Expat car importing into Thailand ?

[spidermike007]

I have a friend who imported his BMW motorcycle into Thailand. Either an ex-pat is entitled to bring over one motor vehicle free of duty, or it has something to do with the Amity treaty, which relates only to Americans. He also have permanent residency here, which he was able to get due to his aeronautical expertise. It took him 27 months, about 30 visits to the land transport office, customs and other government agencies. They jacked him around to an unbelievable degree. Everyone wanted a handout, to get things done. He refused. In the end he got his bike. But, it was an incredible ordeal for him. 

[Jaxxper]

I think its possible if you don't mind dancing with the red tape, and have lots of dosh for the import fees etc.

I looked at it 8 years ago with two classic British sports cars I'd refurbished, and from a cost perspective it just wasn't worth it.

If the vehicle is near and dear to you, I'd have a logistics company look at the practicality , process and estimated costs for you, otherwise I wouldn't bother.

I do believe that high end cars cannot be imported anymore, but that's a vague recollection from scanning a news article a year or so back.

[DavisH]

On 6/1/2020 at 1:44 PM, aussie chris said:

Hi All 

Thanks for those replies it certainly answers my question.

Sadly it's obviously too prohibitive to do, with the crazy Thai import taxes !

Will just buy a Thai built Ford Ranger or something similar as they are taxed lower if that's still the case there ?

Hoping it is ?

Thanks for the good replies !

Are any of those replying to my post in Roi Et ?

 

Kind Regards

Aussie Chris.

Rangers, and pickups in general, are generally cheaper in Thailand than Australia. The are considered work vehicles so are taxed at a lower rate. 

What car were you thinking of importing? If its not something available in Thailand you will never be able to source parts locally and to local mechanics wouldn't know where to start with it. Note that servicing is cheapr and resale much better in Thailand (depending on the model), so that makes up somewhat for the initial higher purchase cost. 

[drbeach]

2 hours ago, StevieAus said:

Although your situation regarding the car might be slightly different I think you will find it’s all about protecting the car industry in Thailand and jobs something  that used to apply with tariffs ( taxes) on imports into Australia.

In those days not only did Australia manufacture cars, but white goods televisions, clothing, footwear etc.

Then someone came up with the brainwave that there should be a “ level playing” tariffs were reduced or removed and now no virtually no manufacturing industries in Australia.

Maybe Thailand has the right idea protect your own.

 

Yes but that doesn't explain why Thai made cars sold locally are so much more expensive than the same vehicles sold internationally.

Given the low wages, shouldn't a Thai made Toyota Corolla cost just 400,000 Baht, instead of 879,000? In Australia the starting price is THB 563,000 and the USA THB 623,000 for an entry level Corolla.

 

Tariffs are Ok if they're reasonable...but this is insanity. If the government lowered it's ridiculous taxes on locally made vehicles to a level that more people could afford them, they could still keep the higher taxes on imports (though lowering them a bit) and continue to protect their industry. It would be a win-win for both the industry and the government, because instead of say 1 million car sales annually (during a good year), potentially it could be 1.5 million, with most of the extra numbers being locally made vehicles.

 

And yet taxes keep going up...when I purchased my vehicle brand new at the end of 2013 it was 972,000 Baht. Now, the same vehicle (updated model) costs a whopping THB 97,000 more (THB 1,069,000)! It's the same car, with a few extra features added to reflect updated technology but aside from a couple of added gadgets, there's no difference!

[drbeach]

20 minutes ago, DavisH said:

Rangers, and pickups in general, are generally cheaper in Thailand than Australia. The are considered work vehicles so are taxed at a lower rate. 

What car were you thinking of importing? If its not something available in Thailand you will never be able to source parts locally and to local mechanics wouldn't know where to start with it. Note that servicing is cheapr and resale much better in Thailand (depending on the model), so that makes up somewhat for the initial higher purchase cost. 

Barely any cheaper though...I've done some comparisons and we're talking a difference in the tens of thousands of Baht at most.

 

I have a pickup and it's great; definitely agree with you that's the type of car you want. Other than that, if living in the cities and/or sticking to the main roads only, eco-cars are reasonably well priced too. Everything else, including pickup based SUVs are a rip-off.

[KhaoYai]

It used to be the case that secondhand vehicles could be imported subject to very high taxes but its no longer possible. There were some schemes such as CKD (completely knocked down) where taxes were substantially reduced but in practical terms, the ability to import a secondhand vehicle was made almost impossible unless you knew the right people and greased the right palms.  I believe that in 'certain' cases, the only thing that was actually CKD was the paperwork.

 

Some high end cars have clearly made it though but I'll leave it to your imagination as to how that was acheived. I find it hard to believe that people have paid 8 to 10 million (inc tax) baht for a high end Merc for example.

 

In any case I think it was either last year or 2018 - the government announced that such imports were banned with certain exceptions for utility vehicles such as fire engines etc.

[alacrity]

V6 Accords are fairly common in Thailand, with some being totally; Japanese manufactured and assembled. These were more expensive and less sought (by the masses) because of the higher duty payments.

Shop around in Thailand, there's probably quite a few available with 100km or so recorded.

 

Unless you have a really strong, sentimental attachment to your home vehicle, don't do it. The costs are/can be horrendous. I've imported a handful of bikes for sentimental reasons and (on average) paid around 300% of the purchase price to get them here.

 

If it was a 'cuda, I'd just buy an equivalence here. There are legitimate agents/dealers. And after all, I see many Bentleys when travelling around.

[KhaoYai]

8 hours ago, alacrity said:

I see many Bentleys when travelling around.

You won't be seeing any more - not secondhand ones anyway.

[zaZa9]

I recall  early last year that the Junta  made a move  to totally ban the import of 2nd hand cars , and also 2nd hand parts -upsetting collector car clubs.

Whether that idea became Law , Im not sure about.

[KhaoYai]

On 6/3/2020 at 4:47 AM, zaZa9 said:

Whether that idea became Law , Im not sure about.

I'm certain it did and that I read it on Thai Visa.  I don't remember anything about second hand parts though.

[drbeach]

On 6/3/2020 at 10:47 AM, zaZa9 said:

I recall  early last year that the Junta  made a move  to totally ban the import of 2nd hand cars , and also 2nd hand parts -upsetting collector car clubs.

Whether that idea became Law , Im not sure about.

Several neighboring countries such as Laos and Vietnam introduced similar laws years ago. I remember there used to be quite a brisk business in LHD vehicles that had been in wrecks, repairing them in Thailand and then transporting them to Laos. Most of these vehicles were just a few years old, but that still means they're used. Now the Lao government has a firm "no second hand cars" policy. Vietnam is unsurprisingly equally, if not more strict.

[alacrity]

On 6/3/2020 at 4:58 AM, KhaoYai said:

You won't be seeing any more - not secondhand ones anyway.

Why's that?

[KhaoYai]

42 minutes ago, alacrity said:

Why's that?

It is no longer possible to import secondhand cars/bikes.

[sirineou]

On 6/1/2020 at 2:40 AM, drbeach said:

How do they come up with such rip-off pricing? Thai consumers earn at least 7-10 times less than Aussies or Americans. Why are they paying a good 50% more for a car, and then get fewer features? It's outrageous!

I am no expert in this but if I understand it correctly A big part of the price of a car is tax 30-40%

Tax collection is difficult,because a big part of the economy is under the table,  and  tax paying  avoidance is a national sport in Thailand, so tax collection  is accomplished at  points of sale where it can't be avoided.

  

[drbeach]

14 hours ago, sirineou said:

I am no expert in this but if I understand it correctly A big part of the price of a car is tax 30-40%

Tax collection is difficult,because a big part of the economy is under the table,  and  tax paying  avoidance is a national sport in Thailand, so tax collection  is accomplished at  points of sale where it can't be avoided.

  

Yes I'm aware of that, but that's not logical. To boost the economy, car prices should be cheaper and so more consumers could afford to buy them and output at factories would be higher, too.

 

It is absurd to charge poor people more for the same product that richer people pay a lot less for.

[sirineou]

6 hours ago, drbeach said:

Yes I'm aware of that, but that's not logical. To boost the economy, car prices should be cheaper and so more consumers could afford to buy them and output at factories would be higher, too.

 

It is absurd to charge poor people more for the same product that richer people pay a lot less for.

I agree, mobility is essential toward increased productivity.  but the socioeconomic environment  in Thailand is not ready for a change in the tax collection  system yet.

 There is no such thing as a free lunch, and if Thailand was to abandon this revenue stream it would have to be made up elsewhere. The economy is an algebraic equation , any changes to one side has a direct and proportional change to the other side. If such changes need to be made they must be made incrementally as not to have  a large disruptive influence to large segments of the economy. I said "need to be made" because obviously the government does not think they need to be made at this time, 

Also consider the affect on traffic and pollution, lowering the price of cars will have in large population centers.    

[alacrity]

On 6/4/2020 at 7:41 PM, KhaoYai said:

It is no longer possible to import secondhand cars/bikes.

Yet it is possible for me to purchase a 1974 Camaro and be the first name on the Tabien for said vehicle next week.

An expensive transaction though.

Point being that it's still possible if you pay the full cost of duties.

[Don Mega]

On 6/3/2020 at 4:58 AM, KhaoYai said:

You won't be seeing any more - not secondhand ones anyway.

 

On 6/4/2020 at 7:41 PM, KhaoYai said:

It is no longer possible to import secondhand cars/bikes.

The ones for sale are no loner secondhand ?

[Lancashirelad]

Whenever the subject of vehicle importation comes up several posters always mention 300% import duty. 300% only applies to cars with large engines, without checking, might be over 2500cc.

The OP's car is 10 years old, so will qualify for at least 70% discount.

 

There is/was a moratorium on all used car permanent imports, it may still be possible to import a single personal vehicle, but I seem to recall a work permit is needed and you must have been living in Thailand at least 1 year.

 

OP needs to do his own research.

 

 

 

 

[bwpage3]

300% import tax or something crazy like that.

[Rdrokit]

As of Dec 31 2019 no used cars can be imported into Thailand. You can import a new car with about a 300% import tax. 

[Don Mega]

3 minutes ago, Rdrokit said:

As of Dec 31 2019 no used cars can be imported into Thailand.

Does that include temporary imports ?

[Rdrokit]

15 minutes ago, Don Mega said:

Does that include temporary imports ?

You could probably drive one in if you are on a tourist visa.

[alacrity]

16 hours ago, Lancashirelad said:

Whenever the subject of vehicle importation comes up several posters always mention 300% import duty. 300% only applies to cars with large engines, without checking, might be over 2500cc.

The OP's car is 10 years old, so will qualify for at least 70% discount.

 

There is/was a moratorium on all used car permanent imports, it may still be possible to import a single personal vehicle, but I seem to recall a work permit is needed and you must have been living in Thailand at least 1 year.

 

OP needs to do his own research.

 

 

 

 

Even a 74 Camaro meets that requirement.

[Susco]

On 6/5/2020 at 8:18 PM, alacrity said:

Yet it is possible for me to purchase a 1974 Camaro and be the first name on the Tabien for said vehicle next week.

An expensive transaction though.

Point being that it's still possible if you pay the full cost of duties.

Point being that a 46 year old vehicle get classified as a classic car instead of a second hand car

[alacrity]

9 hours ago, Rdrokit said:

As of Dec 31 2019 no used cars can be imported into Thailand. You can import a new car with about a 300% import tax. 

Define a used car with in relation to the definition of a purchased classic car. 

[Rdrokit]

16 hours ago, Lancashirelad said:

Whenever the subject of vehicle importation comes up several posters always mention 300% import duty. 300% only applies to cars with large engines, without checking, might be over 2500cc.

The OP's car is 10 years old, so will qualify for at least 70% discount.

 

There is/was a moratorium on all used car permanent imports, it may still be possible to import a single personal vehicle, but I seem to recall a work permit is needed and you must have been living in Thailand at least 1 year.

 

OP needs to do his own research.

 

 

 

 

As I said in a previous post you can not import any used car as of Jan 1 2020

[alacrity]

6 minutes ago, Susco said:

Point being that a 46 year old vehicle get classified as a classic car instead of a second hand car

 

6 minutes ago, Susco said:

Point being that a 46 year old vehicle get classified as a classic car instead of a second hand car

So, technically, some used cars are allowed. Not as stated in the post I responded to.

[Susco]

3 minutes ago, alacrity said:

 

So, technically, some used cars are allowed. Not as stated in the post I responded to.

I just found this,. but can not link to it because of forum rules. google is your friend

 

Imports of second-hand vehicles will no longer be allowed after Dec 9 this year as authorities step up curbs on fraud, irregularities, corruption and pollution, according to the Commerce Ministry.

Currently, people can bring in used cars from abroad but they have to apply for import permits from the ministry first.

The ministerial order on the ban, published in the Royal Gazette on June 13, takes effect 180 days later, or on Dec 10.

 

He said people seeking to briung in used vehicles from abroad must import them by Dec 9. “If all papers are in order, the department will take no more than 25 days to make the decisions.”

 

So your Camaro was probably imported before 9 December 2019

[Susco]

And here is one that can be linked

 

https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30378880

 

The directive, which was announced in July, comes into effect on December 10 and aims to reduce air pollution and improve safety on the roads.

“After December 10, all used vehicles imported for personal use will be confiscated and destroyed immediately,” he said. “There will be no auction of confiscated cars like in the past, and the owners will be fined a sum 5 times the imported value.”

Keerati added it is usually takes his department 25 days to approve import applications, so anyone planning to import a used car for personal should scrap the idea as the ban will take effect in 11 days.