I saw a Bangkok registered car with Latin/English letters on the plate - is this a new option?  Not something I've seen before.  Perhaps for travel to other countries?

IIRC cars of diplomats/embassies/consulates are having plates like this.

19 hours ago, Kinnock said:

I saw a Bangkok registered car with Latin/English letters on the plate - is this a new option?  Not something I've seen before.  Perhaps for travel to other countries?

That's the reason for them but they have to be displayed with the original Thai letters, officially.

12 hours ago, hkt83100 said:

IIRC cars of diplomats/embassies/consulates are having plates like this.

 

Diplomatic plates in Thailand are like this, with a couple of other colour variations depending on the rank of the registrant...

 

There are license plates with roman characters (also province name in roman characters plus number of province). Similar to plates of big trucks.

They are issued on request by the DLT for travel "abroad".

 

BUT the plate shown in the picture (province name in Thai script) does not match what I know/have seen.

Also it's surely not a diplomatic plate which always have a number designating the country.

Now waiting to learn something new.

This is an example of what I was aware of:

 

"R1" is the "conversion" of the Thai letters (by some weird rules).

"84" is the number of the province (also some weird table that I don't have, not following an international norm).

9 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

This is an example of what I was aware of:

 

"R1" is the "conversion" of the Thai letters (by some weird rules).

"84" is the number of the province (also some weird table that I don't have, not following an international norm).

I'm now left wondering which province "84" represents when there are only 77 of them. 

You can request at your local land and transport office and it is usually granted...

nothing to do with diplomatic or other plates, just an option that few are aware of

 

4 hours ago, Wiggy said:

I'm now left wondering which province "84" represents when there are only 77 of them. 

As I wrote it's not a simple numbering 1 to 77.

And maybe I am wrong that they don't follow a norm but use ISO from the table shown within here?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provinces_of_Thailand

In this case "84" would be Surat Thani.

 

14 hours ago, Just Weird said:

That's the reason for them but they have to be displayed with the original Thai letters, officially.

Yep driving with only roman letter version in Thailand earns 2000 Baht fine.

(found a source in Thai language)

The mandatory pointing pic:

3 hours ago, jumbo said:

You can request at your local land and transport office and it is usually granted...

nothing to do with diplomatic or other plates, just an option that few are aware of

 

An option  nobody is aware of ?

8 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

As I wrote it's not a simple numbering 1 to 77.

And maybe I am wrong that they don't follow a norm but use ISO from the table shown within here?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provinces_of_Thailand

In this case "84" would be Surat Thani.

 

The numbers correspond with the provinces' zip codes.   

Just now, Gulfsailor said:

The numbers correspond with the provinces' zip codes.  

Life can be so easy!

 

 

7 minutes ago, johng said:

An option  nobody is aware of ?

Why nobody?

I remember lengthy discussions in a German language forum and knew about it.

Just that for my closest neighboring country Laos they are not required.

Just that "pink" (?) book and a "T" sticker (both from DLT, even the "T" sticker!).

"T" sticker is frequently seen in our region.

3 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

Why nobody?

I remember lengthy discussions in a German language forum and knew about it.

The option to have Roman numbers and Thai language province ?

 

for travelling  to other countries  everything is Roman ...no ?  I admit I have never heard of or seen a number plate with all Roman characters on Thai roads before this thread.

56 minutes ago, johng said:

The option to have Roman numbers and Thai language province ?

 

for travelling  to other countries  everything is Roman ...no ?  I admit I have never heard of or seen a number plate with all Roman characters on Thai roads before this thread.

Well maybe you aren't paying much attention to license plates around you???

 

7 hours ago, jumbo said:

You can request at your local land and transport office and it is usually granted...

nothing to do with diplomatic or other plates, just an option that few are aware of

 

They're intended for use when the vehicle is in a country where Thai characters could not normally be read, they're not an "option" for normal use in Thailand, why would they be?

4 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

They're intended for use when the vehicle is in a country where Thai characters could not normally be read, they're not an "option" for normal use in Thailand, why would they be?

Why would you worry about that? When you register your car you can request for a plate in latin letters... whatever your reason is; I call that optional

 

7 hours ago, Wiggy said:

I'm now left wondering which province "84" represents when there are only 77 of them. 

 

my data matching comes up with: Surat Thani

 

 

 

acknowledging http://www.statoids.com/uth.html

2 minutes ago, jumbo said:

Why would you worry about that? When you register your car you can request for a plate in latin letters... whatever your reason is; I call that optional

 

For normal full time use on Thai roads?  Really? 

16 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

This is an example of what I was aware of:

 

"R1" is the "conversion" of the Thai letters (by some weird rules).

"84" is the number of the province (also some weird table that I don't have, not following an international norm).

These plates are a money maker for the DLT and useless, you don't need them officially for traveling to any of Thailand's neighbors. First of all, I don't understand why they don't put the name of the province in English rather than just "Thailand".

 

If traveling to Laos, you just keep your Thai plates. Lao officials and most educated Lao can read Thai anyway and Lao vehicles coming to Thailand only have Lao plates, I have never seen an English version of a Lao plate. Even in Vietnam, where people can't read Lao, there is no requirement for a translation of the Lao plates to Roman lettering, thus there is also no need for a Thai plate to be translated entering Lao.

 

For Cambodia and Myanmar, again no need to change your plates.

 

Malaysia is the one exception. The requirement is you must keep your Thai plates on AND display an English translation with white lettering on a black background, mimicking Malaysian license plates in the form of a sticker. The province is abbreviated (BKK for Bangkok for example) and these white plates are not allowed, even if you have them.

 

When traveling in Laos and Cambodia I occasionally come across a Thai vehicle that decided to put these plates on, but most don't bother. I never have and never will, unless one day the law in those countries requires me to do so, but that is unlikely to happen and if it did, Thailand would surely reciprocate. A better strategy would be a bilingual license plate, like Cambodia uses, where you have the province of registration written in both English and Khmer script. A Cambodian license plate might read something like this: 2C-3181 Phnom Penh (in Khmer at the top and English at the bottom).

5 minutes ago, jimster said:

Malaysia is the one exception. The requirement is you must keep your Thai plates on AND display an English translation with white lettering on a black background, mimicking Malaysian license plates in the form of a sticker.

Seen them occasionally and was wondering who issues them.

 

At a French Restaurant in Pattaya I spotted a Bentley with a "1" on the license plate. Just a 1 as I recall.

1 minute ago, KhunBENQ said:

Seen them occasionally and was wondering who issues them.

 

but strangely, Malaysian Latin plates can be used, all by themselves, when driving up over the border into LOS...

 - all you get is a little round disc magic pastic sticker for the windscreen, stuck centrally up in front of the internal mirror

Been into Malaysia a couple of times.  These 'stickers' are issued at the border when buying your Malaysia insurance.  Takes about 15 mins.

8 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

Seen them occasionally and was wondering who issues them.

 

The license plate stickers? You can get them done at any sticker shop, at the Malaysian border through an agent (on the Thai side) or even better contact an agent and get them to mail you the stickers before you arrive at the border, along with the JPJ disk and Malaysian insurance. Saves a lot of time at the border.

Well maybe you aren't paying much attention to license plates around you???
 

Sorry I ment English Alphabet letters...of course they use English numbers.

Today I did see a Mercedes Benz with
number plate J 8383 Chonburi
(Chonburi in Thai script)
first time I ever saw one (or noticed)

20 minutes ago, johng said:

Sorry I ment English Alphabet letters...of course they use English numbers.

Today I did see a Mercedes Benz with
number plate J 8383 Chonburi
(Chonburi in Thai script)
first time I ever saw one (or noticed)

This not the letter J. It is Thai letter Por-pra   " ป "

This not the letter J. It is Thai letter Por-pra   " ป "

Well 2 native Thais tell me its J

Latin letters. Not Roman, not English. A lot of commenters seem to be confused.