Sell bike while not in Thailand?

[belfast3]

My friend (foreigner) wants to sell her bike and I'm interested in buying it - the problem is that she's no longer in Thailand.

The bike is in her friends garage, along with the papers, green book.
 

Is it possible to transfer the bike into my name if she's abroad and without a residency certificate? 

 

[CharlieH]

Probably need a letter from her and a copy of her passport.

Ask at the nearest LT office for confirmation.

[richard_smith237]

Yes.... She will need to post a few documents. 

 

Proof that she is out of the country: Signed Passport Copy and Exit Stamp page (signed).

Affidavit of sale (to sell the bike without her presence) - signed by your friend.

Proof of Sale (sales docuement) - Signed by your friend.

 

There are plenty of threads on this forum with info on this. 

[jippytum]

20 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Yes.... She will need to post a few documents. 

 

Proof that she is out of the country: Signed Passport Copy and Exit Stamp page (signed).

Affidavit of sale (to sell the bike without her presence) - signed by your friend.

Proof of Sale (sales docuement) - Signed by your friend.

 

There are plenty of threads on this forum with info on this. 

correct advice

[brianthainess]

I tried to transfer a car to my name once, had all the correct docs from the previous owner, who had gone back to Germany, "No cannot his visa finished !"???? "but he is not coming back and I have no contact !" "CANNOT !" I Just kept it in his name, insurance in my name.

Edited May 31, 2021 by brianthainess

[richard_smith237]

6 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

I tried to transfer a car to my name once, had all the correct docs from the previous owner, who had gone back to Germany, "No cannot his visa finished !"???? "but he is not coming back and I have no contact !" "CANNOT !" I Just kept it in his name, insurance in my name.

 

You probably just got a junior DLT officer who didn’t know the regulations but had an ego. Issues such as this for that very reason are not uncommon in Thailand. 

 

In your case 'visa finished’ is superseded with his Exit Stamp, Document of Sale and Signed Affidavit of permission of transfer (all signed documents need to be less than 1 month old).

 

In such circumstances it pays to remain polite but press for a senior officer to make a more informed decision. 

 

 

It is amazing how poor the training is and how commonly officers in these positions who really should know the regulations do not and have simply picked things up from a colleague - as such the regulations become distorted, the officers become misinformed, issues perpetuate until corrected. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Agusts]

Power of attorney letter to sell a vehicle is very important, I think that was mentioned above with a different name....

[richard_smith237]

24 minutes ago, Agusts said:

Power of attorney letter to sell a vehicle is very important, I think that was mentioned above with a different name....

 

I mistakenly used the phrase 'Signed Affidavit of Permission of transfer’  - you are correct, it is in fact a Power of Attorney letter

 

(copies of this letter can be found online, some ThaiVisa threads also have copies of the required documents)

[KhaoYai]

5 hours ago, brianthainess said:

I tried to transfer a car to my name once, had all the correct docs from the previous owner, who had gone back to Germany, "No cannot his visa finished !"???? "but he is not coming back and I have no contact !" "CANNOT !" I Just kept it in his name, insurance in my name.

Probably better not to show the visa/stamps - to the best of my knowledge, they are not required in a sale situation.  All you are doing is confirming the previous owner's ID, just as a Thai citizen is required to do using their Tabien Baan - their absence is dealt with by the Power of Attorney form.

 

The visa requirement is part of the regulations on vehicle ownership.  Officially, foreigners must hold a long term visa to register a vehicle in their name - although you will find variations on that.  I've heard of people being told they need a work permit and on the opposite side, I've also heard of tourists registering a vehicle....... T.I.T.

 

I transferred my bike, coincidentally from a German guy, who had moved to the Philippenes with just a signed copy of his passport main page and a signed Power of Attorney - no visa stamps.

[Agusts]

I don't remember exactly why I submitted the seller visa copy 4 years ago when I transfered a bike that I bought from my friend to my name - maybe he just gave it to me with his first page copy, it maybe required or not , not sure ....!

 

But in Phuket DLT they said the visa expired a few days ago and no can do....!!! My friend had left a week or so ago and I didn't think of this issue...

 

So the girl who did the work showed it to an older guy, then he went to the back and ask the boss while he was walking by..., he had a quick look and said it's okay , do it..., I thought got lucky there...! ????

 

As mentioned maybe drop it off the documents and maybe they don't ask for it ....????

 

[mrwebb8825]

9 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

I transferred my bike, coincidentally from a German guy, who had moved to the Philippenes with just a signed copy of his passport main page and a signed Power of Attorney - no visa stamps.

I bought a bike in Krabi from a friend of the owner who had already moved back to the states. They had gotten the checklist of documents needed from their local DMV. I bought it, rode it 1,000 km home and was unable to register it in my name (14 yrs ago so details are vague). Asked about registering it in my wife's name; "Oh, OK. We can do that". lol Same bike, same documents, same office, same supervisor. Good Luck

[KhaoYai]

9 hours ago, mrwebb8825 said:

Asked about registering it in my wife's name; "Oh, OK. We can do that". lol Same bike, same documents, same office, same supervisor. Good Luck

Which just goes to show that they really don't know what the rules are - in that case you could have transfrerred it to your wife and then from your wife to yourself ????.

Edited June 1, 2021 by KhaoYai