Purchasing A Bike And Car In Thailand

[Dixie]

Hi everyone,

I’ll be arriving in Thailand soon and just wondered if I can purchase a motorcycle and car in my wife’s name? She has her ID card and copies of her house papers, I won’t have a proper address to use when we arrive (don't know where we are staying yet). I do have my international licence ready for when I apply for my Thai driving licence. Any advice on the best way forward as I don’t want to spend too much money on renting.

Cheers

Dixie

[Spaniel]

Both of our cars are in my Thai wifes name. I assume your wife is Thai and she is here in Thailand? If you have no objection to the vehicles being in her name all she has to do is go to the dealer and buy the car and motorcycle.

[Dixie]

Both of our cars are in my Thai wifes name. I assume your wife is Thai and she is here in Thailand? If you have no objection to the vehicles being in her name all she has to do is go to the dealer and buy the car and motorcycle.

Spaniel,

Thanks for the reply, yes my wife is Thai. Can you transfer ownership at a later date if you wanted to? I probably wouldn’t bother, but just wondered.

Cheers

Dixie

[wilko]

I'm sure you could use your wife, however you may find many people prefer money!

[Dixie]

I'm sure you could use your wife, however you may find many people prefer money!

[wilko]

I got a set of golf clubs for my wife last year, ....a very good swap, I thought.

[Spaniel]

Both of our cars are in my Thai wifes name. I assume your wife is Thai and she is here in Thailand? If you have no objection to the vehicles being in her name all she has to do is go to the dealer and buy the car and motorcycle.

Spaniel,

Thanks for the reply, yes my wife is Thai. Can you transfer ownership at a later date if you wanted to? I probably wouldn’t bother, but just wondered.

Cheers

Dixie

Yes, you can transfer ownership but I think to register a vehicle a farang has to get a form of some sort from your embassy. Maybe another poster can confirm this.

[Cuban]

Yes, you can transfer ownership but I think to register a vehicle a farang has to get a form of some sort from your embassy.

As a farang in Thailand you can own a car or motorbike in your name. (Just to be 100% clear your name appears on the car registation document as the owner - commonly called 'The Blue Book' for cars & 'The Green Book' for motorbikes - guess what color the books are?)

You do not need a Thai Driving Permit (licence) to own a car.

To get the car/bike transfered into your name you need to provide copies of your Passport main page and visa/entry stamp page, and a proof of address/residence. This can be a current work permit or rental agreement on a house etc. Didn't involve any embassy or other 'paperwork'.

When you buy a car from a dealer they should do this for you - if you buy privately you can do the paperwork yourself with a little bit of Thai translation. (We bought from a dealer and they did the paperwork - took about 10 days I think a few years ago.)

No need to put the car in your partners name - there are threads elsewhere about the problems when splitting up and dividing goods and property in Thailand, why expose yourself to this risk when you do not have to.

I have heard from people upcountry that it is easier to buy in your own name in Pattaya and Bangkok (Phuket?) then in some places that are less used to farang buying cars. If you get the 'not possible' response it is normally because they don't know how to deal with the paperwork.

HTH

[Dixie]

Hi Cuban,

Thanks for the reply. I asked about putting them in my wife's name because we will probably have to stay in a Hotel type condo and rent by the month until I sort out a house. I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to get the necessary paperwork in order to purchase either a car or a bike. As I said above I don't want to waste money on renting, especially a car, as they can work out to be expensive. Do you think the Hotel type condo would supply me with the necessary paper to say I am renting, and would this be enough to satisfy the car/bike dealers?

Cheers

Dixie

[ballbreaker]

Your wife must be on a house paper some where in Thailand, perhaps her parents. You can use that address.

[pigtail]

And make sure that the car insurance policy has a 'multiple driver ' clause.

[Cuban]

Do you think the Hotel type condo would supply me with the necessary paper to say I am renting, and would this be enough to satisfy the car/bike dealers?

I'm no expert on the subject - but from what I have learned from talking to people that have lived here longer than I have and when I bought my car: The proof of residence can simply be a contract for an apartment/condo. I would expect that the office that process these documents to 'certify' them get through so many that a simple one page contract with your name and passport number on it with an address and term of say a year or more would be considered enough proof. Whether that 'contract' was given to you by the condo's rental office or one that you compiled with a home PC I doubt would make much difference. Certainly in Pattaya I was told that they are used to so many people buying cars and bikes in their own name that the process is really a case of rubber stamping the application at the relavent office. I was on a 30 day tourist visa-exempt stamp staying at a hotel at the time I bought my truck.

As for the insurance, when I was given a quote by the dealer - I asked if it was possible to reduce it by paying an extra excess or anything like that. I found that you can reduce the cover to one or two named drivers only and get a much better annual rate than if you were to allow anyone with a driving licence to use your car. This is a significant saving and allows you to have a cast iron reason that 'family' members can not drive your car at will.

[Dixie]

Thanks all,

Your wife must be on a house paper some where in Thailand, perhaps her parents. You can use that address.

She is registered on her fathers house paper (in Lampang south of Chiang Mai about 11/2 hours away). If I want to purchase in my name using that address, do I also need to be registered on the same house paper, and is it a big deal to get registered?

And make sure that the car insurance policy has a 'multiple driver ' clause.

I'm not too bothered about allowing multi drivers, so if it makes a difference to the amount on the premium, I nominate myself only, as the wife can't drive.

Cuban,

I'll see what the dealers say when I go to purchase a bike.

[pigtail]

Dixie:

Car insurance can only be issued to the owner of the vehicle so you will be the 'multi' driver. Be aware !

[Dixie]

Dixie:

Car insurance can only be issued to the owner of the vehicle so you will be the 'multi' driver. Be aware !

Thanks for the info. Does that also apply to bike insurance? if so it looks like I'll have to wait until I can put both in my name.

[torrenova]

You can go to immigration with any documents showing where you "live" and they will give you a piece of paper (for about Bt200 in Pattaya) which is god enough to buy a car or bike in your name. No need to involve any Thais.

[LivinLOS]

You can go to immigration with any documents showing where you "live" and they will give you a piece of paper (for about Bt200 in Pattaya) which is god enough to buy a car or bike in your name. No need to involve any Thais.

Apparently some immigrations are refusing this altogether are insisting you have an annual extension (not even a long stay visa but on 90 day stays) to issue..

I think someone mentioned CM as being difficult.

[ballbreaker]

Thanks all,

Your wife must be on a house paper some where in Thailand, perhaps her parents. You can use that address.

She is registered on her fathers house paper (in Lampang south of Chiang Mai about 11/2 hours away). If I want to purchase in my name using that address, do I also need to be registered on the same house paper, and is it a big deal to get registered?

I guess its possible to be placed on house paper but I have not tried even though my wife has her own house book for our house. I went to my embassy and obtained a letter stating my current Thailand address. I was then able to register a car without any problems or questions.

Another option that should work is you and wife go to local amphor office and request a letter stating you live at inlaws house. I did this when I obtained drivers license again without any problem.

[Dixie]

Cheers chaps,

I guess I'll have to do some investigating when I arrive in Chiang Mai.

Dixie