Hello, I’m travelling to Thailand in the next couple of weeks and was hoping to buy a bike in Thailand, travel for a 2 months and then take the bike into Laos and Cambodia before returning to Thailand for another 3 months and then onwards to Malaysia. Now having done some further research realised I might have a problem obtaining the residence certificate to buy the bike in my name on a tourist visa. Has anybody done this or have any further information/ know of any agency’s that could potentially help with this?
Buying a bike in Thailand on a tourist visa
- Thread starter Charlesrush
- Start date
What visa youre in Thailand on has absolutely nothing to say. You will need a sertificate of recidency to register a bike in your name.
Sometimes depending on which province youre in it can be a bit of a PITA to get this sertificate.
And sometimes it can take months to get the new documents (Green book) even though you have got a sertificate of recidency. In my case it took approx 2 months (in Lampang province) 8,5 years ago. But I have heard this is faster nowadays.
If you dont have the new Green Book you cannot cross into another country (some even say into another province of Thailand)
If youre having trouble getting a certificate of recidency an alternative is to register the bike on a thai person you trust. With an additional document you can cross into Laos and Cambodia with such…
Sometimes depending on which province youre in it can be a bit of a PITA to get this sertificate.
And sometimes it can take months to get the new documents (Green book) even though you have got a sertificate of recidency. In my case it took approx 2 months (in Lampang province) 8,5 years ago. But I have heard this is faster nowadays.
If you dont have the new Green Book you cannot cross into another country (some even say into another province of Thailand)
If youre having trouble getting a certificate of recidency an alternative is to register the bike on a thai person you trust. With an additional document you can cross into Laos and Cambodia with such…
I looked into it eight years ago and found a lot of contradictory information on web forums about it. So instead of relying on hearsay I compiled the requirements below from Thai government websites. The requirements may have changed since then, but over time they tend to get stricter, not looser.
The applications, documents, fees, and notarizations would have cost over a thousand dollars, not to mention additional trips to Thailand to make the applications and shuttle between government offices. In the end, a Thai-resident friend kindly offered to buy a bike for me in his name. I fly in a few times a year, with my home license, an International Driving Permit, and travel insurance for each trip. This is legal and insured in Thailand, unlike in some other countries. I have no intention of riding this bike to Laos or Cambodia, since I've been around both many times in the past.
An issue I didn’t look into is travel insurance. Most travel insurance has to be issued in the country where you are ordinarily resident and is only valid while you are away from that country. There is a risk that your your home-country insurer could use your holding of a Thailand-registered motorcycle, a long-stay visa, and a Thai driving license as proof you are resident in Thailand and not a tourist there, and so refuse to pay. Therefore you probably ought to buy local medical and accident insurance, adding more overhead.
Don’t take this out-of-date information as gospel but do your own research. Only use it as a general guide to bureaucratic complexity.
Overview
To register a vehicle, a Residence Certificate is needed, issued by the Thai authorities or by the owner’s own embassy. To obtain a Residence Certificate from the Thai authorities, at least an O-A Visa is needed. When an O-A visa has been issued or a vehicle has been registered then a Thai Driver’s License is needed, which requires an O-A Visa. An O-A Visa requires a Re-Entry Permit. So a Residence Certificate, O-A Visa and Re-Entry Permit (renewed annually), and a Thai Driver’s License are all needed to register and drive a vehicle in Thailand.
Non-Immigrant Retirement Visa O-A and Re-Entry Permit
Apply in country of residence with the following documents:
1.Bank Statement showing a deposit of no less than THB 800,000 equivalent. Within 30 days the money must be moved to Thailand because extension of stay beyond the first 90 days of the one-year visa requires THB 800,000 in a Thai bank account for at least 60 days, accessible via ATM, e.g. a Krungsri Mee Tai Dai account.
2.Letter of Guarantee from the bank stating the income from a source such as a pension or other sources. Letter of Guarantee must be certified by a Notary Public.
3.Certificate of no Criminal Conviction stating that the applicant has no criminal record issued from the country of nationality or residence (valid for no more than 3 months). The police may (but are not required to) issue a Certificate of no Criminal Conviction. The Certificate must be certified by a Notary Public.
4.Medical Certificate Issued in country of residence showing no diseases as indicated in the Ministerial Regulation No. 14 (B.E. 2535) (valid for no more than 3 months). The Medical Certificate must be certified by a Notary Public.
5.The visa fee.
6.Copy of Marriage Certificate. The Marriage Certificate must be certified by a Notary Public.
7.Copy of the booked flights such as a travel itinerary or airline ticket.
8.Documents in foreign languages must be translated into Thai. If translated into English, it should be notarized. (I don’t understand this requirement).
The visa-holder will be permitted to stay in Thailand for 1 year from the date of first entry, but cannot leave without a Re-Entry Permit and cannot stay beyond 90 days without having had THB 800,000 in a Thai bank for at least 60 days.
Immediately upon arrival, apply at Chaeng Wattana Immigration for a Re-entry Permit (single or multiple); otherwise the O-A visa will be cancelled upon first departure.
Soon after arrival, open a Thai bank account and transfer THB 800,000 into it.
Report to the Immigration Bureau every 90 days unless leaving the country more frequently.
After one year, submit a renewal request to the Immigration Bureau with evidence of THB 800,000 in a Thai bank. Renew the Thai driver’s license, which may require getting another Residence Certificate.
Residence Certificate (Valid 30 Days)
To obtain a Residence Certificate from the Thai authorities, at least an O-A visa is needed.
Some tourists have succeeded in getting a Residence Certificate from their own embassy with a tourist visa, but the registered owner of a Thai vehicle is considered to be a Thai resident and cannot drive without a Thai driver’s license—and a Thai Driver’s License requires at least an O-A visa, not a tourist visa. Note: A multiple-entry tourist visa is valid for six months, is not renewable, and requires six months of financial statements, a letter of employment, evidence of accommodation booking, and a copy of a round-trip ticket. It can be used to open a Thai bank account. Some embassies will accept a bank statement and utility bills or a rental contract, even with a tourist visa, to issue a Residence Certificate, but they are not required to do so and an increasing number of embassies are refusing to do it for their citizens—even if they issue one today to buy a bike, there is no guarantee they will do it again in the future to sell the bike.
To obtain a Residence Certificate, go to Chaeng Wattana Immigration. Documents required:
1.Passport, signed copy of the photo page in the passport, signed copy of the O-A visa stamp in the passport, signed copy of the TM6 (Departure) card in the passport
2.Rental Contract
3.A copy of a bank statement mailed to the rental contract address may be helpful
4.Signed copy of the TM30 from landlord and an unsigned copy
5.TM18 application form.
6.Two photos.
Timing is critical. They will send it registered to the rental contract address in 3 weeks … but it is only valid for 30 days, during which time both the vehicle must be registered and the Thai Driver’s License must be obtained. Another Residence Certificate will be needed from Chaeng Wattana to sell the bike.
Thai Driver’s License
When an O-A visa has been issued or residency has been established by registering a vehicle, an International Driving Permit is no longer valid so a Thai driver’s license must be obtained. A Thai drivers license requires a Residence Certificate and a valid O-A visa, not a tourist visa.
Documents required:
1.Signed copies of the passport's first page, page with the current O-A visa, page with the last entry stamp.
2.Residence Certificate from the applicant's embassy or the Immigration Bureau (document can not be older than 30 days).
3.Doctor's certificate stating that the applicant is in good health.
4.Valid International Driving Permit plus a signed photocopy (or a driving license from the applicant's home country translated into Thai and certified by the embassy or consulate.)
5.Two photos.
The applications, documents, fees, and notarizations would have cost over a thousand dollars, not to mention additional trips to Thailand to make the applications and shuttle between government offices. In the end, a Thai-resident friend kindly offered to buy a bike for me in his name. I fly in a few times a year, with my home license, an International Driving Permit, and travel insurance for each trip. This is legal and insured in Thailand, unlike in some other countries. I have no intention of riding this bike to Laos or Cambodia, since I've been around both many times in the past.
An issue I didn’t look into is travel insurance. Most travel insurance has to be issued in the country where you are ordinarily resident and is only valid while you are away from that country. There is a risk that your your home-country insurer could use your holding of a Thailand-registered motorcycle, a long-stay visa, and a Thai driving license as proof you are resident in Thailand and not a tourist there, and so refuse to pay. Therefore you probably ought to buy local medical and accident insurance, adding more overhead.
Don’t take this out-of-date information as gospel but do your own research. Only use it as a general guide to bureaucratic complexity.
Overview
To register a vehicle, a Residence Certificate is needed, issued by the Thai authorities or by the owner’s own embassy. To obtain a Residence Certificate from the Thai authorities, at least an O-A Visa is needed. When an O-A visa has been issued or a vehicle has been registered then a Thai Driver’s License is needed, which requires an O-A Visa. An O-A Visa requires a Re-Entry Permit. So a Residence Certificate, O-A Visa and Re-Entry Permit (renewed annually), and a Thai Driver’s License are all needed to register and drive a vehicle in Thailand.
Non-Immigrant Retirement Visa O-A and Re-Entry Permit
Apply in country of residence with the following documents:
1.Bank Statement showing a deposit of no less than THB 800,000 equivalent. Within 30 days the money must be moved to Thailand because extension of stay beyond the first 90 days of the one-year visa requires THB 800,000 in a Thai bank account for at least 60 days, accessible via ATM, e.g. a Krungsri Mee Tai Dai account.
2.Letter of Guarantee from the bank stating the income from a source such as a pension or other sources. Letter of Guarantee must be certified by a Notary Public.
3.Certificate of no Criminal Conviction stating that the applicant has no criminal record issued from the country of nationality or residence (valid for no more than 3 months). The police may (but are not required to) issue a Certificate of no Criminal Conviction. The Certificate must be certified by a Notary Public.
4.Medical Certificate Issued in country of residence showing no diseases as indicated in the Ministerial Regulation No. 14 (B.E. 2535) (valid for no more than 3 months). The Medical Certificate must be certified by a Notary Public.
5.The visa fee.
6.Copy of Marriage Certificate. The Marriage Certificate must be certified by a Notary Public.
7.Copy of the booked flights such as a travel itinerary or airline ticket.
8.Documents in foreign languages must be translated into Thai. If translated into English, it should be notarized. (I don’t understand this requirement).
The visa-holder will be permitted to stay in Thailand for 1 year from the date of first entry, but cannot leave without a Re-Entry Permit and cannot stay beyond 90 days without having had THB 800,000 in a Thai bank for at least 60 days.
Immediately upon arrival, apply at Chaeng Wattana Immigration for a Re-entry Permit (single or multiple); otherwise the O-A visa will be cancelled upon first departure.
Soon after arrival, open a Thai bank account and transfer THB 800,000 into it.
Report to the Immigration Bureau every 90 days unless leaving the country more frequently.
After one year, submit a renewal request to the Immigration Bureau with evidence of THB 800,000 in a Thai bank. Renew the Thai driver’s license, which may require getting another Residence Certificate.
Residence Certificate (Valid 30 Days)
To obtain a Residence Certificate from the Thai authorities, at least an O-A visa is needed.
Some tourists have succeeded in getting a Residence Certificate from their own embassy with a tourist visa, but the registered owner of a Thai vehicle is considered to be a Thai resident and cannot drive without a Thai driver’s license—and a Thai Driver’s License requires at least an O-A visa, not a tourist visa. Note: A multiple-entry tourist visa is valid for six months, is not renewable, and requires six months of financial statements, a letter of employment, evidence of accommodation booking, and a copy of a round-trip ticket. It can be used to open a Thai bank account. Some embassies will accept a bank statement and utility bills or a rental contract, even with a tourist visa, to issue a Residence Certificate, but they are not required to do so and an increasing number of embassies are refusing to do it for their citizens—even if they issue one today to buy a bike, there is no guarantee they will do it again in the future to sell the bike.
To obtain a Residence Certificate, go to Chaeng Wattana Immigration. Documents required:
1.Passport, signed copy of the photo page in the passport, signed copy of the O-A visa stamp in the passport, signed copy of the TM6 (Departure) card in the passport
2.Rental Contract
3.A copy of a bank statement mailed to the rental contract address may be helpful
4.Signed copy of the TM30 from landlord and an unsigned copy
5.TM18 application form.
6.Two photos.
Timing is critical. They will send it registered to the rental contract address in 3 weeks … but it is only valid for 30 days, during which time both the vehicle must be registered and the Thai Driver’s License must be obtained. Another Residence Certificate will be needed from Chaeng Wattana to sell the bike.
Thai Driver’s License
When an O-A visa has been issued or residency has been established by registering a vehicle, an International Driving Permit is no longer valid so a Thai driver’s license must be obtained. A Thai drivers license requires a Residence Certificate and a valid O-A visa, not a tourist visa.
Documents required:
1.Signed copies of the passport's first page, page with the current O-A visa, page with the last entry stamp.
2.Residence Certificate from the applicant's embassy or the Immigration Bureau (document can not be older than 30 days).
3.Doctor's certificate stating that the applicant is in good health.
4.Valid International Driving Permit plus a signed photocopy (or a driving license from the applicant's home country translated into Thai and certified by the embassy or consulate.)
5.Two photos.