Temporary red car license plate restrictions.

[bkkdriller]

What are the latest temporary red car license plate restriction? I read in Bangkok Post and The Nation that you can not use a red plate beyond 90 days and that it is possible to get new car license plate within one day. But my Toyota car dealer is telling me that it can take up to 45 days to get the new car plate. Other (older?) restrictions include only driving during daylight and not allowed to go out of state. This would be ok if just for a few days but not if it takes more than a month to get a new plate. I also hear that you can drive out of state with a logbook? There is other contradicting info on the internet but some may be out of date. Any experience lately?

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

I was once told that the delay in getting the white plate is caused by the dealer having to pay off inventory financing of the vehicle before title can be transferred to the buyer. If this is the case, it could be either the finance company dragging things out or the dealer using your money as a short-term loan, or both. I don't think the DLT is the problem. 

 

I was stopped some years back upon entering the expressway and was advised I needed to log all trips and was not supposed to use the expressway with red plates on the car. The very polite police officer was pleased to accept my token of appreciation of 200 baht for his informative chat and I was allowed to proceed without further inconvenience and in a much better-informed state.

 

I think the restriction on night-time and out-of-province driving is still in force. At least I haven't heard that it has changed. I will of course defer to those who may have more up-to-date information.

 

 

 

[herfiehandbag]

Don't see that many red number plates these days - it is either red plates with the dealers name on them, or no number plates at all!

 

Three Lamborghini's in convoy  roared through town this morning, none had number plates. 

 

Probably coppers on their way to a conference...

[yeahbutif]

So it seems don't have a red plate .. don't have a plate at all..is best ... how stupid can this get..

[transam]

Not sure if it has changed, but you can use red plates for 30 days, after that it is an offence.

You can go to LTO for a covering letter if your plates have not turned up.

 

I assume no plates is an offence in its self, but like most things in LOS, the BiB don't do much..

[CharlieH]

M9VED TO MOTORING

[bkkdriller]

39 minutes ago, transam said:

Not sure if it has changed, but you can use red plates for 30 days, after that it is an offence.

You can go to LTO for a covering letter if your plates have not turned up.

 

I assume no plates is an offence in its self, but like most things in LOS, the BiB don't do much..

You are right: I read in Bangkok Post and The Nation that you can not use a red plate beyond 30 days (not 90 as I stated earlier, typo). But it usually takes longer than 30 days to get the new plate, hence my question.

[Odinrex]

Buying a new Honda Civic in Bangkok next week, I live in Hua Hin and intend to go straight home on red plates - Dealer say "No Problem"...

 

[petermik]

Fill the Red plate log book before you set off on your journey and you`ll be fine....but if an assh.le of a cop stops you then have a couple of hundred baht handy 555.

[Moonlover]

48 minutes ago, bkkdriller said:

You are right: I read in Bangkok Post and The Nation that you can not use a red plate beyond 30 days (not 90 as I stated earlier, typo). But it usually takes longer than 30 days to get the new plate, hence my question.

Just by chance I've been watching the license renewal training video from DLT which states 30 days and not more than 3,000kms. Nothing was said about out of province or nighttime driving.

[ThaIrish Sean]

2 hours ago, Moonlover said:

Just by chance I've been watching the license renewal training video from DLT which states 30 days and not more than 3,000kms. Nothing was said about out of province or nighttime driving.

You watched the video without falling asleep like the rest of us? Amazing ????

[Moonlover]

1 hour ago, ThaIrish Sean said:

You watched the video without falling asleep like the rest of us? Amazing ????

Time wasters. Don't you just love 'em. NOT!

[richard_smith237]

Awwww noooo...,....  Another red plate thread.....   

 

There is one thing we must be thankful for....  Without the red plates there wont be any reason for someone to post a comment that they (owners of cars with red plates) are showing off that they have a new car !!! ????

[HashBrownHarry]

I remember being given a notebook of some description to fill in of my journeys and show the dibble when pulled over.

 

Sure it was something to do with going into another province.

[transam]

16 hours ago, Odinrex said:

Buying a new Honda Civic in Bangkok next week, I live in Hua Hin and intend to go straight home on red plates - Dealer say "No Problem"...

 

Dealers charge a deposit for the red plates as they belong to the garage, think it cost me 3000bht which is returned when you collect the blue book and white plates...

[Moonlover]

13 hours ago, ThaIrish Sean said:

You watched the video without falling asleep like the rest of us? Amazing ????

Before you come up with one your nerdy comments in future try getting the facts right. Go visit the thread below and read the 1st paragraph by @billd766

 

[Odinrex]

1 hour ago, transam said:

Dealers charge a deposit for the red plates

That's right Transam, was 3000b. BTW, do you know if I get the white plates from the dealer later, or do I have to go to the Transport Office? Would be good if I could avoid that. 

[transam]

9 minutes ago, Odinrex said:

That's right Transam, was 3000b. BTW, do you know if I get the white plates from the dealer later, or do I have to go to the Transport Office? Would be good if I could avoid that. 

When I bought a new car the dealer called us to collect the blue book and white plates, they took the red plates off and fitted the white ones and finished all the paperwork, etc.

[Woof999]

A few people I know keep their red plates on for as long as possible (6 months+ potentially) for that "look at me, I've got a new car" sense of pride they get from it.

 

Almost as bad as people who don't check their oil! ????

[richard_smith237]

36 minutes ago, Woof999 said:

A few people I know keep their red plates on for as long as possible (6 months+ potentially) for that "look at me, I've got a new car" sense of pride they get from it.

 

Almost as bad as people who don't check their oil! ????

 

Bingo !!!! - we have a winner !

 

I suspect the oil warning lights work on vehicles with red plates...  If they follow the maintenance schedule that is ????

 

 

 

15 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

There is one thing we must be thankful for....  Without the red plates there wont be any reason for someone to post a comment that they (owners of cars with red plates) are showing off that they have a new car !!! ????

 

 

[richard_smith237]

I don’t trust the dealers to get the white plates in a reasonable time frame. 

 

The last 3 cars (and motorcycle) I’ve had... I’ve gone to the DLT myself,  booked the number... then given the dealer the registration receipt from the DLT who gets gets the white plate made.

 

 

(note - it is this part of getting a new car in your own name (as a foreigner) that the Affirmation of Address / Certificate of Residence is required)

[HarryWho]

We bought a new Ford Explorer in Bangkok in November from a Ford dealer.  Still no white plates.  I have driven it to some different provinces without knowing that was an issue.  I have gone through dozens of check points, which could have been trouble because we were outside of our home province.  I don't drive it at night.  My Thai wife bought the truck in her name, I am Farang, and I am the only driver.  I hate the red plates, precisely because it says "steal me, I am brand new".  I want the white plates!  I see that going to the DLT was recommended.  I guess I will try that next.  Is it the dealer or buyers responsibility to acquire the white plates?  The dealer keeps saying they are working on it.  Thanks for this thread, I will look back at some of the older threads too.

 

[tonray]

22 hours ago, transam said:

Not sure if it has changed, but you can use red plates for 30 days, after that it is an offence.

You can go to LTO for a covering letter if your plates have not turned up.

 

I assume no plates is an offence in its self, but like most things in LOS, the BiB don't do much..

Today is day 32 for me..uh oh...ha ha ha

[TigerandDog]

bought a new car last February. Took 2 months for the white plates to be available. Did not keep any log books and regularly drove out of province and passed through numerous check points in both directions, for 2-3 days at a time while on the red plates, and was never stopped by the police or army.

[Luuk Chaai]

Buying a new Honda Civic in Bangkok next week, I live in Hua Hin and intend to go straight home on red plates - Dealer say "No Problem"...

 

Option,,  instead of dealing with Bangkok ..... there's a Honda dealer on Petchkasem Rd in Pranburi ... nice friendly staff, they even let us pick up our car on a Sunday when the  dealership was closed

[bobthebuilder1651]

I drove on red plates for more than 2 years, never had a problem!

[richard_smith237]

2 hours ago, HarryWho said:

I see that going to the DLT was recommended.  I guess I will try that next.  Is it the dealer or buyers responsibility to acquire the white plates?  The dealer keeps saying they are working on it.  Thanks for this thread, I will look back at some of the older threads too.

Its the dealers responsibility to get the white plates... realistically, its a job that takes a couple of days max. 

 

The issue is that the dealer doesn’t want to go to the DLT to register one car, they wait until they have a handful to register. 

 

Alternatively, IF you are in Bangkok, you can go to the DLT yourself.... (at ChatuChak - link below) - 4th Floor (if I remember correctly) and queue up to choose your number (usually about 5 mins)... Select 3 ‘favjouate’ number options... the staff will note them down for you. 

Then queue up again (same area) and await a DLT officer to identify if that number still available, if it is, show your Proof of Address, ID, proof of purchase....  and they’ll issue you a receipt.

Take the receipt back to the dealership - they will have the plates made. 

 

I’ve done this exact process with a couple of cars and couple of motorcycles. 

 

 

 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Department+of+Land+Transport/@13.7981071,100.5529703,17.8z/data=!4m9!1m2!2m1!1sDLT!3m5!1s0x30e29d895b19cfa9:0xfe378b649909a9f7!8m2!3d13.798566!4d100.5534437!15sCgNETFSSARFnb3Zlcm5tZW50X29mZmljZQ

 

[PETERTHEEATER]

2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Its the dealers responsibility to get the white plates... realistically, its a job that takes a couple of days max. 

 

The issue is that the dealer doesn’t want to go to the DLT to register one car, they wait until they have a handful to register. 

That is absolutely the problem. The DLT can issue the Blue book and new plates within a couple of days dependent on workload. The DLT see this as illegally deferring road tax revenue.

[DJ54]

Bought new car no red plates just dealer advert plate. Took a couple of months to get plates. 

Dealer called and advised to come get plates and they installed. One stop at check point of many

with no plates officer looked in to check odometer.. nothing was said. 

[phetpeter]

I understood that few years back, red plates were stopped, The red plates you get now are nothing more than a dealership thing! just make sure you have receipt for car and insurance and you are good to go without the plates while waiting for them to arrive.