Motorcycle Purchase In Thailand
Thai people require an ID card and a copy of their house registration paper to register a vehicle in their name. Foreigners need the “same” – confirmation of ID and local address. This means a copy of your passport and a letter from your local immigration office or consul confirming your Thailand address. To get this, you should have a 3-month non-immigrant visa, suggesting that you live in Thailand.
You must present the originals, not just photocopies, at the vehicle licensing office for these documents.
If you’re buying a new bike from a dealer, they usually can still get the bike registered in your name even if you don’t have the 3-month non-immigrant visa. However, this does vary from province to province & dealer to dealer – how well they are connected.
If you’re buying secondhand, the 3-month non-immigrant visa rule is not consistently enforced, and some people on tourist visas do get bikes registered, provided they have confirmation of Thai address.
It is possible to take a vehicle out of the country if it does not belong to you but is in the name of another person. To do this, you must have permission from the vehicle owner to export it.
There is a standard form you can use for this. Click here to see what it looks like. Under this system, you can buy a motorcycle in another person’s name and still ride it out “overseas.” To do this, you must have signed copies of the actual owner’s valid/current (not expired) Thai ID card and Thai house registration.
This normally works; however, it is open to the duty Customs officer’s discretion, and if you have a communication problem or a personality clash (I have good experience with this), it might not go down so well. For foreign riders with Thai-registered bikes, this is a not uncommon problem on the border.
One of the Customs concerns is that the motorcycle may be stolen or not returned. So, be patient, tolerant, and understanding of the system.
Don’t believe the shop where you buy the bike that you only need a receipt and a photocopy of the bike registration. You won’t get out of the country, and it is no fun riding all the way to the border to discover that you’ve wasted your time and money and probably stuffed up your holiday.
Thai Bike Prices: to get an idea buy some Thai bike magazines. The best 2 bike mags are Motocross and Performance Bike. The most reputable bike shops in Bangkok to consider are:
Red Baron
Dirt Shop
59 Bike
Dr Bike
Also take a look at the GT Rider Buy and Sell Motorcycle Forum.
NEW BIG BIKES
New big bikes are becoming far more readily available than ever before. The following manufacturers all have new big bikes available for sale in Thailand – click links for bike details;
LICENCE / REGISTERING A BIG BIKE IN THAILAND:
Big bike rego in Thailand is a very touchy subject. You see many bikes up-country without a number plate, but without a plate, your motorcycle is technically illegal; & if you’re in Bangkok / Pattaya / Phuket, the police will give you a hard time. Up-country transportation does not seem to be such a problem elsewhere, but you can’t leave the country on an unregistered motorcycle.
If the bike is not already legally registered, expect to pay at least 50 -70,000 baht for a licence plate and wait 4-6 weeks for the ownership book to come through.
If you’re buying a second-hand bike from a grey importer, try to get one already with a plate or purchase from a reputable shop that sells bikes with plates.
If you deal with a shop not selling bikes with plates, they are probably not right inside the system dealing with bike rego. After you have plonked down your money for the promised bike rego, they may well encounter problems beyond their control & either ask for more money or delays in supplying the rego / recycled book with the bike having engine & frame numbers re-stamped to match up with an old book/bike that was previously registered.
If you buy a bike that is not registered, record the engine and frame number to keep an exact record of your bike model for ordering parts later when it does not have the same engine and frame number.
There are dealers who claim their books for grey import 2nd hand bikes are new and not recycled, how they manage this I don’t know. The rego crunch always comes when you either need to renew your bike rego or transfer the place of Read some GT Rider Board Bike Rego experiences and comments:
Big Bike Registration Confusion
Check out GT Rider Board for bikes for sale / wanted to buy.
Motorcycle Insurance via GT-Rider – 3rd Party Compulsory / Voluntary / Comprehensive Cover