Car Import

[Samui Green Tree]

Hello All, 

 

Just a quick question re importation of a car in a Thais name.

 

I have a old classic back in Europe which I would love to bring into Thailand and use it as my weekend runabout. 

 

here is my question. 

 

My partner of 20+ years here in Thailand has a sister happily married with kids back in my home country.  A few years back I was told that a thai living abroad could import 1 car as long as its been in their name for more than six month in the country of origin ( Minimal import duty ) 

Is this True? Could I transfer my car into her name, fully insure it under her name then after 6 months or more have it shipped to Thailand. I would also fly her back to Thailand to receive the car on its arrival. 

I'm happy for the car to stay in her name here in Thai even tho she would have returned home to her family. 
is there such a thing as this loophole or is it more bar talk?? 

Thanks in advance. 

[TroubleandGrumpy]

Besides the rules that make doing that extremely problematic - there is the Thai Customs people and what they decide to do with the vehicle.  My understanding is that it is for a Thai who has been living overseas for more than 12 months (and owned it) and is moving back to Thailand.  Many have tried to get around it - the vast majority have failed. Post Covid I cannot see the Customs people being any easier to deal with - IMO two chances = none and buckleys.

I owned a car in Aust that I loved (Mercedes) and I wanted to bring it here in the wife's name. We lived in Aust for some years before moving back - so I checked it out a lot.  My advice - keep the photos and memories.    

[SAFETY FIRST]

41 minutes ago, Samui Green Tree said:

loophole

Good luck 

 

Keep us posted. 

[sirineou]

The customs people would love it. 

20 years in Thailand , 16 years a member of this forum, I never heard of anyone successfully and inexpensively bringing a car in Thailand.But  perhaps I missed it, has anyone else heard of anyone importing a car without paying an arm and a leg? 

[Korat Kiwi]

The same goes for motorbikes I believe.  I got a couple of bikes in NZ that would be great here. 

 

Bugger all chance of bringing them over.  Easy enough to take vehicles back tho. 

[itsallmine68]

Why is it always a "quick Question" and not a "Long drawn out question"??

[steve187]

you will not succeed in importing your 2nd hand car into Thailand, its not been allowed for some years, if it was possible there would be plenty of reports on people being successful.old car are imported from Japan, but they are bought in cut up, ie front end and rear end are cut apart

[fallup88]

Yes prior to 2019 it’s possible. They changed the law, no used cars allow only new cars. All the loop holes have been closed as well.

 

End of discussion.

 

I know several people who did so prior to 2019 legally, it wasn’t impossible. I’ve brought one used car in prior to 2019 also with the assistance of a grey market importer. Yes if you tried to do the whole process yourself, it would have been impossible.

[Tropicalevo]

19 hours ago, sirineou said:

The customs people would love it. 

20 years in Thailand , 16 years a member of this forum, I never heard of anyone successfully and inexpensively bringing a car in Thailand.But  perhaps I missed it, has anyone else heard of anyone importing a car without paying an arm and a leg? 

Yep. But it costs him a brown envelope on a regular basis.

He was allowed to keep his GB plate though.

Been here about 10 years now.

Edited March 12 by Tropicalevo

[Liverpool Lou]

20 hours ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

My understanding is that it is for a Thai who has been living overseas for more than 12 months (and owned it) and is moving back to Thailand. 

Agreed, and they have to have owned the vehicle overseas for a minimum of 18 months. 

[Liverpool Lou]

20 hours ago, Samui Green Tree said:

My partner of 20+ years here in Thailand has a sister happily married with kids back in my home country.  A few years back I was told that a thai living abroad could import 1 car as long as its been in their name for more than six month in the country of origin ( Minimal import duty ) 

Is this True? Could I transfer my car into her name, fully insure it under her name then after 6 months or more have it shipped to Thailand. I would also fly her back to Thailand to receive the car on its arrival. 

I'm happy for the car to stay in her name here in Thai even tho she would have returned home to her family. 

The car has (had) to have been owned/registered in her name for at least 18 months before she moves back to Thailand.

If the car is imported in her name, under a declaration that she is moving back to Thailand to live, and it then turns out that is false and that a foreigner is the full time possessor/driver of the car after she returned to her family overseas that would be an illegal import and the risk would be that the car would be confiscated and you may be prosecuted.

 

Having said that, I'm sure that legislation was introduced a few years ago to ban the personal import of all used vehicles.

[sirineou]

2 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Yep. But it costs him a brown envelope on a regular basis.

He was allowed to keep his GB plate though.

Been here about 10 years now.

I thin the brown envelope thing eliminated the "Inexpensive" part. 

[Ralf001]

2 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Yep. But it costs him a brown envelope on a regular basis.

He was allowed to keep his GB plate though.

Been here about 10 years now.

 

so imported before the clampdown.

[Tropicalevo]

1 hour ago, sirineou said:

I thin the brown envelope thing eliminated the "Inexpensive" part. 

Depends on ones definition of inexpensive.

Import tax back then for a Mercedes coupe would have been a very high number.

The brown envelopes were quite a few 0's less.

[Tropicalevo]

1 hour ago, Ralf001 said:

 

so imported before the clampdown.

Very true, but I was responding to the question "has anyone else heard of anyone importing a car without paying an arm and a leg?"

[sirineou]

1 minute ago, Tropicalevo said:

Depends on ones definition of inexpensive.

Import tax back then for a Mercedes coupe would have been a very high number.

The brown envelopes were quite a few 0's less.

So it was very expensive , and it became less expensive, 

But expensive by most peoples standards.

Now are there people with money to burn? I am sure. But most of us are not,nor do we want to engage in illegal activity that could land us in jail. 

 

[WayWokeWhiteGuy]

Have your wife contacted an auto transporter/importer, explain the situation and go from there. 

[Ralf001]

55 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

Very true, but I was responding to the question "has anyone else heard of anyone importing a car without paying an arm and a leg?"

 

I have several friends that have... it did not cost any brown envelopes but it was before the laws changed.

[crazykopite]

I had a Triumph Stag that I had owned for 20 years I enquired about importing it in 2005 it had to be in my name for 1 year which was I problem but when I saw the import duty it was far more than the car was worth and an even bigger issue was it was nigh impossible to get parts meaning if there was a problem with the engine then I would have to import parts which would be heavily taxed sadly I had no option but to sell and although I achieved a very good price for it sadly it was still less than the shipping costs and import duty 

[MangoKorat]

3 hours ago, WayWokeWhiteGuy said:

Have your wife contacted an auto transporter/importer, explain the situation and go from there. 

Pointless, the only previously used vehicles that are now allowed to be imported are those used for diplomatic, municipal and military purposes and they must be imported by the authorities that will actually be using them.

[doosyhindleg]

Impossible Man,

Just buy one here. 

All you need to know in the link :

5 months to import used cars into Thailand before ban hits | Coconuts

[Tropicalevo]

4 hours ago, sirineou said:

So it was very expensive , and it became less expensive, 

But expensive by most peoples standards.

Now are there people with money to burn? I am sure. But most of us are not,nor do we want to engage in illegal activity that could land us in jail. 

 

Most people do not want to import a classic car, which is what this thread is about.

Goodbye.

[sirineou]

8 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Most people do not want to import a classic car, which is what this thread is about.

Goodbye.

This thread is about importing a car now,

not what happened in ancient history. And the consensus is 

That in our current environment it is not easy and it is not cheap, in fact it has been report that there is a good chance that you might end up abandoning the vehicles in customs . 

I don't know any of these for a fact because I have never personally imported a vehicles but this subject appears in this forum with frequent regularity, and the consensus is alway the same , "don't do it.  " 

Now I understand that some thing have sentimental value, and if so someone might want to go through the trouble and cost , but they should be warned that there is trouble and cost associated. 

any way  . sure.. Happy trails 

 

[NanLaew]

14 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Depends on ones definition of inexpensive.

Import tax back then for a Mercedes coupe would have been a very high number.

The brown envelopes were quite a few 0's less.

 

Oh, I heard it was a Ford Anglia.

[DaRoadrunner]

There is a sign outside the Customs Dept that says "Free Zone." The sign is the only thing that's free!

 

Some say the chief of the Customs Dept is the richest man in the country.