Good Day All,
I thought I would start this thread to clarify for those interested whether or not foreign visitors can attain a TRN and therefore purchase a bike and register it in their name.
The answer is NO.
Although there are a few different people saying it is possible, coming to South Africa on a visitors visa (in my case, free and good for 90 days) will not meet the government's requirement to apply for a TRN. Some of the threads on this forum and on other traveler websites are generally unclear about the process and make it seem possible in general terms.
The SA government website, https://www.gov.za/services/register-motor-vehicle-driving/traffic-register-number, does reference this when it talks about applications but the language is unclear.
If you are visiting, you cannot purchase and register a bike.
If you have a work visa, student visa, or temporary residence visa, you can apply for a TRN and register.
I forsee this issue causing me many headaches in the future, not specifically within South Africa but further along when I have no proof of ownership in my name and only a letter form the previous "actual" owner to get me by a cop/border guard who's on the take.
I'm currently looking at any and all options to mitigate this issue so if you have a suggestion, please post it for the benefit of future travelers. Unless it's illegal, then just PM me! haha
I thought I would start this thread to clarify for those interested whether or not foreign visitors can attain a TRN and therefore purchase a bike and register it in their name.
The answer is NO.
Although there are a few different people saying it is possible, coming to South Africa on a visitors visa (in my case, free and good for 90 days) will not meet the government's requirement to apply for a TRN. Some of the threads on this forum and on other traveler websites are generally unclear about the process and make it seem possible in general terms.
The SA government website, https://www.gov.za/services/register-motor-vehicle-driving/traffic-register-number, does reference this when it talks about applications but the language is unclear.
If you are visiting, you cannot purchase and register a bike.
If you have a work visa, student visa, or temporary residence visa, you can apply for a TRN and register.
I forsee this issue causing me many headaches in the future, not specifically within South Africa but further along when I have no proof of ownership in my name and only a letter form the previous "actual" owner to get me by a cop/border guard who's on the take.
I'm currently looking at any and all options to mitigate this issue so if you have a suggestion, please post it for the benefit of future travelers. Unless it's illegal, then just PM me! haha
