), The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) as well as the Transport Department's Vehicle Examination Centre, you can do it by yourself. However, it is a good idea finding someone with enough experience on importing vehicles, such as a motorcycle repair workshop, which could assist you for a reasonable fee.
Since the vehicle will have to be inspected by the Transport Department examination center, the workshop will also carry out a pre-inspection before the examination, to make sure that the vehicle is OK to pass the examination. And if it is not, they will apply a few temporary mods that will ensure a smooth examination outcome.
The whole process, from the day the bike arrives in Hong Kong to the day you can finally ride it, could take no less than 8-9 weeks, provided all the paperwork is flawless and no objections are raised by either the Transport department, the Customs & Excise and/or the EPD. Otherwise, consider an much longer wait.
IMPORTANT! Before collecting the bike from the original dealer, you want to make sure of the following:
1. You must keep a copy of all payments transactions (those to the overseas dealer for the bike, as well as those to the forwarding agent, plus all local expenses, including the fee to a local workshop if they assist you with the import procedure).
If you are buying extras from the same bike dealer, remember that you may want to buy them separately and pay for those extras by separate transactions, so that they won't show on the bike's purchase invoice and therefore have no effect on the calculation of the FRT final amount
2. Both VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) and Engine Number must correctly and clearly appear on the sales invoice as well as on all the shipping documents. Double check the numbers match. If they don't, the mismatch will delay or, in some cases, will prevent the completion of the registration process.
3. All documents to be submitted for the importing procedure must be in ENGLISH and in ORIGINAL, no photocopies!
For original documents not in English, the C&E will accept either a certified translation done by a professional translator. Or a translation done even by yourself, if you are able to do it, but, in that case you will need to accompany it by a sworn affidavit where you declare that the translation is true and faithful to its original version.
4. Ask the dealer if they can give you the Certificate of Conformity (aka "CoC") issued for your bike (it should display your bike's VIN), which shows noise and pollution emissions test results specific for your bike. If you can obtain the CoC showing the emissions test results, you may save yourself around HKD 5k on testing fees (plus its 35% in FRT, since the testing fee will add up to the bike's taxable value).
Some makes and/or models are not worth your time and in some cases aggravation for self import, as you may end up paying more or less the same or even more than what you would pay if you bought the bike through a local importer or official dealer here in Hong Kong. So, do a bit of homework before embarking in such an adventure.
And, remember that, when self importing, you are most likely forfeiting the original warranty! So, whatever you are saving it should be enough to cover potential repairs.
The above is based on the experience on importing a brand new bike in 2016, which was fully compliant with Hong Kong emissions requirements, and may or may not apply also to an old bike you may have already owned for a while in another country.
For more information, including importing a motorcycle owned for a while in another country, read this page on GeoExpat.