Has anyone tried importing a second hand car into Thailand? What are the duties payable? How does one go about getting it licensed etc?

Up near the top of this page is a SEARCH button. Click on it and try a two minute search. To save you the time, here is the answer.....

DONT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.

Cheers

This question pops up from time to time on Thaivisa. To the best of my knowledge, no-one has ever claimed to successfully import a second-hand car into Thailand. (I did manage to import a second-hand tractor......)

Simon

I have seen around where I live 5 older German cars, ALL LHD, [3 still have the 'D' sticker on the back] ALL with Thai plates and 2 LHD American cars

On Nontaburi road there is a hugh dealer in American cars anything from the 1940 - 1990 must be over 2,000 cars there for sale

So it must be done

there is a world of difference between the importation by a "huge dealer" and the importation by a foriegn individual.

it cant be done.

many came in discreetly overland from vietnam or laos years ago , and D stickers can be bought for 5b at any market.

so be told.

there is a world of difference between the importation by a "huge dealer" and the importation by a foriegn individual.

it cant be done.

many came in discreetly overland from vietnam or laos years ago , and D stickers can be bought for 5b at any market.

so be told.

Err not so........ I know 4 of the 5 German cars, 3 are Germans, 1x is Thai that worked in Germany, the 5th have no idea but the guy is white that drives it and would say only in his 40's. they came here with there cars, and still drive them,

there is a world of difference between the importation by a "huge dealer" and the importation by a foriegn individual.

it cant be done.

many came in discreetly overland from vietnam or laos years ago , and D stickers can be bought for 5b at any market.

so be told.

Can't be done? or can't be done without paying so much in import duties and expenses that you might as well buy in Thailand?

Can't be done? or can't be done without paying so much in import duties and expenses that you might as well buy in Thailand?

i stand corrected , it might have been easier and cheaper years ago when second hand cars attracted little tax , but nowadays it makes little sense to even try.

If you look at the Thai Customs web site there are 100’s of cars ‘For Sale’ that have been impounded …… For me would always wonder if it would be sized at any time.

The taxes and duties payable are horrendous. Look at customs.go.th website

A few greedy people at Customs ruin it for everybody.

If they like your car, there is a good possibility they will want to keep it or sell it.

If they don't like it, they will tax you so high it won't be worth it.

This is pretty much the way all gov agencies work. Exploit the position. Jerk people around, take their money.

The people that make it to the top are getting rich.

Thanks for the info, much appreciated.

I did try searching, but the word car is not allowed as a search term, and just using import throws up many hundred of results

It is possible, according to the regulations (and even for companies) but, and as usual in Thailand, there is a "land" between the texts and the reality on the ground.

Check this very interesting paper : Research on Second Hand Car Trading in the ASEAN Region: Market of Thailand (doc file here)

(or if you can't access it, type "import car second thailand" within Google)

Here are the figures for the whole country :

2000 : 20 passenger cars (second hand) imported

2001 : 28

2002 : 20

This paper explores the regulations.... It's hilarious and surreal as well.

It shows exactly how the the thai authorities are working (the Customs are not responsible, the governement is) : they will allow something on the paper (by law) but wil discourage it in reality.

Same as for services companies (list 3), controled by foreigners : the FBA (Foreign Business Act) allows them to ask for a "licence", but the process is totally opaque. Therefore, no one bother to ask. Therefore thai gvt saves face and can argue that it respects the WTO regulations...

Thanks for the info, much appreciated.

I did try searching, but the word car is not allowed as a search term, and just using import throws up many hundred of results

http://customs.go.th/Customs-Eng/indexEng.jsp

2nd item down is a link to a Word document that has all the details.

187% taxes to 328% taxes on the Customs value of the car (which includes insurance and freight costs, plus improvements and accessories.) If it is a used car, there's a discount schedule where they knock off a certain percentage of that tax.

Thanks for the info, much appreciated.

I did try searching, but the word car is not allowed as a search term, and just using import throws up many hundred of results

http://customs.go.th/Customs-Eng/indexEng.jsp

2nd item down is a link to a Word document that has all the details.

187% taxes to 328% taxes on the Customs value of the car (which includes insurance and freight costs, plus improvements and accessories.) If it is a used car, there's a discount schedule where they knock off a certain percentage of that tax.

July 2007

The following example shows a breakdown of the liable taxes and duties assessed on the vehicles less than 2400 c.c. cylinder capacity with a CIF value of 1,000,000 Baht. CIF value of the imported vehicle and applicable taxes and duties are as follows:

• CIF value of the import
  

= 1,000,000 Baht

• Import duty
  

= 80 %

• Excise tax
  

= 35 %

• Interior tax
  

= 10 % of excise tax

• VAT
  

= 7 % The total import duties and taxes imposed on this import are calculated as follows: 1. Import duty

= (CIF value * Rate of import duty) = (1,000,000 * 0.8) = 800,000 Baht 2. Excise tax = (CIF value + import duty) * {Rate of excise tax/1-(1.1 * Rate of excise tax)} = (1,000,000+800,000) * {0.35/1-(1.1*0.35)} = 1,800,000 * 0.5691057 = 1,024,390.20 Baht 3. Interior tax = Excise tax * Rate of interior tax = 1,024,390.20 * 0.1 = 102,439.02 Baht 4. Base VAT = (CIF value+ Import duty+ Excise tax + Interior tax) = (1,000,000 + 800,000 + 1,024,390.20 + 102,439.02) = 2,926,829.20 Baht 5. VAT = Base VAT * VAT Rate = 2,926,829.20 *0.07 = 204,878.04 Baht

Total taxes and duties = 1+2+3+5 = 2,131,707.20 Baht

Thanks for the info, much appreciated.

I did try searching, but the word car is not allowed as a search term, and just using import throws up many hundred of results

http://customs.go.th/Customs-Eng/indexEng.jsp

2nd item down is a link to a Word document that has all the details.

187% taxes to 328% taxes on the Customs value of the car (which includes insurance and freight costs, plus improvements and accessories.) If it is a used car, there's a discount schedule where they knock off a certain percentage of that tax.

July 2007

The following example shows a breakdown of the liable taxes and duties assessed on the vehicles less than 2400 c.c. cylinder capacity with a CIF value of 1,000,000 Baht. CIF value of the imported vehicle and applicable taxes and duties are as follows:

• CIF value of the import
  

= 1,000,000 Baht

• Import duty
  

= 80 %

• Excise tax
  

= 35 %

• Interior tax
  

= 10 % of excise tax

• VAT
  

= 7 % The total import duties and taxes imposed on this import are calculated as follows: 1. Import duty

= (CIF value * Rate of import duty) = (1,000,000 * 0.8) = 800,000 Baht 2. Excise tax = (CIF value + import duty) * {Rate of excise tax/1-(1.1 * Rate of excise tax)} = (1,000,000+800,000) * {0.35/1-(1.1*0.35)} = 1,800,000 * 0.5691057 = 1,024,390.20 Baht 3. Interior tax = Excise tax * Rate of interior tax = 1,024,390.20 * 0.1 = 102,439.02 Baht 4. Base VAT = (CIF value+ Import duty+ Excise tax + Interior tax) = (1,000,000 + 800,000 + 1,024,390.20 + 102,439.02) = 2,926,829.20 Baht 5. VAT = Base VAT * VAT Rate = 2,926,829.20 *0.07 = 204,878.04 Baht

Total taxes and duties = 1+2+3+5 = 2,131,707.20 Baht

if these figures are correct then <deleted> that....