Registering a used car

[HauptmannUK]

Wife (Thai) and I split our time between UK and Thailand. Been thinking about getting a car to use whilst in Thailand.

A good friend (Thai) has agreed to sell me his old Camry at a low price. I know the history of the car and I reckon its a good buy.

Probably easiest to register in my wife's name. Can the seller do the transfer on his own if we give him a copy of her ID card and blue house book? Wife can't go to the DLT office because we've got a flight booked back to the UK in the next few days. None of us knows the registration transfer process.

Also the car is on Bangkok plates. My wife's house book is for her condo in Jomtien. Where do we do the ownership transfer? Do we have to get Chonburi plates?

[jackdd]

If it's transferred in the name of a Thai the transfer can be done at any DLT, just the id card is needed. You will get plates of the province in which you register it.

Generally you need:

- Signed copy of id card

- Completed transfer ownership form

- Completed power of attorney form so that the friend can do the transfer alone

As always, different DLTs might have different requirements, i recommend to call the DLT where you plan to make the transfer to confirm this.

[Kwasaki]

8 hours ago, HauptmannUK said:

Can the seller do the transfer on his own if we give him a copy of her ID card and blue house book?

If the owner goes to the DLT office maybe I only know of the reverse situation. 

 

8 hours ago, HauptmannUK said:

Wife can't go to the DLT office because we've got a flight booked back to the UK in the next few days. None of us knows the registration transfer process.

It would worth effort if you still have a few days stillto go to the DLT office with the owner and get it sorted IMO.

 

8 hours ago, HauptmannUK said:

Where do we do the ownership transfer? Do we have to get Chonburi plates?

Everything is done at the DLT office, you can keep original plates if you want to. 

[jay1980]

On 9/19/2018 at 10:00 AM, Kwasaki said:

Everything is done at the DLT office, you can keep original plates if you want to.

yes, my car in registered in my Jomtien condo but still on BKK plates, I suggest keeping the BKK plates because with Chonburi plates you are more likely to be stopped at roadblocks if you go for long road trips far outside of Chonburi province than if you have BKK plates which could belong to a car locally registered in any province in Thailand.

[jackdd]

4 minutes ago, jay1980 said:

yes, my car in registered in my Jomtien condo but still on BKK plates, I suggest keeping the BKK plates because with Chonburi plates you are more likely to be stopped at roadblocks if you go for long road trips far outside of Chonburi province than if you have BKK plates which could belong to a car locally registered in any province in Thailand.

If you have Bangkok plates it means your car is registered in Bangkok, probably you meant that you updated your address, but this alone doesn't change where the car is registered.

[jay1980]

17 minutes ago, jackdd said:

If you have Bangkok plates it means your car is registered in Bangkok, probably you meant that you updated your address, but this alone doesn't change where the car is registered.

nah definitely registered at my condo in Jomtien, (I can read Thai and it is my Jomtien condo address in the blue book, also had a couple of speeding tickets from the camera on Highway 7 sent to my address  555). I bought the car used so it was previously registered in BKK, as the OP's car is I guess as he mentioned it was also on BKK plates.

 

bought the car from a tent in BKK and it had BKK plates over 3 years ago, the dealer asked if I wanted to keep the BKK plates or change to change to Chonburi plates, my Thai/American friend recommended I kept it on BKK plates for the reason I mentioned, and have driven it on road trips to the south of Thailand Sonkhla then Phuket and to the North, Changmai and several road trips to Essan and never been asked where I was going always just waved through checkpoints, my friend has a newer car than mine on Chonburi plates and when down south or in the north occasionally has been asked where he was going, where he was from etc, not a big deal but a minor inconvenience, hence my suggestion.

[johng]

13 minutes ago, jay1980 said:

bought the car from a tent in BKK and it had BKK plates over 3 years ago, the dealer asked if I wanted to keep the BKK plates or change to change to Chonburi plates,

You (or the dealer) did the name change in Bangkok ?      because its my experience that if you go to  Chonburi DLT they will want you to change provinces before changing names/owner..change of province means change of number plates too,that also means 2 or more trips to the DLT.

 

As in the OP's case its a Thai -Thai transfer  ( no need for certificate of residences)

everything may be able to be done in Bangkok and Bangkok plates kept ?

[johng]

On 9/19/2018 at 1:10 AM, HauptmannUK said:

Wife can't go to the DLT office because we've got a flight booked back to the UK in the next few days

If she can't get it done in time then maybe wait till next time you're back in Thailand to change ownership..your good friend could keep using the car  which will keep the battery in good condition ?   if the friend needs money first then insist you keep the cars blue book

and a copy of a "receipt of sale" and friends ID ( just in case)

[jay1980]

5 hours ago, johng said:

You (or the dealer) did the name change in Bangkok ?      because its my experience that if you go to  Chonburi DLT they will want you to change provinces before changing names/owner..change of province means change of number plates too,that also means 2 or more trips to the DLT. 

 

As in the OP's case its a Thai -Thai transfer  ( no need for certificate of residences)

everything may be able to be done in Bangkok and Bangkok plates kept ?

dealer handled the transfer, so I don't know TBH, I guess he had connections to do it to my preference, I am not a Thai national and provided a certificate of residences to him which I got from immigration jomtien soi 5as well as passport and visa copy. hope that helps

[HauptmannUK]

Thanks for all the replies.

My Thai friend has been making enquiries.  Apparently just a copy of my wife's ID and house book required. He can do the rest at BKK DLT. She doesn't need to attend. It will stay on BKK plates.

The guy works for the government in a reasonably senior position so I trust this information.

He will do the transfer and then drop the car at my wife's condo.

[jackdd]

19 hours ago, jay1980 said:

nah definitely registered at my condo in Jomtien, (I can read Thai and it is my Jomtien condo address in the blue book, also had a couple of speeding tickets from the camera on Highway 7 sent to my address  555). I bought the car used so it was previously registered in BKK, as the OP's car is I guess as he mentioned it was also on BKK plates.

I think you don't understand the difference between where the car is registered and on who

Your car is registered in Bangkok, if it were not you would not have a Bangkok license plate (look in your blue book on the first page of the "double page", it has the details of the vehicle and in the upper right corner it states the province in which it is registered, this will say Bangkok in your case)

But it is registered on you as the owner, with address in Jomtien (The second page of the "double page" in your blue book gives the details of your owner, with your address in Jomtien)