I am about to sell my Vigo and wondered what the legal requirements are.

I have a Thai showing interest, in which case I shouldn't have to worry too much about what is needed, but would be great if anyone has a checklist of points and any advice.

I understand that the seller must show proof of residence, or a work permit, is this insisted upon? What happens if my work permit expires before the vehicle is sold and I'm here on a normal tourist visa ... in theory I shouldn't then be allowed to own the car?!

Do I have to pay any fees to transfer ownership, I read somewhere that around 10,000 Bt is payable? If so, is this usually accepted as being down to the seller or purchaser?

How long does it take to go through paperwork once sale is agreed, or is it just a case of taking the money for the car, handing it over and leaving the rest to the buyer?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Hi Patrick,

You will have to give the buyer (regardless of their nationality) a copy of your passport/visa (signed) and a copy of your work permit (signed) or residency document (if you have no WP).

If the buyer goes to transfer it into his/her name after your WP is finished, the transport office will still accept it (well, they did when I was the buyer and the seller's WP had expired - but hey, TiT)... so you shouldn't have to buy a residency document just for the purpose of selling the car.

If the buyer has neither a signed WP copy nor a residency letter, they (the govt office) probably won't let the person make the transfer.

You don't have to pay anything to transfer - all the cost is on the buyer.

You will have to fill out and sign some transfer documents that you can find here on TV somewhere (I posted a few months ago the documents needed and left links to the Thai govt website to get them, so I recommend spending a bit of time and going back to find my post - sorry, don't remember the name - and printing them out).

You will have to sign the ownership book too.

You give the buyer the docs that you'll signed/filled out and they do the rest. They have 30 days to complete the transfer.

Oh, also, type up a receipt with the date and the price etc. of the vehicle

(if you can, type up your name and address and the buyer's too if possible) and get the new buyer to sign that as well as you. He'll need proof of purchase anyhow for the transfer, and you'll want a copy too... just in case he 'buys your car' and ram raids it into the local bank a few hours afterwards!

Sorry for the wordy reply, it's not too bad to sell. Honest.

Cheers

James

James, wordy replies always more than appreciated, you could have just skipped past my post and thought you couldn't be bothered to reply, or had better things to do like having a beer. I'll have a look for the documents link you posted, I did a search and trawled back over quite a few pages trying to find this info, but probably used the wrong search words ... thought 'selling' would find it. Thanks for your time in responding.

Patrick