Getting your Motorbike registered (in Kunming/Yunnan)

[ZMC888]

Great post!

Seems a little complicated down there in Kunming! Although the basics I'm sure are relevant everywhere.

Don't forget that in most circumstances the dealer can be persuaded to do all this for you, a simpler format could be this... where I am it is really pretty simple...

1. Go to dealer and select desired machine.
2. Give dealer a photocopy of someone's ID card that you trust*.
3. Pay dealer a deposit, maybe around 500-1000 yuan.
4. Inform dealer that you will pay him/her the remaining money when you bike is registered insured and road worthy.
5. Wait up to a month to receive a phone call from the dealer, pay dealer the remaining money and collect keys, documents and bike!

* This can be done in your own name if you have a residency visa with over 180 days left, but hardly anyone bothers here, as it's slightly more complicated, and your Chinese boss will know you have a new bike....

[andre555]

hmm, sounds you are in a service minded area, away from border areas. The bike is for vacations, trips around not a daily commuter...ahh what a luxury.

Have you ever expierenced the laid back attitude of Kunmingers? Thats why many people like this place, the pace is slow nothing bothers, ahh so nice...
Until, until you want to get things done, done right!

Somehow, I'am sure I could have convinced them, but I would not be happy with the result. And as V and you mentioned certain dounts I thought, I try myself without cutting corners as the dealer would surely have done.

I want it fully legal, in my name - Laos, Thailand, Cambodia right before the door - certain legallity is crucial, especially if you spend bit more then the average China bike costs.

Its not so difficult as I stated so why not expierence burecratism and take it as an cultural expierence. Enjoy Riding!

[andre555]

…continue with the Traffic Police (XiShan District Traffic Police is here: 25.044533,102.658326)

The lady responsible for the motorbikes remembers the foreigner from last Friday and arranges everything. Very helpful, she guides me through the facilities and introduces me to her colleagues who take over.
Into the office, the discussion about Chinese & Foreign Name rises up again. This time the highest ranked officer just points at me, says, he is foreigner, so registration will be the foreign name, Chinese name for these guys are useless anyhow, basta!
Discussion is over and the bike gets registered in my “real” name.
I choose from a computer the licence plate number 云A..998, take picture with the new license plate, get my green and blue book and done.

Summary:
As long as you are legal with a Residence Permit with remaining 180days in China the registration is no thrill procedure at all.

Total Costs:
1. Taxes for the bike: 1.453
2. Compulsory Insurance: 120 RMB
3. Additional 3rd Party Insurance: 51 RMB
4. Technical Check: 50 RMB
5. Registration & Plates: 131 RMB
Total cost to be legal: 1.805 RMB

Its not too much hassle, and the costs are okay - say 10-15% on the bike price to have it legal. Its worth it and there are not many excuses for 50-250ccm bikes not to go this way.
Play by the rules, you would do it in your home country, so why cut the corners in China, thats stupid and respectless to our hosts.

Item 1 depends on the Fapiao Value of the bike, 10% before VAT
All other items are same same for bikes between 50-250ccm
Have fun guys & girls…

[bikerdoc]

Similar to situation here on the outskirts of Ningbo. Though here, drivers license and vehicle registration (including motorcycles) can be in a foreigners name, not just a Chinese name. Have done all these things myself or I should say assisted to do so by the boss (the better 'alf), motorcycle reg, car reg and my Chinese drivers license. Lucky I live outside Ningbo, since Ningbo has a motorcycle ban, so no plates available for anyone inside the city etc. I was even able to sell a CFMoto C250 VIP scooter to a guy living in SH and we swapped everything over legally to his name, and he got a new plate... for the bike, ofcourse we bent some rules to do so. ;)

[MotoKai]

I was even able to sell a CFMoto C250 VIP scooter to a guy living in SH and we swapped everything over legally to his name, and he got a new plate... for the bike, ofcourse we bent some rules to do so. ;)

Thanks for the info. A few questions I'm pondering:
1) The guy living in SH who bought your 250 has a SH residence, yes?
2) He registered his bike in Ningbo - with Zhejiang plates?
3) Do you know if your contact is able to provide Zhejiang registration & plates for a new bike if the owner is a foreigner living in Shanghai (he's looking to buy a JH600)?

Thanks.

[bikerdoc]

Thanks for the info. A few questions I'm pondering:
1) The guy living in SH who bought your 250 has a SH residence, yes?
2) He registered his bike in Ningbo - with Zhejiang plates?
3) Do you know if your contact is able to provide Zhejiang registration & plates for a new bike if the owner is a foreigner living in Shanghai (he's looking to buy a JH600)?

Thanks.

1. yes, he has the SH residence permit and PSB registration slip. So we had to get him registered here.... which answers 2.
2. He registered the bike which got a new set of plates for Ningbo. He's going to try to get SH plates, though he lives far out of SH downtown, so its not a major for him... to have out of town plates. Though I think he'll have some problems trying to get SH plates because a). they are not easy to get anyway and b). he needs to have a local fapiao... he's paid the second hand sales tax here too.
3. Well getting the plates wouldn't be a major for the JH600 so long as the foreigner can get himself registered down here... with the PSB (read 1 above).

added to that it's possible that a group of us are considering JH600 currently (maybe 5-6 people), though I am waiting to get some other first impressions etc, since there are some new purchasers that have or are about to take delivery of their new JH600's... dependent on their views that might sway me more towards the JH600 than a new BMW G650gs from BMW SH.

[Motor-Diary]

…continue with the Traffic Police (XiShan District Traffic Police is here: 25.044533,102.658326)

The lady responsible for the motorbikes remembers the foreigner from last Friday and arranges everything. Very helpful, she guides me through the facilities and introduces me to her colleagues who take over.
Into the office, the discussion about Chinese & Foreign Name rises up again. This time the highest ranked officer just points at me, says, he is foreigner, so registration will be the foreign name, Chinese name for these guys are useless anyhow, basta!
Discussion is over and the bike gets registered in my “real” name.
I choose from a computer the licence plate number 云A..998, take picture with the new license plate, get my green and blue book and done.

Summary:
As long as you are legal with a Residence Permit with remaining 180days in China the registration is no thrill procedure at all.

Total Costs:
1. Taxes for the bike: 1.453
2. Compulsory Insurance: 120 RMB
3. Additional 3rd Party Insurance: 51 RMB
4. Technical Check: 50 RMB
5. Registration & Plates: 131 RMB
Total cost to be legal: 1.805 RMB

Its not too much hassle, and the costs are okay - say 10-15% on the bike price to have it legal. Its worth it and there are not many excuses for 50-250ccm bikes not to go this way.
Play by the rules, you would do it in your home country, so why cut the corners in China, thats stupid and respectless to our hosts.

Item 1 depends on the Fapiao Value of the bike, 10% before VAT
All other items are same same for bikes between 50-250ccm
Have fun guys & girls…

I registered my Bike with exactly same procedure in Kunming in 2006, the only difference is the number plate charges me only 91 CNY at that time.

I was told by my dealer that they can go through all of these multifarious processes for only 100 CNY, I mean the services fee, of course you have to pay all of the charges. Actually they are not doing it themselves, they had an long-term collaborative agent who's running this business, but I rejected this offer and had everything done in 1 day, even when I wasted 1 hr to run to a wrong Vehicle Registration Office at the beginning.

I want to see the whole procedure with my own eyes that's why I rejected the cost-effective offer. By a lot help from another agent I met in the wrong registration office where I first went to, he told me where to go, how to follow the registry flow, thank him, Nice Guy! BTW, as an agent, he didn't even try to sell his service to me when he gave me those useful advice.

Then I ran back home on my new bike and picked up all necessary documents, went through the totally same work flow as you, when I finally had the number plate installed on my bike, It's only 10 minutes to the Traffic Police's off time.

I sold my bike in 2009 after the registration expired 6 months, in a pity price.

Congrats, Andre, I'm a Yunnaner, although not a Kunminger, but used to live in Kunming for yrs. I'm now planning a motor trip to cross Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan, I don't have a 2-wheel baby currently, that was tough, but i'm going to buy a FZ6N.

Wish you guys have fun on the bikes in China!

[andre555]

Hi Mike,

nice to hear from you.

Hope you got yourself a bike in Africa! Let us see some pictures, there must be astonishing landscape and great areas of nothing...just as we like it.

Give me a shout when you make it back to your hometown.

Greetings from South of the Clouds
Andre

[Max Power]

I was just reading the post of Lightend and then Euphonious' reply, and it pretty much applies to my situation. My problem is that I only have a Visa with 5.5 months remaining, so I can't register the bike using my name, also I don't have a permanent residence registration so I think that's another reason I can't use my name. I've been trying to use a friends name but the two people I know both live in cities with motorcycle bans. I was wondering if anyone knows of a place that offers a registration/license plate service, much like how some places offer a service where they basically acquire a Chinese license on your behalf.

Or any suggestions on other ways around this problem would really be appreciated.

Also does anyone know if it is possible to register on someone else's name in a city where they don't live? Example, I know someone in Dalian (Chinese local) but the bike I want to buy is in Chongqing.

Thanks in advance

[lightend]

Great post!

Seems a little complicated down there in Kunming! Although the basics I'm sure are relevant everywhere.

Don't forget that in most circumstances the dealer can be persuaded to do all this for you, a simpler format could be this... where I am it is really pretty simple...

1. Go to dealer and select desired machine.
2. Give dealer a photocopy of someone's ID card that you trust*.
3. Pay dealer a deposit, maybe around 500-1000 yuan.
4. Inform dealer that you will pay him/her the remaining money when you bike is registered insured and road worthy.
5. Wait up to a month to receive a phone call from the dealer, pay dealer the remaining money and collect keys, documents and bike!

* This can be done in your own name if you have a residency visa with over 180 days left, but hardly anyone bothers here, as it's slightly more complicated, and your Chinese boss will know you have a new bike....

if using someone elses id, they would need a motorbike license as well right? if i could use someones id card (as i have 5 months left on my visa now) then a copy of my driving license to get the plates and that registered to, that would be cool. problem is my wife has no license,?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.