buying a bike in Thailand : paper and plates in order ?

[paulbutokai]

hi !

I'm planning to buy a motorbike in Thailand and then drive it through Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, and eventually come back to Thailand to sell it.

After I buy it, do you know if it will be possible for me to have papers on my name and the plate that goes with ? Is it possible for a foreigner without a thai driving license, thai adress, etc ...

If I don't manage to have papers and plate at my name, will I be able to cross the borders with it ? Will I have to pay taxes ? All the way ??

Last question : what bike would you buy if you wanted something that could be repaired easily anywhere in SE Asia ? I don't really care about riding fast or with extreme confort ... I want reliable bike that can be fixed !

Thanks in advance
Paul

 

[LivinLOS]

Yes you can own a bike in Thailand without a Thai DL.. Tho it helps / is the law to have a long stay visa (non immigrant) it can usually be fudged by 'fixers' if you dont have one, some places dont apply that anyway but it is the law. You should also get a IDP prior to coming with a bike endorsement.

Buying one isnt that complex, you will need a proof of residential address, etc etc papers, but solveable. Once done a few days / week or two depending on where its done you can have a green book in your name indicating ownership.

The paperwork side is entirely independent of the whole murky issue of legality of bikes.. MANY older bikes in Thailand are running on, lets just call them, less than legit papers.. And falling into that minefield can result in a lot of headache. Golden rule is dont pay in full (or even in part if you can help it) until the bike is in your name. Theres just so many things from out and out illegal books, recycled books, forged books, restamped numbers, excise taxes unpaid, etc etc etc.. Dont just pay and assume it will be fine.

Once you have the bike in your name you can cross borders.. Not all borders apply the same rules.. Vietnam will require a fixer and pre sorting it.. The Laos bridges may be closed in one or both ways.. All part of the adventure.

What your suggesting is possible.. Its just you need to do some research and consider each step.

 

[paulbutokai]

thanks a lot for the quick and detailed reply !

the "a few days / week or two" waiting period also applies if a buy a second hand bike or is it just for new vehicules ?
I read on the GT site that another solution could be to ride a thai registered bike on the name a Thai man, and have a paper of him saying that he allows you to drive overseas. Do you think it's not a good idea ?

I wondering because I'm in Lao now, and would like to go to Thailand just to buy a bike, and I'm afraid I won't have enough time to go through all the paper stuff waiting to have the bike on my name ...

 

[PSBT]

Hi
Sounds like an adventure for sure.

We have legal pre registered bikes at Pattaya Superbikes,depending on getting your personal paperwork sorted out we can get the bike transfer to your name in 1 day.

Call and see us it may be possible to do a buy back deal for you after your trip.

Check out our web site and feel free to contact me at any time. Link removed

Gareth

 

[paulbutokai]

Hi Gareth,
Do you have anything like 250Baja or XR, XT ... this kind of bike ? Not too new, somehting like 1990-2000. If you have some deal, please send me an email : paulguero AT gmail DOT com
thanks