Im planning to go to Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam with motorbike, and not necessery in that order. 

 

How to cross borders from Thailand with motorbike, and what do I need except green book? I found some old treads, but hope we someone have up to date information and advices. 

 

Insurance is also important issue, and I see I can buy across the border in Malaysia? 

Google GT Rider, they have up to date information there.

 

Vietnam you can't take a Thai registered bike into unless on an organised tour. Better to fly to Saigon and rent. I just did 3 months riding there, great roads and Views.

 

Malaysia, you need to have a sticker made up with the Thai number plate translated. You can buy insurance at the border. Again check before going. Also translate the green book at the transport office.

 

Laos may not require the translation, but i would do it just in case. They are refusing motorbikes crossing a lot at the moment, so check at GT Rider.

Afaik not all crossings to Laos allow motorbikes, but at Nong Khai it's no problem. You just need the bike and the green book (has to be in your name).

When you leave Thailand you park your bike somewhere on the side and go to the immigration counter for people leaving with a vehicle (not the one in the house). Show your passport and your green book, then they give you a few forms which you have to complete (they are a bit confusing, but i think they don't really care if everything is 100% right, as long as the basics like your name and the chasis number of the bike are correct).

After you completed the forms you go back to the same counter, they stamp you out of Thailand and give you one of the papers back. You have to pay a few THB there, i don't remember it 100%, maybe 50.

Then you head over to the customs, give them your documents, and you get another paper from them. After this you can drive out, somebody will check your documents and if the chassis number of your bike matches and then you can go. You have to keep the papers that you got from them for when you come back to Thailand.

 

Then you drive over to Laos park your bike somewhere on the side and, get your Laos visa on arrival first at the regular counter where everybody goes.

After this you go to the counter for taking your vehicle into Laos. You give them all your documents, they ask you how many days you want to stay (again i think maximum 30 days), you pay some money (If you have Laos Kip that's cheaper, but they accept THB, somewhere in the range of 200THB) and they print a green paper for you. You then take this green paper to an official sitting outside who will stamp it before you can drive through. After you got this stamp you can take your bike and drive over, they want to see your passport and documents for the bike and then they let you go. You have to keep the green paper for when you leave Laos.

 

On the Thai side there are different counters for everything and on the Laos side as well. Especially when you go there the first time it's confusing, but on the Laos side it confuses me every time, even though i went through a few times (i have the feeling on the Laos side they tend to change them, but maybe i'm wrong).

After you have completed a step and need to head to another counter just show an official outside which documents you have and ask him where you have to go next, this is easier then running arround and waiting in queues for counters where you don't have to go ?

I can only second what chrissables and jackdd said. Regarding Laos: don't let them talk you into something along the lines of needing a tour guide or a company that "guarantees" for you. They (border staff!) tried to scam me on the Lao side before entry. The only things you need is what jackdd described but I would also take your greenbook translation from the DLT just in case you encounter someone difficult who requests it. Also don't forget to get insurance at the border - it's easy and fairly cheap.

For the NK crossing to Laos you need an engine bigger than 250cc

10 minutes ago, canopus1969 said:

For the NK crossing to Laos you need an engine bigger than 250cc

No

never seen any thai plates on motorbikes in vientiane laos and have put months at a time in there. if its so easy why do all the laos take the cross border buses when they all have cars or motorbikes? very few street walkers in vientiane just tourist who refuse to pay the ripporf tuktuk prices are the only ones walking. so no shortage of laos owned vehicles
have seen an occasional thai plated car though but very occasional given the proximity of vientiane to thailand

4 minutes ago, despicable alien said:

never seen any thai plates on motorbikes in vientiane laos and have put months at a time in there. if its so easy why do all the laos take the cross border buses when they all have cars or motorbikes? very few street walkers in vientiane just tourist who refuse to pay the ripporf tuktuk prices are the only ones walking. so no shortage of laos owned vehicles
have seen an occasional thai plated car though but very occasional given the proximity of vientiane to thailand

You could ask the Thais in the busses why they take the bus and don't drive, then you will know ?

Here are some reasons to choose from until then:

- Taking the bus is cheaper and more easy than taking a vehicle over

- Thais don't like to travel "far" distances on a motorbike, and just the distance from Nong Khai to Vientiane would be considered far by most Thais

- Most Thai cars are on finance, so they can't take them out of the country

- They might feel uncomfortable to drive on the other side of the road

But when you take your vehicle over you will also see many Thais doing the same, but i think there are much more Laos people crossing with vehicles than Thais

1 hour ago, canopus1969 said:

For the NK crossing to Laos you need an engine bigger than 250cc

Which would be funny because despite WTO pressure, officially (but not in practice) Laos still doesn't allow engines over 250cc to be imported/registered iirc.

i wager that most all the people on the buses are not thais but laos
cant see that laos has any appeal to thais as it is 50 to 100% more expensive while offering little that cant be had in thailand. cant say, i can recall anyone speaking thai in vientiane sure many laos know some thai but i am referring to a proper thai person to thai person thai dialog
whereas a quick day trip shopping expedition to the near by supermarkets in nong khai would be most appealing to laos and easily cover the low transport costs
one morning saw some of the thai produce being removed from a cross border bus, things like those kacky sandwiches of goo that one sees most everywhere in thailand were included

as an example of price asked a push cart lady how much for a normal size shaved coconut she says 15000 kip i say 10000 kip she says no and keeps going currently around 262 kip to baht so thats 15000/262= 57 baht you never pay this much for coconut even in charoenkrung/silom area of bangkok whereas in the province i frequently stay 15 to 20 baht is the norm