Import regulations for bikes

sohail99 · 22nd July 2010, 20:16

^whoa!! that looks awesome dude!!

the sheer road presence of it will be totally amazing!!

vivekiny2k · 25th July 2010, 09:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by vivekiny2k

sorry guys, lost track of this thread, just bought a beetle for the wife last week and was busy playing with it

anyway, I test rode this yesterday (boulevard C50, 800CC)

And I said yes

, I will bring her home on Wednesday hopefully.

Paulstar · 23rd October 2010, 06:33

Hi All,

I'm not a very active member of this forum, but I would like to please run some numbers with you guys on importing a bike to India, I want to know if my calculations are correct and so on

I did do some searching, the most informative post I could find was by username shrini78, posted on 8th October 2009 which is approximately a year ago so the rayes may be out of date, if so, and if you know the current charges, please post!

Shrini78 says that the customs tax is 145% of the depreciated value of the bike

So if my bike cost $17 000 AUD 3 years ago, using this table....

4.0 % per quarter in the 1st year x 4 quarters = 16% total
3.0 % per quarter in the 2nd year x 4 quarters = 12% total
2.5 % per quarter in the 3rd year x 4 quarters = 10% total
2.0 % per quarter in the 4th year x 4 quarters = 08% total
2.0 % per quarter in the 5th year x 4 quarters = 08% total
2.0 % per quarter in the 6th year x 4 quarters = 08% total
2.0 % per quarter in the 7th year x 4 quarters = 08% total

I calculated the depreciated cost to be $17,000 - $5793 of depreciation leaves the bikes 3 year old value at $11 207 which means $16 250AUD to the Indian govt for import tax?

Is this right?

Thanks!

shrini78 · 27th October 2010, 00:37

Paulstar, I didnt bring the numbers outta blue.
They are the numbers from GOI customs...
My friend imported Harley Dyna Low Rider from AZ to BLR.
He purchased a 2001 used bike, do remember you need to own the bike for a year under your posession.
When he came to BLR he was under the assumption that they will go by the above math for deperciation, but it wasnt the case.
There are govt approved estimator so they look at your bike and come up with some number and you need to pay the duty for it...This is what exactly he told me...

His bike was valued at 10000USD bill of sale so the estimator guy asked him to pay around 8000, so my friend told him the above depreciation calculation but you know in INdia its all in grey area...

So he went to another estimator and that guy asked him to pay around 5500USD so he paid 5500USD in INR and took the bike out..

I'll be importing my bike in Mar/Apr 2011...Will post a detailed journey

Haroon · 27th October 2010, 17:18

Now, there is another angle to the 'lower' customs duties paid.
Dont know how the Dept of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) will scrutinize all the paperwork and customs receipts from the relevant RTO after the bike is registered. They are known to come up with their own figures...and the importer is sometimes asked to payup the 'balance customs' plus a penalty on the 'short' collected customs amount. Is this why they seize many superbikes at periodic intervals?

straight6 · 27th October 2010, 21:20

The rule has changed now. You have to own the bike in that country for 2 years before you can get it down on TR.

Paulstar · 31st October 2010, 06:16

Wow, so many rules.

Shrini, I look forward to reading about how you go with importing your bike!

Paulstar · 31st October 2010, 06:17

Question for you, could I simply bring it in and not register it, in this case the bike would only be used for track days, would i still have to pay import duties on it and own it for two years?

Thanks
Paul

shrini78 · 2nd November 2010, 08:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by straight6

The rule has changed now. You have to own the bike in that country for 2 years before you can get it down on TR.

Where did you get this info from?
Any credibility on this info that you've mentioned here.
i'm attaching the form which I got the info from

r_nairtvm · 2nd November 2010, 15:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by straight6

The rule has changed now. You have to own the bike in that country for 2 years before you can get it down on TR.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shrini78

Where did you get this info from?
Any credibility on this info that you've mentioned here.
i'm attaching the form which I got the info from

Hello Guys,

In this Shrini's info is the most up todate. It is definitely 1 year and I know many persons who have done this.

Best Regards & Drive/Ride Safe

Ram

TurboGTR · 3rd November 2010, 18:23

Hey everybody!

I imported my 2006 Yamaha R6S from San Francisco, CA to Goa earlier this year via Mumbai Port.

Duty was 130% on the depreciated value. I used NADA Guides and Kelley Blue Book to prove the USA MSRP to the Customs officials in Mumbai since they did not have updated catalogs on hand. shrini78 is right about the percentage calculation for depreciation.

You will need a Customs House Agent (CHA) to handle documentation for you and act on your behalf for Port and Customs matters. Choose wisely since most of them are very slimy characters and only out to make money off of you.

You have to prove atleast 2 years of residence in the country from which you are importing the motorcycle to India and short stays in India cannot exceed 180 days (calculated from the immigration stamps in your Passport). You also need to have owned the bike and have it registered in your name for atleast a year in the country of export.

Homologation is not required for a used imported motorcycle.

Unfortunately the whole process is very painful and it seems like everyone is out to rip you off (they naturally assume you're loaded since you are importing a motorcycle even if thats not the case). You will have to do a fair amount of running around as well as there is a lot of red tape to get past. This sucks if you are from out of town (which was true in my case). You have been warned!

However, everytime I take the blue machine out for a ride, it feels like its been worth all the trouble, especially since its very rare to have a legal 600 in India.

All the best getting your bike(s) home with you! Cheers!

Paulstar · 4th November 2010, 02:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by TurboGTR

Hey everybody!

I imported my 2006 Yamaha R6S from San Francisco, CA to Goa earlier this year via Mumbai Port

Thanks for your story, a few questions. Which price did they start with to calculate the depreciated value? the MSRP of the dealer (yamaha)? or is there some sort of Indian redbook.com

TurboGTR · 4th November 2010, 11:50

If you are importing from the USA, KBB or NADA guides are the best resources. You could just print pages from the website showing the make, model, year, MSRP when new and current value. Using printouts from 2 or 3 websites that show the exact same MSRP will help strengthen your case. If you have a dealer invoice, that would be ideal. KBB or NADA can be used in lieu of the official invoice.

I tried looking for a Red Book value, but all I could get was the Australian dollar value which was significantly higher than KBB and NADA, so I chose not to use that value.

Hope this helps!

Haroon · 4th November 2010, 12:49

Actually, we dont have anything similar to KBB & NADA guides in the Middle-East and the dealer invoice could sometimes be lower than the actual value of the bike coz you may sometimes get special deals on previous year models, demo bikes etc.

I think the best thing for us is also to go with US MSRP prices as they are among the cheapest in the world.

manson · 4th November 2010, 12:55

Good stuff there GTR. Could you also fill us on what was the exact amount of import duty (including penalties if any) turned out to be for your R6, and the road tax?
I myself have calculated numbers on paper a lot of times, but it would be great to know what you actually landed up paying.

Another thing, someone I know is working overseas. He holds an Indian passport, and definitely lives less than 180 days in India. Does he legally qualify to import his motorcycle to India even if he does not come back for good?

manson.

22nd July 2010, 20:16	#91
sohail99 Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: New Delhi Posts: 1,271 Thanked: 229 Times	^whoa!! that looks awesome dude!! the sheer road presence of it will be totally amazing!!
	() Thanks

23rd October 2010, 06:33	#93
Paulstar BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Sydney Posts: 46 Thanked: 4 Times	Importing a bike to India, lets do the numbers! Hi All, I'm not a very active member of this forum, but I would like to please run some numbers with you guys on importing a bike to India, I want to know if my calculations are correct and so on I did do some searching, the most informative post I could find was by username shrini78, posted on 8th October 2009 which is approximately a year ago so the rayes may be out of date, if so, and if you know the current charges, please post! Shrini78 says that the customs tax is 145% of the depreciated value of the bike So if my bike cost $17 000 AUD 3 years ago, using this table.... 4.0 % per quarter in the 1st year x 4 quarters = 16% total 3.0 % per quarter in the 2nd year x 4 quarters = 12% total 2.5 % per quarter in the 3rd year x 4 quarters = 10% total 2.0 % per quarter in the 4th year x 4 quarters = 08% total 2.0 % per quarter in the 5th year x 4 quarters = 08% total 2.0 % per quarter in the 6th year x 4 quarters = 08% total 2.0 % per quarter in the 7th year x 4 quarters = 08% total I calculated the depreciated cost to be $17,000 - $5793 of depreciation leaves the bikes 3 year old value at $11 207 which means $16 250AUD to the Indian govt for import tax? Is this right? Thanks!
	() Thanks

27th October 2010, 00:37	#94
shrini78 BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 258 Thanked: 57 Times	Paulstar, I didnt bring the numbers outta blue. They are the numbers from GOI customs... My friend imported Harley Dyna Low Rider from AZ to BLR. He purchased a 2001 used bike, do remember you need to own the bike for a year under your posession. When he came to BLR he was under the assumption that they will go by the above math for deperciation, but it wasnt the case. There are govt approved estimator so they look at your bike and come up with some number and you need to pay the duty for it...This is what exactly he told me... His bike was valued at 10000USD bill of sale so the estimator guy asked him to pay around 8000, so my friend told him the above depreciation calculation but you know in INdia its all in grey area... So he went to another estimator and that guy asked him to pay around 5500USD so he paid 5500USD in INR and took the bike out.. I'll be importing my bike in Mar/Apr 2011...Will post a detailed journey
	() Thanks

27th October 2010, 17:18	#95
Haroon BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Jedda/Bangalore Posts: 575 Thanked: 1,171 Times	Now, there is another angle to the 'lower' customs duties paid. Dont know how the Dept of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) will scrutinize all the paperwork and customs receipts from the relevant RTO after the bike is registered. They are known to come up with their own figures...and the importer is sometimes asked to payup the 'balance customs' plus a penalty on the 'short' collected customs amount. Is this why they seize many superbikes at periodic intervals?
	() Thanks

27th October 2010, 21:20	#96
straight6 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bombay Posts: 2,549 Thanked: 300 Times	The rule has changed now. You have to own the bike in that country for 2 years before you can get it down on TR.
	() Thanks

31st October 2010, 06:16	#97
Paulstar BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Sydney Posts: 46 Thanked: 4 Times	Wow, so many rules. Shrini, I look forward to reading about how you go with importing your bike!
	() Thanks

31st October 2010, 06:17	#98
Paulstar BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Sydney Posts: 46 Thanked: 4 Times	Question for you, could I simply bring it in and not register it, in this case the bike would only be used for track days, would i still have to pay import duties on it and own it for two years? Thanks Paul
	() Thanks

3rd November 2010, 18:23	#101
TurboGTR Newbie Join Date: May 2006 Location: Panjim, Goa Posts: 17 Thanked: 29 Times	Hey everybody! I imported my 2006 Yamaha R6S from San Francisco, CA to Goa earlier this year via Mumbai Port. Duty was 130% on the depreciated value. I used NADA Guides and Kelley Blue Book to prove the USA MSRP to the Customs officials in Mumbai since they did not have updated catalogs on hand. shrini78 is right about the percentage calculation for depreciation. You will need a Customs House Agent (CHA) to handle documentation for you and act on your behalf for Port and Customs matters. Choose wisely since most of them are very slimy characters and only out to make money off of you. You have to prove atleast 2 years of residence in the country from which you are importing the motorcycle to India and short stays in India cannot exceed 180 days (calculated from the immigration stamps in your Passport). You also need to have owned the bike and have it registered in your name for atleast a year in the country of export. Homologation is not required for a used imported motorcycle. Unfortunately the whole process is very painful and it seems like everyone is out to rip you off (they naturally assume you're loaded since you are importing a motorcycle even if thats not the case). You will have to do a fair amount of running around as well as there is a lot of red tape to get past. This sucks if you are from out of town (which was true in my case). You have been warned! However, everytime I take the blue machine out for a ride, it feels like its been worth all the trouble, especially since its very rare to have a legal 600 in India. All the best getting your bike(s) home with you! Cheers!
	() Thanks

4th November 2010, 11:50	#103
TurboGTR Newbie Join Date: May 2006 Location: Panjim, Goa Posts: 17 Thanked: 29 Times	If you are importing from the USA, KBB or NADA guides are the best resources. You could just print pages from the website showing the make, model, year, MSRP when new and current value. Using printouts from 2 or 3 websites that show the exact same MSRP will help strengthen your case. If you have a dealer invoice, that would be ideal. KBB or NADA can be used in lieu of the official invoice. I tried looking for a Red Book value, but all I could get was the Australian dollar value which was significantly higher than KBB and NADA, so I chose not to use that value. Hope this helps!
	() Thanks

4th November 2010, 12:49	#104
Haroon BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Jedda/Bangalore Posts: 575 Thanked: 1,171 Times	Actually, we dont have anything similar to KBB & NADA guides in the Middle-East and the dealer invoice could sometimes be lower than the actual value of the bike coz you may sometimes get special deals on previous year models, demo bikes etc. I think the best thing for us is also to go with US MSRP prices as they are among the cheapest in the world.
	() Thanks

4th November 2010, 12:55	#105
manson Team-BHP Support Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 3,949 Thanked: 4,251 Times View My Garage	Good stuff there GTR. Could you also fill us on what was the exact amount of import duty (including penalties if any) turned out to be for your R6, and the road tax? I myself have calculated numbers on paper a lot of times, but it would be great to know what you actually landed up paying. Another thing, someone I know is working overseas. He holds an Indian passport, and definitely lives less than 180 days in India. Does he legally qualify to import his motorcycle to India even if he does not come back for good? manson.
	() Thanks