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Importing CJ750 into Australia - my experience

G'day everyone,

I've been looking at importing a CJ750 into Australia for a number of years now
and have always been very wary of the importation process. Recently I took the
plunge and put in an order with Yiqi and Jane at CJ Sidecars in Shanghai. Last
week I received the approval to import, so I thought I might take the
opportunity to let others thinking of doing the same know what to do.

First thing first, to import any vehicle into Australia it needs to be approved
by the Department of Infrastructure and Transport. For CJ750s you'll most
probably be looking at a pre-89 importation approval (unless you've owned it
overseas and bringing it home).

Basically, the permit allows you to avoid obtaining a ADR compliance plate. The
department have a process in place for this, however the information available
on their websites have to cover a lot of different makes and models, and the
what they require in each case is not explicitly stated. I found the department
to be well-organised and fair, I'm slightly embarrassed to say I got a bit
shirty with them at one stage, however all came out well in the end.

During the approval process I had a number of conversations with staff at the
department, so perhaps I had a little more information than most applicant, I'll
post what I discovered on here to assist others. Firstly, the department are not
there to block your application, but it is up to you to provide all the
information necessary to prove the bike was genuinely manufactured before Jan
1989 AND hasn't undergone significant engine-drivechain modifications since.

The first thing you'll need is a bike, they need to assess each application
against an individual vehicle. You'll also need all the paperwork you can garner
for that bike. At CJ Sidecars, Jane provided me with all the rego papers, plus
an invoice and a translation of these. The application to the department costs
$50 and can be made via email, paper or fax. I emailed mine in, so the documents
Jane sent were lodged very quickly. The next step is to wait, processing starts
15 working days after lodgement, sometimes longer during busy times.

My first hiccup was the dept sent me an email back requesting I obtain a
notarised translation of the rego papers. This was were I put on my shirty
pants, there was no mention of additional paperwork anywhere on their website
AND the Shanghai rego papers contain enough English to understand what is what.
Anyway, after a friendly phonecall from the dept and an email exchange, I had
Jane on the task of tracking down the notarised translation. I'd recommend ALL
applicants obtain these to submit with the other paperwork, the dept will ask
for it anyway. There are public notaries in all Chinese cities, and the process
isn't expensive. The piece of paper needs to state what is written on the rego
papers, the more information the better. Also useful is a statement the vehicle
is original, not rebuilt etc. One last thing, make sure it has a notary number
and stamped. Now, I did point out that at one stage I was asked to obtain a
stamp to verify a stamp, but thems' the rules....

After a few more weeks the approval arrived in post, it actually looks quite
official, signed by the approver himself (who no doubt wears a gilded uniform to
match his lofty position).

A couple of thoughts for the potential importer:
- be patient, I estimate it takes at least three months to have things sorted
(patience is not my strong point).
- the more paperwork and photos the better, the dept appears to be looking for
NOS bikes assembled from parts, so anything that supports your application helps
- paperwork is essential, rego and the notarised translation are an absolute
minimum for approval
- registration should be easy once the paperwork is approved by the dept, most
States and territories have grandfathered safety requirements for pre-73 bikes.

Anyway, I now have the paperwork and am looking forward to seeing my bike
transformed by CJ Sidecars. I've gone for a solo BMW style with a SV 6 volt M1
engine. Hopefully photos to follow as she comes along.

Cheers,
Mat

Re: Importing CJ750 into Australia - requirement for notarised documents

G'day everyone,

I sent an email to the Department asking for clarification on the requirements
for notarised translation of registration papers etc, for requesting an approval
to import a vehicle. The Department wrote a very helpful response back to me,
which is pasted below. I'm happy to post a scan of the notarised document they
accepted for me application, if interested just let me know.
Cheers,
Matt

When applying for a Vehicle Import Approval for any vehicle manufactured prior
to 1 January 1989, the applicant should be familiar with the information for the
import option and they should follow the how to apply directions and the
directions on the application forms from the Department's website:
http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/vehicles/imports/import_options/pre1989scheme.a
spx

Where the "Date of Manufacture" for a vehicle is determined by date that the
vehicle was first driven after being modified or the date first driven after the
vehicle had been remanufactured from parts, the Department may request the
applicant to provide notarised documents/statements from the previous owner that
detail the extent of modification or remanufacture including the date when the
vehicle was first driven after the relevant process. All documents provided by
the applicant to demonstrate "Date of Manufacture" should be notarised by the
relevant Government Authority in countries such as China or Licensed notaries as
in the USA.

Where an applicant has any questions they should contact the Vehicle Imports
Services Team on 1800 815 272 or by email vimports@...