Red Plates

[Sheryl]

Can anyone confirm that the law regarding driving with red (trade) plates has been revised and it is now permitted to drive out of province? I saw a post to that effect but no link.

 

I am trying to by a new car but dealer is claiming it will take 30-45 days to get the permanent tags. Claims they have to send paperwork to Hind HQ then get c=something back first hence even doing it on my own would not be an option.

 

Rekated to this: If I but=y rom a dealer nto in my province (e.g. Bangkok) would they be able to arrange the registration where I live?

[Don Mega]

Thought one was always allowed to drive out of province but the log book must be filled in each time.

 

FWIW I purchased 2 brandnew cars over the past 10 yrs, both in BKK, Both with BKK plates... Vehicles lived in Chonburi, No Issue at all with the police whilst on reds.

 

Somewhere in a box ive still got a set of red plates and log book, Vehicle dealership posted me my white plates and I forgot to send back the reds !!

[Matzzon]

They never cared about the law regarding that. Have been driving with red plates all over thailand with about 6 different cars and estimated total time of 1 year. Nobody ever said anything.

[Sheryl]

Even when stopped at a checkpoint? I have to pass 2 checkpoints 9where all cars are stopped) on way to Bangkok....

[dsj]

I don't know why they can't give you your regular plates right away. In British Columbia, Canada as soon as you buy a car new/used you can go straight away to an agent and get your permanent plates. Also you can chose what ever plates the agent have available.

[Don Mega]

4 minutes ago, dsj said:

I don't know why they can't give you your regular plates right away. In British Columbia, Canada as soon as you buy a car new/used you can go straight away to an agent and get your permanent plates. Also you can chose what ever plates the agent have available.

 

Thats awesome.... and holds no relevance to Thailand.

[pattaya1234was]

I think I am the only person who has been fined for going out of Province. I had Red Plates from Honda in Pattaya but no book for the plates. I was stopped at the toll gates on the elevated road into Bangkok and was told to follow the m/c traffic police. Of course they sped off and I was left in the traffic queue . I spent the next hour trying to find a police station, having exited the expressway. I was eventually fined 200 baht which I got back from Honda!  A total waste of a morning.

[LukKrueng]

7 minutes ago, pattaya1234was said:

I think I am the only person who has been fined for going out of Province. I had Red Plates from Honda in Pattaya but no book for the plates. I was stopped at the toll gates on the elevated road into Bangkok and was told to follow the m/c traffic police. Of course they sped off and I was left in the traffic queue . I spent the next hour trying to find a police station, having exited the expressway. I was eventually fined 200 baht which I got back from Honda!  A total waste of a morning.

If you had no book with the plates they were probably fake. Not sure if they still do it, but years ago some dealers delivered more cars than they had official plates for, so they'd give fake plates with no book to some of the buyers

[AhFarangJa]

Sheryl, there is no problem driving anywhere, but the red plate book must be filled in on a daily basis. Our supplier told us to log the journey daily in pencil, but simply change the date daily, ( that was for trips into town, etc.)

Just for your info we bought our truck in Surin, and drove to Hua Hin were we spend most of the time. 

I do remember being told you were not supposed to drive at night, but we were never challenged about that one at road blocks.

[kwak250]

1 hour ago, dsj said:

I don't know why they can't give you your regular plates right away. In British Columbia, Canada as soon as you buy a car new/used you can go straight away to an agent and get your permanent plates. Also you can chose what ever plates the agent have available.

 

54 minutes ago, Don Mega said:

 

Thats awesome.... and holds no relevance to Thailand.

 

Wesley snipes birthday is today.

 

Just another irrelevant fact.

[Ombra]

When our car had red plates, we got fined 300 baht because my wife forgot to fill in the log book when we left the province. The rules are clear and it is easy money for a policeman.

[UncleMhee]

44 minutes ago, kwak250 said:

Thats awesome.... and holds no relevance to Thailand.

 

44 minutes ago, kwak250 said:

Wesley snipes birthday is today.

Guess that all depends on where you're residing.....Here in LOS it's 1 August. Wesley's birthday is 31 July.

[soi3eddie]

I bought a brand new Honda motorcycle in February this year. Due to travel plans at the time, I told the dealer that I would only accept delivery of it and pay the balance if it had permanent plate. Dealer told me maybe it will take 3 weeks plus. I called BS and told him that it will take less than 2 hours at DLT. Turns out that dealer uses an agent to go on their behalf to do registration, maybe they try and group a number of registrations at same time to save money. He also tried to tell me because foreigner owner will take longer. Again I called BS and told him to get on with it, sooner you get it done sooner you get paid. Gave him copies of all my documents. He got it registered with permanent plate within 3 days!

Edited August 1, 2020 by soi3eddie

[SomchaiCNX]

2 hours ago, dsj said:

I don't know why they can't give you your regular plates right away. In British Columbia, Canada as soon as you buy a car new/used you can go straight away to an agent and get your permanent plates. Also you can chose what ever plates the agent have available.

In some places they are fast but it depends on the dealer. Some dealers don't pay for the cars on time or are to lazy to do all the paperwork for one car only etc.

 

[rwill]

As mentioned already when you get the red plates you should get a log book too.  Before any out of province trips fill it out (and as also mentioned they ask for you to use pencil,  So they can erase them later and keep reusing the same book I assume).  Normally you pay a deposit for the red plates and book and get it back once you return them.  

 

When I had red plates I was stopped at about 5 checkpoints.  Only once did they ask about the book.  Showed it to them but they never actually looked at it.

 

If you make a special request for plate numbers it can take a few months to get your plates.  You have to wait in line for your numbers to come up.

 

There are other laws about red plates, such as not driving when dark, but they are pretty much ignored.

[worrab]

2 hours ago, dsj said:

I don't know why they can't give you your regular plates right away. In British Columbia, Canada as soon as you buy a car new/used you can go straight away to an agent and get your permanent plates. Also you can chose what ever plates the agent have available.

I think, and I am sure I will be corrected if wrong, it is to do with paying of taxes by the dealer. Once these taxes are paid then they can get the white plates, hence delays.

[cnx355]

Just get the red plates and the log book.

 

Fill the log book if you drive out ou province.

 

I drove many time Chiangmai to Pattaya and return and was asked the book twice on road blocks.

 

As soon as the policeman see I have the book they let me on my way. 

The first one checked if the book was filled, the other one no.

[NotEinstein]

Dealers string out registering new vehicles because the buyer pays the 100,000? tax, and they can bank it for a few months. There is no other reason for the dealer to not complete the process within a day or two.

The issue with this behaviour is that many people are driving around in unregistered vehicles, so technically breaking the law. When the dealer eventually does the registration, it is not back-dated to the time of purchase. Its likely that insurance companies would think twice about any claims in such a situation.

[bodga]

Thought you could drive  out  of  province but  not when its  dark, whole things a bloody   joke anyway, like something out of  the ark, why they dont  just   sell cars with numbers from the get go  held at the dealers like in the UK, red  plate  rubbish, just another  look at me fashion statement for many

[NanLaew]

Once the sale is agreed and money is paid, there's absolutely no need for anything to go to a dealer's 'head office' let alone take more than the 30-days street legality of red plates.

 

FWIW. it's probably 18 months since the police said that red plates were no longer required but I don't recall seeing anything official in that regard.

[Grusa]

I see ever increasing numbers of vehicles with no plates at all. Most of these are obviously brand new, many are high-end imports. Is this another "don't you know who I am?" situation?

[Parsve]

A friend of mine bought a new car five years ago. With red plates, they leaved Chonburi to travel to his gf:s home village. There they was stopped at a checkpoint and get a fee of 6000 baht. 1000 baht for each province border they had passed. No one had told him that he had to fill in the book.

[Don Mega]

2 hours ago, UncleMhee said:

 

Guess that all depends on where you're residing.....Here in LOS it's 1 August. Wesley's birthday is 31 July.

ha, beat me to it !!

[Don Mega]

55 minutes ago, Parsve said:

A friend of mine bought a new car five years ago. With red plates, they leaved Chonburi to travel to his gf:s home village. There they was stopped at a checkpoint and get a fee of 6000 baht. 1000 baht for each province border they had passed. No one had told him that he had to fill in the book.

 

he got stooged, the fine aint anywhere near that amount.

 

He should have read up on the rules and fine and stood his ground.

 

The police back down real quick when they know they are trying it on.... don't raise your voice though cause they aint shy pulling a gun if feeling threatened, then life gets more difficult.

Edited August 1, 2020 by Don Mega

[pineapple01]

Dealers have a day when someone goes to register new plates.If you collect a new Car and is payed for you can go yourself and get the new plate, I do because i have sod all else to do in the Boonies. Nip back to dealer n let em slap em on.

[DaftToPutRealName]

5 hours ago, dsj said:

I don't know why they can't give you your regular plates right away. In British Columbia, Canada as soon as you buy a car new/used you can go straight away to an agent and get your permanent plates. Also you can chose what ever plates the agent have available.

It's another way for people to flex on how rich they are with a brand new car - I assume there's very very very little desire to phase out another culturally driven social status indicator.

[Sheryl]

2 hours ago, cnx355 said:

Just get the red plates and the log book.

 

Fill the log book if you drive out ou province.

 

I drove many time Chiangmai to Pattaya and return and was asked the book twice on road blocks.

 

As soon as the policeman see I have the book they let me on my way. 

The first one checked if the book was filled, the other one no.

 

Thanks, just what I needed to know.

 

I do have the option of waiting to pick up the car until the white plates are ready. but as I would have to pay in full first my concern is that the dealer might then take forever and I'd have no leverage.

[Sheryl]

16 minutes ago, pineapple01 said:

Dealers have a day when someone goes to register new plates.If you collect a new Car and is payed for you can go yourself and get the new plate, I do because i have sod all else to do in the Boonies. Nip back to dealer n let em slap em on.

 

Thanks - can you describe what exactly I need to get from the dealer to go and do this?

 

The dealers out where I am are claiming it takes so long because they have to send paperwork to Honda HQ in Bangkok first and get something back before they can register the plates.  ??

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

Once the sale is agreed and money is paid, there's absolutely no need for anything to go to a dealer's 'head office' let alone take more than the 30-days street legality of red plates.

 

 

 

That is what I thought too, but 2 separate dealers have now said this.

[Sheryl]

2 hours ago, NotEinstein said:

Dealers string out registering new vehicles because the buyer pays the 100,000? tax, and they can bank it for a few months. There is no other reason for the dealer to not complete the process within a day or two.

The issue with this behaviour is that many people are driving around in unregistered vehicles, so technically breaking the law. When the dealer eventually does the registration, it is not back-dated to the time of purchase. Its likely that insurance companies would think twice about any claims in such a situation.

 

A very good point.