New Laws For Red Plates Introduced

[MoonRiverOasis]

New laws concerning the use of red plates (dealer plates) have just been issued, as follows:

Red plates can now only be fitted to a car for 3,000km or 1 Month (whichever comes first). Exceeding this, or any attempt to obscure the plate number and/or use of damaged plates that cannot be clearly read will attract a fine not exceding 2,000 Baht.

Use of counterfeit red plates will attract a fine not exceeding 10,000 and/or 6 months to 5 years prison.

Anyone that's ever bought a new car in Thailand knows that it takes 6-8 weeks to get your normal (white) plates. however according to the land transport department this delay is due to your dealer and/or finance company, not them. They say they can issue plates within 1 day.

Link to more info (Thai language): http://auto.sanook.com/item/1055-กรมการขนส่งทางบก-ป้ายแดงจริงใช้ได้ไม่เกิน-1-เดือน.html

[Farma]

We didn't have red plates. Had to drive around with none for the 3 weeks it took for the white ones to be issued. We live upcountry.

The dealer told us a lot of people keep the red plates until a new plate with their "lucky" numbers is available and in some cases that can take a year.

[robblok]

When i got my jazz on the 13th this month they told me it would only take 1 month for new plates. We will see im curious if they are right.

[skippybangkok]

The plate process is quite quick, and in my experience its the dealer. You can reserver your plate number in literally 20 mins at land transport dept. You dealer getting off their ass to finish their paper work is the normal hold up.

I have been to many government offices last few months, and they are very efficient..... could teach the private sector a thing or two. ( except local police offices - the opposite applies )

- Khet ( tabien baan etc).

- Driver license

- Car rego

- tax dept ( request copies of docs)

Edited July 22, 2010 by skippybangkok

[hansnl]

The dealer has to produce an invoice from the factory.

If you can obtain a copy of the original invoice from the factory to the dealer, proceed to the LTO.

There deliver the paperwork, pay the fee, get the compulsory insurance, get the plates, attach the plates to the car.

Total time, around 1,5 hours.

Did this also for a motorbike, same time

Tell the dealer you have to go abroad with the car.

Indeed, the LTO can get everything ok within the same day.

Highly efficient.

In fact the dealer could deliver the car to you including registration.

If they want to do

[Boater]

is it not illigal to drive without number plates in thailand?

[astral]

I do hope that someone has told the Land Transport Office about these new regulations.

They are the ones who create the delays.

IME it takes 2-3 month to get white plates issued.

As for driving on red plates, I once saw a Thai car near Ghenting, just outside KL Malaysia,

with red plates. I was astonished.

[bushke]

I heard that prostitution is also illegal in Thailand...

is it not illigal to drive without number plates in thailand?

[prakhonchai nick]

Why can't the dealers have a stock of numbers/number plates. which can be issued at the same time that a vehicle is bought. This is the way in happens in the UK. No delay.

Production of the registration book might take a bit longer, but at least the vehicle ha a number and can be traced in the event of an accident; hit and run etc.

[djctwatt]

My car dealer (K motors) took almost two months. . . and that's with me calling and harassing them every week. I say, we shouldn't fine the driver; we should fine the dealers!

Did they get rid of that crazy no driving at night law or is it still in place? AFAIK, most people (myself included) want to get the white plate ASAP because of being harassed by cops at night. I had been stopped over 20 times in 2 months and ticketed once (no questions asked, he just wrote the ticket).

[eladblum]

When i got my jazz on the 13th this month they told me it would only take 1 month for new plates. We will see im curious if they are right.

It took 3 month in my case...

Had to travel everywhere with that brown notebook and write my destination every day.

Edited July 23, 2010 by eladblum

[burgdawg]

...I paid cash for a new Honda Wave in Pattaya at Mityon Motors. They said 2 months for white plates and green book.

More like 3 months.

Lotsa finger pointing will be ensuing over this issue.

BiB will be getting creative to raise funds.

Make sure everyone xeroxes their Green Book and Rego and Proof of insurance to keep in boot of motorbike

or glovebox of car/truck. I keep mine in a ZipLock bag with small notebook to keep track of gas purchases,

oil changes and new tyres. If I ride at 60kmph and steady, I can get 65kmpl.

If I have the throttle pinned and heading into a headwind, more like 44kmpl.

I was on a long motorbike ride down to Trat and at Chanthaburi, the Police had a road block checking all paperwork, stopping

all vehicles.

My buddy and I were the only ones allowed through as we had Thai driver's licenses, all the correct paperwork and 100b

mixed in with the xerox copies.

[MoonRiverOasis]

I do hope that someone has told the Land Transport Office about these new regulations.

They are the ones who create the delays.

Not According to นายชัยรัตน์ สงวนชื่ the Director of the Land Transport Department, and man announcing the new rules. In the linked article he clearly states that new plates can be issued in a day, and all that's required is the vehicle invoice, an ID card, and a vehicle inspection.

[Griffin09]

When I purchased a car, the dealer required a 3,000Bt deposit on the red plates. Once the white plates were issued it took a month to get that deposit back. Games!!

[magmur]

Actually Thais are very proud if they can afford a brand new vehicle and they love to show it keeping their red license plate as long as they possibly can, we know a thai BMW Series 3 owner who accepts to pay 'fines' as long as possible, he doesn't want to change for a white license plate, its over a year now and he still proudly presents his 'brandnew' car

Edited July 23, 2010 by magmur

[iang]

The major point is being missed here.

The fact is that most Thai's don't want to receive their proper number plates quickly - they want to drive on red plates for as long as possible! The reason's simple - everyone knows that if a car's got red plates then it's a new car and Thais want everyone to see they're driving a brand new car!

I once looked at a red plated car being sold second hand - it was 18 months old! Similarly I have witnessed new car buyers telling the dealer not to hurry with getting the new number plates - to maximise the time the car's driven on red plates.

In Thai you'd say I think 'Na Yai' or 'big faced' (big headed) when seen driving a new red plated car! They don't want to change - they don't want an efficient same day 'on the spot' service for new number plates!

[olivier2553]

If the delay is on the vendor, finish paying the bill when the plates are issued?

I recon that LTO has made tremendous progress in 15 years.

[MoonRiverOasis]

Hmmm, does sound like a bit of a fund raiser.

Lost revenues are cited as one of the reasons - Road Tax isn't paid to the DLT until the white plates are issued... Other reasons cited are lost/stolen cars and cars invloved in "crime" - no doubt the latter being more important nowadays with the increased prevalance of speed and red light cameras

[lowbo]

I heard that prostitution is also illegal in Thailand...

is it not illigal to drive without number plates in thailand?

I've ALSO heard that's illegal to drive a motorbike on the wrong side of the road in the wrong direction... point is; all laws in Thailand are very "loosely" enforced! Will this one be any different? I think not...

[Basil B]

Seems a very Thai way of doing things.

Money Talks, and if the dealers, etc, faced high penalties for not providing documentation on time the problem would go away.

Give the customer the right to take back the car/bike/truck after one month and get all their money back if they have not received all the documentation.

[keith7777]

Actually Thais are very proud if they can afford a brand new vehicle and they love to how it keeping their red license plate as long as they possibly can, we know a thai BMW Series 3 owner who accepts to pay 'fines' as long as possible, he doesn't want to change for a white license plate, its over a year now and he still proudly presents his 'brandnew' car

Man someone help me, I got a ticket everytime I drove my new toyoto with the red plates. It took for ever to get the new white ones (at least 2 1/2 months or more) We did a lot of travelling and never stopped before dark. I just can't understand why you cannot drive at night with red plates. My girl friend could not explain it to me and the dealer did not speak english so had a problem. Every policeman I ran into looked at those plates if it was after 6PM and either a bribe or ticket was given. If they change it again how do you get those dealer type to get off their keawsters and get the tags for you. I plan to purchase a new truck soon and will go throught this again.

[Cuban]

The major point is being missed here...

...I once looked at a red plated car being sold second hand - it was 18 months old! Similarly I have witnessed new car buyers telling the dealer not to hurry with getting the new number plates - to maximise the time the car's driven on red plates...

Indeed the major point has been missed, if the New Jazz mentioned somewhere above bought on 13th July 2010 remains on a red plate for 13 months and only gets it's final white & black plate on 13th August 2011, that becomes the date of the car's first registration in the blue book, so when you come to sell the car on it is a year younger than it really is.

You appear to be in a new car and reduce depreciation too, not too stupid.

[parryg]

you cannot or could not get a plate in 20 minutes, I have transferred a car from one province to the other, first visit they collected old plate and fee, then 2wks later the new plate was ready. In the floods I lost my front plate, had to get letter from police, visited transport office, 2wks later new plate arrived, I believe that the dealers perhaps don't move quickly, but there is no way they have ever issued plates in a day. Plus surely, this fine should be aimed at the dealers making all the cash not the individuals. It's no more harder to police, they stop you, see a law is being broken, take the dealer details (from the brown book that should accompany the red-plate) and kick the dealers up the ass. If they put the onus on the end-user, we'll simply be parking our brand new rides up at the end of the month, while we wait for the plates. This method doesn't give the dealers the incentive to move quickly.

Another new rule that doesn't work from the outset, another way to collect a few coffers during their little campaign, then it'll all blow over, get forgotten about by dealer and end-user, then give the police another reason on their list during their road blocks to collect tea money.

[yabaaaa]

Dont know why they even have RED plates w e dont have em in the Uk you just buy a new car abd drive off????

When we got our new car my wife wanted shot of them asap she didnt want people knowing she had a new car. They were gone within the month, although she did buy a looto ticket with the new plates and WON 2000 baht hahahahaah.

Itll be antoher unenforced rule to go with all the others unless BIB want some extra cash

[swerver]

Fully agree with Transport Department.

Dealer phoned me 5-day after I did take delivery of the new car to come to the dealer showroom/workshop to install the WHITE plates.

[stingray]

Seems a very Thai way of doing things.

Money Talks, and if the dealers, etc, faced high penalties for not providing documentation on time the problem would go away.

Give the customer the right to take back the car/bike/truck after one month and get all their money back if they have not received all the documentation.

If this would happen i can see already than many "cheap charlies" would use this option to get a free car rent for one month.

[puyaidon]

I must have had a good salesman as I had my white plates in less than 2 weeks.

I have now paid off my car and he calls every year to ask me for my money so he can get the new registration. It is part of the service that he offers to his customers and past customers.

Like the man said, depends on the dealer. Most of the salespersons where my salesman works don't like him as he is one of a kind. They don't like to do anything more than they have to.

[adrianowuest]

My car dealer (K motors) took almost two months. . . and that's with me calling and harassing them every week. I say, we shouldn't fine the driver; we should fine the dealers!

Did they get rid of that crazy no driving at night law or is it still in place? AFAIK, most people (myself included) want to get the white plate ASAP because of being harassed by cops at night. I had been stopped over 20 times in 2 months and ticketed once (no questions asked, he just wrote the ticket).

buy a used car instead - they always come with white plates

[garrfeild]

I bought a new Mazda BT50 last April. Which I used to drive up country to Nan, Where I was building a house in the wife's village. We made this trip about four times. On the way back to Phuket, past Cha Am we were stopped by the traffic cops. He asked to see the red plate book. We showed this to him. He then asked why we had not filled out the book, which apparently you are supposed to do for each trip. He also said that I could not drive the pickup once it was dark. My wife explained that we were not told by the dealer that we had to fill it out. Luckily we did not get fined though he said next time it would cost us a 2000baht fine.

Naturally, we went to the dealer and asked about it. We got the white plate within the week.

Edited July 23, 2010 by garrfeild

[BadBoyBubby]

Try LOSING a plate!

I lost the front (white) number plate and asked the Land Transport office in Chiang Mai for a replacement, I think the charge was something like 50 Baht, however, I was told to come back in October - NINE MONTHS!!!!!!