annual registration issue with van

[casey1]

Anybody else had an issue with the annual registration renewal/ tax sticker 

2013 VW van fitted out as a VIP transport  4seats in the rear and three in the front making 7 total, fitted out from new in this format

the original paperwork says 11 seater....

apparently most VW vans are originally paperwork stating 11 seats regardless if that or not ... some are saying actually most are imported as 3 seats across the front and bare in the rear to be completed by aftermarket companies

issue is as  2.5 ton vehicle it cannot go through the normal independent licensed safety inspectors, and when presented at the DLT office for safety check they want to see 11 seats.....

story told is can change from 11 to 7 seats but need to pay a fee based upon 40% of sale price ... but that's not at all clear or confirmed..

any one have comment?

[Kwasaki]

Difficult one that, I guess I would go back to VW and ask them for a letter confirming the vehicle complies with Thailand in explaining the model type to the DLT. 

[casey1]

Apparently this is due to less import tax being paid on 11 seats and up..... so to change to correctly represent the number of seats ..you need to pay the difference in import duties levied a time of import.... obviously you need to keep 8 seats and up to maintain a blue plate and thus lower annual plate fee..... have also heard you can change  to your number of seats at some point without having to pay the import duty difference but with no indication of what age the vehicle must be....

As  per normal the biggest challenge is sorting fact from fiction both from well intended Farang or Thai armchair experts... never-mind the mixed messages you get from the people whom should be in the know at DLT...

[casey1]

Problem solved after some head scratching....

Blue on white plate is private use more than 7 seats,  except most vw vans imported are imported as more than 10 seats and thus qualifying for less import duties... most were imported as van with front seats and then fitted out in the rear with the obligatory 8-9 seats to meet the license  requirements....

Many sub contractors were used by VW to do this, and then there are the well known Thaiyarnyon brand whom do their own....

As luck would have it we found a spare seat being offered by one of these sub contractor as new never been used..... turns out this was the original manufacturer of our seats in our van, and even more incredible, the seat offered matched style and colour of our seats ie was part of the original offering matching set fitted to our van...

 

Into the van it went  and VW got this right by being similar to airline seats and simply slide into the track and lock ....2 minute process

Away to the reportedly only heavy vehicle licensing check place outside government test sites on at least south side of Bangkok, which when we picked up the seat was told about... saved a lengthy drive back to Bangchak, our van is lwb and 2.5 tonne so cannot use normal test sites everywhere

First question have you got 11 seats.... yes we do.... then ok lets check and take photos as we have to submit to government as part of our proof we doing these checks

Then the normal obligatory safety checks brakes lights and exhaust

yay passed and can get our new registration/tax sticker...

More to the point how for the last 7 years has it managed to pass as everywhere we went there was extreme reluctance to be doing anything dishonest ...to the point where it was stated from the outset need to follow rules 100%.. and this is Thai presenting not farang

vw not the only vehicle having this issue so how do all the others cope with this is interesting problem......

[Yellowtail]

Well that worked out well!

[Yorkshire Tea]

18 hours ago, casey1 said:

 

More to the point how for the last 7 years has it managed to pass as everywhere we went there was extreme reluctance to be doing anything dishonest ...to the point where it was stated from the outset need to follow rules 100%.. and this is Thai presenting not farang

vw not the only vehicle having this issue so how do all the others cope with this is interesting problem......

I thought they only start with these checks after 7 years.  Same with cars & pickups - only need to get "tested" at 7 years old.

[casey1]

1 hour ago, Yorkshire Tea said:

I thought they only start with these checks after 7 years.  Same with cars & pickups - only need to get "tested" at 7 years old.

Absolutely the first 5 or is now 7 years no need for safety check, however my understanding was for the tax/ registration sticker you need the have the seats in the vehicle.... the guy at the DLT quite clearly said no point to even start at safety check if no seats...

 

[Yellowtail]

9 hours ago, Yorkshire Tea said:

I thought they only start with these checks after 7 years.  Same with cars & pickups - only need to get "tested" at 7 years old.

Unless you change what province you're registered in. To get the new tags, you have to get the safety check.