Missing Number Plates

[Felt 35]

we may have different experience with law or law enforcement, so providing a link for this trafficlaw may be useful.

until then i have to trust maindealers for cars and bikes and the police, driving without plates while waiting for registration when purchased out of province is legal.

in addition, in bkk redplates are not issued for bikes at all from maindealers while waiting for registration.

how would you classify all the illegal redplates without book?

The Transport office sit with the rules and the § number and they will probably be helpful with a copy. The traffic law and the enforcement of that law is as you know two different thing here so are the interpretation each individual make of the law and there are as well they who pay for be above the law

which is all fine(at least it seems fine) until the wrong Policeman say stop or in an serious accident.

Then things will start to roll and very often the wrong way.

[katabeachbum]

The Transport office sit with the rules and the § number and they will probably be helpful with a copy. The traffic law and the enforcement of that law is as you know two different thing here so are the interpretation each individual make of the law and there are as well they who pay for be above the law

which is all fine(at least it seems fine) until the wrong Policeman say stop or in an serious accident.

Then things will start to roll and very often the wrong way.

I actually had an accident with a 2006 Vigo early 2007. Purchasd in BKK, dealer was out of legal redplates/book, didnt want illegal replates, so no plate since new June 2006, no questions from Insurance, police or Toyota garage.

As long as you fail to post the law you are referring to, I assume it is no such law, or perhaps I m just lucky never beeing hassled with.

Finally had the truck reg on white plates after repair, but 9 months without plates worked fine.

GF got an Airblade 6 months ago from her homevillage, much better price than Phuket, sendt it here with Post office, no plate for 3 months. Only a couple of fines for no helmet or lisence, nothing about no plate

Edit wouldnt border police at Sarasin crack down on missing plates if it was illegal? They seem eager to find something wrong when checking.

[Felt 35]

There actually are a law. The missus went to the transport office this week to renew a couple of motorbike registrations and asked at the same time for the rules regarding registration and licence plates.

She came back with 42 A4 pages in Thai.

However as far as I understand here verbally translation it is "The Land traffic act from 2522"

In a section there which either was 6 or 7 and in one simple sentence it stands the following, Cars and motorcycles must have vehicle registration plates when used on the road.

[LivinLOS]

until then i have to trust maindealers for cars and bikes and the police, driving without plates while waiting for registration when purchased out of province is legal.

in addition, in bkk redplates are not issued for bikes at all from maindealers while waiting for registration.

how would you classify all the illegal redplates without book?

Edit the welcome to LOS was just a result of being described as "dubious" or "driving a stolen car" just because a vehicle has no plate. as said several leagal reasons for not having plates.

I would define it as 'tolerated' but not legal.. Like its not legal for a pillion to not wear a helmet, but they all do..

Even the BKK plate thing, its not legal to have a vehicle without either a dealer plate or a white plate.. But dealers are not bothered to get them for bikes and cops dont make a problem..

[katabeachbum]

There actually are a law. The missus went to the transport office this week to renew a couple of motorbike registrations and asked at the same time for the rules regarding registration and licence plates.

She came back with 42 A4 pages in Thai.

However as far as I understand here verbally translation it is "The Land traffic act from 2522"

In a section there which either was 6 or 7 and in one simple sentence it stands the following, Cars and motorcycles must have vehicle registration plates when used on the road.

so there actually seems to be a 30 year old law stating every vehicle must have reg plate, but at any time there are a few million vehicles on thai roads without plates. and nobody bothers.

[LivinLOS]

so there actually seems to be a 30 year old law stating every vehicle must have reg plate, but at any time there are a few million vehicles on thai roads without plates. and nobody bothers.

The same as you must have a helmet on for pillions.. Or or or..

Theres a large amount of laws not currently enforced, or selectively enforced, but they are still the laws.

[Starrysky]

In Chiang Mai every other motorbike has no plate. The commonly held theory here is that, as every other Thai person buys their motorbike on credit, the number plate is simply removed when the monthly payment can't be made to make tracking the bike more difficult. There are also some cars with no plates, maybe for the same reason? Certainly easy enough to purchase a bike on credit - even if you end up paying about twice the price.

[katabeachbum]

In Chiang Mai every other motorbike has no plate. The commonly held theory here is that, as every other Thai person buys their motorbike on credit, the number plate is simply removed when the monthly payment can't be made to make tracking the bike more difficult. There are also some cars with no plates, maybe for the same reason? Certainly easy enough to purchase a bike on credit - even if you end up paying about twice the price.

countryside many bikes never bother to even get plate/book. saves tax and insurance, forever.

[baabaabobo]

Seeing Red: A 'red plate' ready to be fitted. Photo by Pimwara Choksakulpan.

PHUKET: Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) Chief Kanok Siripanichkorn has told the Gazette that people driving cars with red license plates have just one month to get regular “white plates” on their cars – or face the consequences.

The warning for Phuket drivers follows Land Transport Department Director-General Chairat Sanguansue’s announcement of a "crackdown" on people illegally driving cars with red plates, which can incur fines of up to 10,000 baht.

Mr Kanok said that many people in Phuket drive cars with red plates, a clear sign that the vehicle has yet to be registered with the Land Transport Department.

He said he understood that some of these drivers were genuinely waiting for car registrations to be approved. The department will take no action against any law-abiding motorist whose car is less than one month old or has not been driven more than 3,000 kilometers, whichever comes first.

Many other owners, however, continue driving with red plates in order to suggest the car is brand-new, he said.

In other cases they are simply waiting for their preferred “lucky number” registration, won at an auction organized by the PLTO, to be approved.

That process that can take several months and regular plates must be issued for them during the interim, he added.

Red plates being used longer than needed costs the department revenue from registration fees not paid and makes it much more difficult to track stolen vehicles, he said.

Red license plates are issued to car dealers and garages only, so that vehicles can be driven on public roads temporarily in order to reach dealerships or be repaired, he explained.

It is illegal to drive cars with red plates at night, from sunset to sunrise, without express permission from the Land Transport Department. Such permission is restricted to a maximum of five consecutive nights, he added.

Driving a car with red plates at night without permission can incur a fine of between 200 and 2,000 baht. Driving a car with red plates during the day for personal business can leave the driver open to charges of driving an unregistered vehicle, he warned.

“If we find a car with red plates that was bought one year ago, it means the driver has no intention of registering the car. They will be fined between 1,000 and 10,000 baht,” he said.

Motorists who have been issued regular white license plates, but have yet to fit them to their cars, face fines of between 200 and 2,000 baht, he added.

Chief Kanok also warned motorists against using counterfeit red plates or modifying genuine plates – red or white – by covering them with images or enlarging them. Doing so is punishable with six months to five years in jail or a fine between 1,000 and 10,000 baht, he said.

“Only license plates that have been sold by [Land Transport Department] auction are allowed to have images on them.

“If officers find modified plates, the officers will take photos as evidence and file the charge in our computer database. The driver must pay the fine when he renews his car registration.”

In a bid to get more people to renew vehicle registrations on time, the PLTO has extended its normal office hours.

Chief Kanok said the sections that process the applications now start 30 minutes earlier, at 8am. PLTO staff now work through the traditional one-hour lunch break and finish one hour later, at 5:30pm.

Moreover, vehicle registration renewals are available every Saturday and Sunday at Big C from 10am to 6pm. The counter is on the basement level and can be reached by turning right after getting off the escalator.

– Pimwara Choksakulpan

The Phuket Gazette

[stevenl]

I know now why there are so many cars with one plate: it takes a very, very long time to get a second.

My car lost mine, to much salt water on the screws probably, so did it all the official way: went to the police station and reported the loss, cost me 20 baht, and after that went to one of the checking stations, same ones where they extend your bike and car registration. Police station took me 5 minutes, registration station took me 10 minutes, new plate will take 3 months they told me.

[bunta71]

I just transferred A bike into my name in Phuket. Took about a month to do with 6 trips to their office. Every day they would send me home and say come back tomorrow.After too many trips back and forth I finally found out that they had changed plate suppliers recently and had a large backlog. I finally got my new plate two days ago. Wish they would have just told me that they didn't have the plates in stock instead of sending me home and back the next day over and over again.

[katabeachbum]

I know now why there are so many cars with one plate: it takes a very, very long time to get a second.

My car lost mine, to much salt water on the screws probably, so did it all the official way: went to the police station and reported the loss, cost me 20 baht, and after that went to one of the checking stations, same ones where they extend your bike and car registration. Police station took me 5 minutes, registration station took me 10 minutes, new plate will take 3 months they told me.

bring book and owner with ID to DLT and apply for new reg number. new number noted on front page, stamp and sign and new number on page 4, note old and new number on page 18. cost 635 baht, new plates in an hour, give back old plate and policereport to cover the missing plate.

new plates in serial numbers always hundreds in stock. custom made missing plate, waiting time

advantage is in addition, nobody driving around with same number as you