Red Number Plates for New Car Latest News

[vibration]

I live in Udonthani and last month I bought a new car Nissan X-Trail in Khon Kaen which was provided with temporary red number plates, a book for registering trips and a document confirming insurance and finance; my questions are as follows:

 

1. Can I legally drive the car in my home town Udonthani considering the car was bought in Khon Kaen and we do not have a letter from Khon Kaen Department of Land and Transport (DLT) giving permission to drive to another Provine Udonthani? (I have filled in the book for registering trips one time confirming that the car will be used daily in Udonthani for short essential trips).
2. Tommorow will be the thirtieth day for me driving the car on red plates; will it still be legal for me to continue driving the car on red plates after 30 days and for how long?.
3. How do I go about getting the permanent car number plates as soon as possible.
4. When a car is bought in another Province (Khon Kaen) can I get the car registered at Udonthani DLT or do I need to go to Khon Kaen DLT?
5. Am I legally insured to drive the car based on the above?.

 

Many thanks in advance for any help.

[Bramley]

I have hired cars with red plates at Suvarnabhumi and driven to Hua Hin, including being stopped at check points. The police didn't seem to care that I was driving in another province.

[fertilizer]

I bought a new car and was stopped 500 yards from the dealership. The police requested to check the book that goes together with the red plates. He complained when he noticed I had not filled in information about my trip. No fine, instead a nice smile returned to me. 

 

Had another car with red plates that I used for 3 months - until the dealer finally delivered the white plates. Never got stopped.

 

It all depends........ 555!

Edited April 18, 2020 by fertilizer

[jackdd]

2 hours ago, vibration said:

• Can I legally drive the car in my home town Udonthani considering the car was bought in Khon Kaen and we do not have a letter from Khon Kaen Department of Land and Transport (DLT) giving permission to drive to another Provine Udonthani? (I have filled in the book for registering trips one time confirming that the car will be used daily in Udonthani for short essential trips).
• Tommorow will be the thirtieth day for me driving the car on red plates; will it still be legal for me to continue driving the car on red plates after 30 days and for how long?.
• How do I go about getting the permanent car number plates as soon as possible.
• When a car is bought in another Province (Khon Kaen) can I get the car registered at Udonthani DLT or do I need to go to Khon Kaen DLT?
• Am I legally insured to drive the car based on the above?.

1. Officially no (in general nobody cares about it, but if the police needs money...)

2. Officially no, see above

3. Call your dealer every day, if getting the plates takes longer than a few days it is caused by him or by Nissan head office (they might try to blame somebody else, but this is just a lie)

4. The car goes in your name? What do you use as proof of address, yellow book, work permit, or certificate of residence from immigration?

5. Should be no problem, if in doubt call your insurance company.

[northsouthdevide]

I heard somewhere that you can drive in another province but not after 6pm. 

Trueor not, I don't know. 

 

[Pilotman]

4 minutes ago, northsouthdevide said:

I heard somewhere that you can drive in another province but not after 6pm. 

Trueor not, I don't know. 

 

not true.  I drive regularly between my province and the adjacent one, where my local Tesco happens to be,  outside of curfew hours.  Never had a problem and never been stopped at the very few road blocks. 

[NanLaew]

Red plated vehicles are supposedly restricted to their province of issue. Don't ask me why.

 

Red plated vehicles are supposed to be off the highway between 6 am and 6 pm. Don't ask me why.

 

Neither of the above is strictly observed or enforced across the country. Don't ask me why.

 

YMMV.

Edited April 18, 2020 by NanLaew

[blackcab]

A troll post has been removed.

[NanLaew]

3 hours ago, jackdd said:

5 hours ago, vibration said:

• Can I legally drive the car in my home town Udonthani considering the car was bought in Khon Kaen and we do not have a letter from Khon Kaen Department of Land and Transport (DLT) giving permission to drive to another Provine Udonthani? (I have filled in the book for registering trips one time confirming that the car will be used daily in Udonthani for short essential trips).
• Tommorow will be the thirtieth day for me driving the car on red plates; will it still be legal for me to continue driving the car on red plates after 30 days and for how long?.
• How do I go about getting the permanent car number plates as soon as possible.
• When a car is bought in another Province (Khon Kaen) can I get the car registered at Udonthani DLT or do I need to go to Khon Kaen DLT?
• Am I legally insured to drive the car based on the above?.

1. Officially no (in general nobody cares about it, but if the police needs money...)

2. Officially no, see above

3. Call your dealer every day, if getting the plates takes longer than a few days it is caused by him or by Nissan head office (they might try to blame somebody else, but this is just a lie)

4. The car goes in your name? What do you use as proof of address, yellow book, work permit, or certificate of residence from immigration?

5. Should be no problem, if in doubt call your insurance company.

The OP uses the term 'we' so assuming he has a Thai wife or partner, he should ask her for advice, not anonymous forum members.

 

But note that regardless of his height, haircut, time of day and what the cop had for dinner, red plates are legally capped at 30-days maximum use.

[fxe1200]

I had to threaten my Ducati dealer, that I will rescind from my contract, if he doesn't come up with the regular plates, this after riding with red plates for almost three months. After he received my letter, it took three days to change the plates.

[soi3eddie]

I bought a new Honda bike from a main dealer in Pathum Thani in February. The manager said it would take "up to 2 weeks" to get it registered and get the white plates from DLT at Morchit (as I live in Bangkok). No mention was made of red plates though I see many red plated bikes here in Hua Hin where I am now. I was keen to get my bike properly registered from day one so told the dealer I would not take it until it was registered. He thought that registering a bike to in a foreigner name (I have yellow book and pink ID card) would take longer for some reason. Turns out that most dealers use agents to go to DLT to do it for them. I had the registation, green book and white plates all done in two days as I had pushed the dealer to get it done quickly. I would imagine that once all the paperwork is collated, actual time at DLT to get registration book and plates can't be more than two hours. Anyone know the real reason why red plates are given (other than for vanity)?

[AgMech Cowboy]

4 hours ago, jackdd said:

How do I go about getting the permanent car number plates as soon as possible.

Mind, you, I live in Bangkok/Pathum Thani, but the last 2 cars my wife did not want to wait on the dealer, so she got them herself. I helped with the last one, but sadly, I do not remember the website and what all I had to do. My point is that you do not have to wait on the dealer. You can manage it yourself.

[Cricky]

Over the years I've had a few new cars bought 

This is hit and miss, it all depends on the cop and if he's interested. 

 

I have always been told don't drive after dark, don't leave the province. 

 

The car yard will call you once the your plate arrives. 

 

Once the car turns 7yo you need to get a roadworthy inspection every year. They won't check your car with another province plate. 

Again, this is my experience, I live in Pattaya. 

 

If you have 1st class comprehensive insurance you're covered. 

 

[jackdd]

1 hour ago, soi3eddie said:

Anyone know the real reason why red plates are given (other than for vanity)?

It's all about money (taxes and interest)

The exact procedures might of course vary, depending on the brand and how everything is handled, but the reason is about like this:

The dealer orders a vehicle from the head office, which is delivered to him with a payment period of maybe 2 months. So the dealer has 2 months time until he actually has to pay the head office for this vehicle (could be a vehicle which he wants to put in his showroom, or one which he sold already)

Because he didn't pay the vehicle yet, he doesn't get the documents required to register the vehicle. These documents are not issued by the head office itself, but the head office has to request them from the government, and upon requesting them they have to pay certain taxes for this vehicle.

 

If you go to a dealer and order a vehicle which they don't have in the showroom:

The dealer takes your money and just keeps it, preferably the whole two months before he has to pay the head office. Then the head office would also like to keep the money as long as possible before they have to pay the taxes for the car, so maybe they wait another month. Then finally they pay their taxes, get the required documents, send them to the dealer, who gives them to an agent who does the registration.

Of course it would be totally possible for the dealer to pay the head office as soon as he has your money, they pay their taxes and send the dealer the documents. The buyer could probably have the white plates within 2 days. But financially it's better for them to let you drive on red plates for as long as they can get away with.

 

If you buy a vehicle from the dealer which sits in their showroom:

You can be lucky and their two months payment period is over, so they paid the vehicle and got the required documents from head office already. All they have to do is register the vehicle for you, could be done within a day.

 

 

 

Edited April 18, 2020 by jackdd

[rwill]

They should have given a book also.  You are supposed to record in it when you travel to other provinces. 

 

If you requested specific numbers for the license plate it can take several months to get them back, like around 3 months.

 

Once you get your plates you should return the red plates and book to the dealer and get a refund for the deposit on them.

[fredob43]

I have had 3 new cars here all with red plates. The first one I had red plates for 3 months. 2nd from out of province got new plates 3 weeks later and had to change them at my local place. Took around 2 hours. The last one I got from a local dealer also had red plates and they were registered in BKK (I live 350km North of BKK) That meant I had to fill the book out everyday I went out.

 

Have I ever filled out any of the books well No, although I think you should. Never been stopped in or out of province. Or driving at night. There are rules of cause but no one seems to worry about it. Just keep the book and pencil with you in the car just in case.    

[dlclark97]

As long as you keep entering information in the book you are good to go.

In my time in Thailand I have bought five Colorado pickups.  My longest wait for the white plate was over six months but as someone said the problem with the delay usually rests with the dealership or their headquarters. Keep calling.

One thing is that you are not supposed to drive between sunset and sun up.  I got stopped once for this.  Probably as long as you are in your local area this may not be a problem.  Look around for others driving at night with red plates.

Most new cars come with one year of insurance.  You should confirm this with your dealer.  You may find the answer in documents received when you purchased the vehicle.  You may not remember the government said they were doing away with the red plates a couple of years ago.  Never happened but they may be more lenient now. 

[LukKrueng]

9 hours ago, vibration said:

I live in Udonthani and last month I bought a new car Nissan X-Trail in Khon Kaen which was provided with temporary red number plates, a book for registering trips and a document confirming insurance and finance; my questions are as follows:

As long as you have the book for the red plates you are fine. Really should fill in every trip but most people don't. As for the 6PM to 6am rule- not sure if it was removed already, but mostly not enforced. 

You can drive all over Thailand and if you insured the car you are insured. 

Dealers usually register cars in their own province so I find it hard to believe your filler can/ will register in another province. Basically it makes no difference for you, but you can always change plates in your province later. I never tried to do the registration process by myself, but for my current car I went to the dlt to select a number. Once selected and filled in the forms, the rest if the process was done through the dealer

Edited April 18, 2020 by LukKrueng
Adding: my current car is registered in BKK but I've been living in the north for the past few years

[ujayujay]

Nobody cares red Number Plates. I waitet more than 18 Months/25k km for the white. In this time I passed many Checkpoints in different Provinces, day and night. Was never was asked for the book, insurance, DL etc. For change to the white Plates, your Dealership is responsible. So if you are insured and have the Traffic Tax Sticker on the Front window, youre on the safe side.

Edited April 18, 2020 by ujayujay

[vibration]

Truly many thanks to all members for comments and recommendations. I complained to the Nissan Dealer today and was informed that I will get a copy of the Blue Book (the car is partly financed) next week and that the white plates will be issued next month. Nissan further stated that Khon Khen DLT are always very slow in issuing number plates and even more so now due to the Covid pandemic. Nissan also confirmed that my insurance is valid. To be hopefully more on the safe side if stopped by the Police I have updated the red plate driving log book with the reason for number plate issue delays including the Covid pandemic.

[a10ams]

The car I have just now was bought new in Feb 2013. I drove it on red plates for ten months until December 2013. This was due to me waiting on a certain number becoming available. Having said that, I made several trips from Hua Hin to Sakon Nakhon, through many road checks and not once was I questioned on the plates. In that ten months I never wrote anything in the travel log book. I also travelled at all times of day and night.

 

[Parsve]

You could be fined up to 10 000 baht after a month according to an article in the news we could not say, the article is from 2017. If you google; "Thailand car red plate how long". You find the article on the first page.

[no deal]

On 4/18/2020 at 8:29 PM, ujayujay said:

Nobody cares red Number Plates. I waitet more than 18 Months/25k km for the white. In this time I passed many Checkpoints in different Provinces, day and night. Was never was asked for the book, insurance, DL etc. For change to the white Plates, your Dealership is responsible. So if you are insured and have the Traffic Tax Sticker on the Front window, youre on the safe side.

thai people love red plate it show you have a new car! they want to keep the red plate for ever, that why you have to pay 4000tb to return the red plate to the dealer!

 

[a10ams]

On 4/18/2020 at 5:43 PM, rwill said:

If you requested specific numbers for the license plate it can take several months to get them back, like around 3 months.

I was ten months.

[pineapple01]

On 4/21/2020 at 7:32 AM, no deal said:

thai people love red plate it show you have a new car! they want to keep the red plate for ever, that why you have to pay 4000tb to return the red plate to the dealer!

 

All it ony Shows is that its on Finance, you pick a Cash one up with correct plates normally.

[NanLaew]

On 4/21/2020 at 7:32 AM, no deal said:

thai people love red plate it show you have a new car! they want to keep the red plate for ever, that why you have to pay 4000tb to return the red plate to the dealer!

 

A new car buyer pays a refundable deposit to the dealership for red plates. When the white plates are ready, the car buyer exchanges the red plates for the white ones at the dealership AND GETS THE DEPOSIT BACK.

 

You don't pay the dealership to return the red plates.

[pmarlin]

On 4/18/2020 at 5:22 PM, jackdd said:

It's all about money (taxes and interest)

The exact procedures might of course vary, depending on the brand and how everything is handled, but the reason is about like this:

The dealer orders a vehicle from the head office, which is delivered to him with a payment period of maybe 2 months. So the dealer has 2 months time until he actually has to pay the head office for this vehicle (could be a vehicle which he wants to put in his showroom, or one which he sold already)

Because he didn't pay the vehicle yet, he doesn't get the documents required to register the vehicle. These documents are not issued by the head office itself, but the head office has to request them from the government, and upon requesting them they have to pay certain taxes for this vehicle.

 

If you go to a dealer and order a vehicle which they don't have in the showroom:

The dealer takes your money and just keeps it, preferably the whole two months before he has to pay the head office. Then the head office would also like to keep the money as long as possible before they have to pay the taxes for the car, so maybe they wait another month. Then finally they pay their taxes, get the required documents, send them to the dealer, who gives them to an agent who does the registration.

Of course it would be totally possible for the dealer to pay the head office as soon as he has your money, they pay their taxes and send the dealer the documents. The buyer could probably have the white plates within 2 days. But financially it's better for them to let you drive on red plates for as long as they can get away with.

 

If you buy a vehicle from the dealer which sits in their showroom:

You can be lucky and their two months payment period is over, so they paid the vehicle and got the required documents from head office already. All they have to do is register the vehicle for you, could be done within a day.

 

 

 

Thanks your post answered a question I was ready to post/ask here. bought a new Ranger wildtrak on 29 Feb 20 , paid cash and still waiting for the white plates, car book and have been raising hell with the dealer. They have been giving all kinds of excuses like in the que, virus etc. I had a feeling the dealer was waiting to pay and your reply confirmed what I was thinking. Thanks 

[vibration]

On 4/18/2020 at 10:06 PM, vibration said:

Truly many thanks to all members for comments and recommendations. I complained to the Nissan Dealer today and was informed that I will get a copy of the Blue Book (the car is partly financed) next week and that the white plates will be issued next month. Nissan further stated that Khon Khen DLT are always very slow in issuing number plates and even more so now due to the Covid pandemic. Nissan also confirmed that my insurance is valid. To be hopefully more on the safe side if stopped by the Police I have updated the red plate driving log book with the reason for number plate issue delays including the Covid pandemic.

Some good news today as I received the Road Tax papers with the allocated car registration number sent from Khon Khen which I can attach to the wind screen. Hoping to get the corresponding white number plates delivered before the end of this month so that we can get them fitted in Udonthani. Travel to Khon Khen is restricted due to Covid-19 infections.

[XGM]

Got a new car today, dealer says we can register the car as early as Wednesday when the documents are ready. Well since it is the weekend waiting a couple of working days is certainly acceptable. As for white plates, they say "up to 45 days". Can't understand why that step should take so long.

[jackdd]

46 minutes ago, XGM said:

Got a new car today, dealer says we can register the car as early as Wednesday when the documents are ready. Well since it is the weekend waiting a couple of working days is certainly acceptable. As for white plates, they say "up to 45 days". Can't understand why that step should take so long.

This doesn't make sense, because when you register the car the DLT will issue the blue book and the white license plates. Red license plates are used for unregistered cars.

So if the car gets officially registered on Wednesday you will also get the white plates then, unless maybe you requested some special numbers.

Edited November 28, 2020 by jackdd