Chile Motorcycle Shipping
AUS depots to Valparaíso
View Shipment Portal
23 Nov 2026 → 29 Jan 2027
AU$2,500
Valparaíso to Melbourne
View Shipment Portal
4 Jun 2027 → 6 Aug 2027
AU$2,500
Routes and Timings
Read Article South America Season for shipment timing justification. The two primary considerations are: 1) provide enough time to clear the subarctic before too cold; and 2) arrive Amazonian Andes post peak wet season … and enjoy prime Autumn months before winter sets in!
Due to the new import rule, the Motorcycle Owners must now be present to process Temporary Import Permit (TIP). Therefore we have to commit to an import timing that we believe will ‘best fit’ the majority. If we get enough demand for a mid-December launch (six weeks earlier) then we will run another shipment to meet that demand. If you would prefer a December launch, please use the Register Route Interest form.
Picture: DR650s @ 5,567m up the side of Uturuncu Volcano (6,028m), Bolivia.
Return to Australia shipment
Timings
This shipment is designed to provide a practical return pathway for riders completing a South America ride window after launching from Valparaíso at the end of January.
Wed 02 Jun: last day to deliver motorcycle to depot
Fri 04 Jun: container pack
Thu 10 Jun: estimated vessel departure from Valparaíso
36 days: estimated sea freight
Fri 16 Jul: estimated vessel arrival Melbourne
7 days destination time + 14 days schedule buffer
64 days total duration from container pack to motorcycles available in Melbourne
Final land-border crossing into Chile must be after Mon 01 Mar 2027 so that the three-month Temporary Import Permit remains valid when the motorcycle is delivered to the depot. In Chile the Temporary Import Permit is called the Título de Importación Temporal de Vehículos (TITV).
Plan for Mon 24 May 2027 as the assumed start of the two-week free storage period at the terminal depot. This gives working schedule room before container pack and vessel departure.
Export from Chile
Valparaíso is OBO’s South America gateway for riders returning motorcycles to Australia, continuing north through the Americas or linking longer overland journeys through Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Central America and North America.
For this export shipment, motorcycles must be delivered with a valid Chile TITV. Once the motorcycle is delivered into the depot process, the TITV is finalised by Chilean Customs. OBO’s local agent cannot accept a motorcycle for export if the TITV has already expired.
Export handover and storage
Motorcycle delivery deadline: Wednesday 02 June 2027.
Terminal storage before export: final 14 days before container packing are free.
Private storage in Quilpué is available before the free terminal-storage period at US$100 per month, or pro rata.
Transfer from Quilpué storage to the terminal depot is US$75 per motorcycle.
Professional export cleaning can be arranged for CLP50,000 per motorcycle, including trailer transport to and from the cleaning location.
Motorcycles must be delivered clean and ready for export handling. Cleaning is also critical for Australia’s biosecurity inspection on arrival.
Container will pack vicinity August to provide for a six-plus-month ride window from Valparaíso to Cartagena, subject to a minimum of six motorcycles.
Photo: Port of Cartagena is the most connected port in Latin America and the Caribbean with a specialty in trans-shipment operations.
Shipment packs October.
Riders must obtain a formal Entry Summary when entering the USA from Mexico. This document is critical for OBO to ship the motorcycle home through Seattle.
Darién Gap
Motorcycles cannot cross the Darién Gap by road.
We recommend Overland Embassy in Panama City for motorcycle logistics between Colombia and Panama.
Air freight from Bogotá to Panama City is one option.
Sea freight from Cartagena to Colón is another option used by overlander vehicles. For motorcycles, it can be cheaper than air freight when they join a shared container with other overlander vehicles, which Overland Embassy can arrange.
Pausing Your Journey
Chile Temporary Import Permit (TIP) is 3 months and resets every time you re-enter Chile.
As of recently (Jan 2024), Argentina have been issuing 8 month TIPs at various border crossings. Keep in mind that nowadays Argentina is computerised when it comes to tracking foreign registered motorcycles entering and exiting land borders - so make sure you exit (to reset the clock) in accordance with TIP.
Uruguay has generous 12 month TIP making it a popular long-term storage or base option for overlanders.
Panama TIP is only 30 days but there is a good option to air freight your bike from Bogota to Panama City and leave your bike in Customs Bonded storage @ US$100 per month. You can fly home from Bogota and resume your journey from Panama City when you’re ready, which for most will be when their ride window lines up for Great Divide USA + Rockies Canada.
Overland Embassy, Panama City.
Ride to North America
Central America wet season roughly May to Dec. First few months can often just be late afternoon showers. Rain increases through Jun Jul. Oct into Nov not great for Panama and Costa Rica with key parks closed.
USA SW deserts too hot from late Jun to early Sep.
Great Divide Ride (GDR) best Jul to Sep when the worst conditions of snow and mud have melted and dried out.
Little Gold Creek Border Crossing (Top of The World Highway) operates mid-May to mid Sep.
Pic: Great Divide Ride route by GPS Kevin
Other Shipment Options
South America
If you are considering other shipping options for South America then your best bets are via:
Santiago, Chile - air
Valparaiso, Chile - sea
Montevideo, Uruguay - sea
Buenos Aires, Argentina - air & sea
Bogota, Colombia - air
Cartagena, Colombia - sea
USA to Australia
High volume of container traffic to Australia from the Ports of Oakland (San Francisco) and Long Beach (Los Angeles). There are great options for motorcycles to container share with classic cars from these ports on a regular basis.
Canada to Europe
WestJet Cargo’s Bike Air program is specifically designed for motorcycle tourism with seasonal (Apr to Oct) air freight from Canada (Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Halifax) to Europe destinations (Heathrow, Edinburgh, Dublin, Paris, Rome, Barcelona). This is very good value air freight. Contact Air Marine Cargo (AMC) for a quote.
Need Different Timings?
If these shipment timings do not suit your journey, use Register Route Interest to tell OBO what would. Rider feedback helps shape future shipments.