Green Book

[chunkylover53]

Hey, I know you're probably all bored of green book threads, but I am sorry.

What documents do you need to obtain a green book? What is the process? (I've read a bit of stuff on emissions tests - is this easy to fail?)

Thanks

Homer

[ajahnlau]

Go to your local lic. dept and they will tell you. Yes emissions test is easy to fail and non-refundable. 30,000 ouch.

[chunkylover53]

Has anyone had any experience with it? How hard to actually do is it? Can shops like Teera and Red Baron actually do it for you?

[tubber]

Has anyone had any experience with it? How hard to actually do is it? Can shops like Teera and Red Baron actually do it for you?

Red Baron are part of a Japanese chain and a reputable company. I have dealt with them and they are top notch. Teera I wouldn't go near with a 10ft bargepole.

[ChangNoi1]

The question's should be

What papers needs my bike to get a Green Book?

What papers need I to get the Green Book in my name?

As regards to question 1 .... I was so stupid to buy a grey-imported 250cc motorbike. That means the bike is imported as "spare-parts" and here in Thailand "re-build". It took me more as 1 year, a lot money and much more problems to get the Green Book. I would never do that again. You need import-papers, proof of paid import-tax, emmission test, proof of paid exsise tax, proof of legally re-building the bike. When you import the bike as motorbike it is a bit easier but much more expensive. When you buy the bike here new and is made in Thailand, the seller has all the right paper-work. If you buy the bike here second-hand, then check the Green Book 20 times as there are a lot of fake Green Books.

As regards to question 2 ..... if you are non-thai you just need to have a legal proof of recidence. You can get that at your embassy or at the local immigration office. In theory you should be able to use your Yellow House-book (if you have that). I did not try that.

Chang Noi

[chunkylover53]

Thanks for the replies.

What about tax, insurance and license plates? Could you still get any of these without a green book?

[billd766]

Thanks for the replies.

What about tax, insurance and license plates? Could you still get any of these without a green book?

Not easily legally.

To get insurance you need a number plate, to tax the bike you need insurance AND a green book, so ergo

No green book you have a problem.

from ChangNoi1

If you buy the bike here second-hand, then check the Green Book 20 times as there are a lot of fake Green Books.

My advice if you are buying a second-hand motorbike is that IF you are 100% happy with it then tell the seller that you will pay him AFTER the bike is registered in your name and not before.

That way if there is a dodgy book and it is found at the land transport department then the problem is not yours.

Any true owner and seller will not mind.

You lost the bike BUT you did keep the money.

When I bought my Phantom last year I paid the guy before it was in my name.

When I look back I was not as bright as then as I am now however there was no problem and the guy and his wife helped me all the way.

I could have been unlucky but fortunately I wasn't.

Thanks Jim.

Edited November 29, 2010 by billd766

[chunkylover53]

So there are no 'temporary' plates I can use to get insurance? This seems all a bit weird because I've heard you can drive an invoice bike and the police cannot take it away if it has legal import documentation, but that would mean the bike doesn't have a license plate or a tax disc? Both of those, I believe, are road offenses in Thailand, so how do you drive?

Thanks again guys, this is the only place where people will actually give you a definitive answer! Thailand

Homer

[ChangNoi1]

As long as a bike has no license-plate yet you can have a temporarly insurance on frame-number and enigine-number. Officially only for 3 months ....

When you have a bike without legal import papers (and without paid import tax) they can conviscate the bike (or whatever it is actually).

When you have a bike with legal import papers (and with paid import tax) but without excise-tax then they can conviscate the bike.

In theory if you paid your import-tax and paid your excise-tax then they cannot conviscate the bike on tax invasion, but if the bike is not tested (to be a legal product in Thailand) then they can still conviscate the bike.

Again in theory if you have paid import-tax and excise-tax and the bike is tested but you do not have a Green Book or license-plate you can only be fined for not having a license-plate.

But in that case you could as well get a Green Book and license-plate because that will only cost you 740 Thai baht more.

Chang Noi

[katabeachbum]

As long as a bike has no license-plate yet you can have a temporarly insurance on frame-number and enigine-number. Officially only for 3 months ....

When you have a bike without legal import papers (and without paid import tax) they can conviscate the bike (or whatever it is actually).

When you have a bike with legal import papers (and with paid import tax) but without excise-tax then they can conviscate the bike.

In theory if you paid your import-tax and paid your excise-tax then they cannot conviscate the bike on tax invasion, but if the bike is not tested (to be a legal product in Thailand) then they can still conviscate the bike.

Again in theory if you have paid import-tax and excise-tax and the bike is tested but you do not have a Green Book or license-plate you can only be fined for not having a license-plate.

But in that case you could as well get a Green Book and license-plate because that will only cost you 740 Thai baht more.

Chang Noi

New laws passed a few months back

Insurance can be made on frame number, no reg number and book needed, just as before

Within 30 days from Insurance, vehicle/bike must have book and white reg plate.

Max fine is 50.000 baht and/or a couple of years in jail, for not having white plates within 30 days, covering plate or cutting away plates "seals".

As before, bike can be confiscated by Customs until Importduty end excise have been proved, and by DLT if not roadworthy (read emission), both can use Police to confiscate.

[chunkylover53]

"Max fine is 50.000 baht and/or a couple of years in jail, for not having white plates within 30 days, covering plate or cutting away plates "seals" - katabeachbum

So there is a 50k and jail time if you apply for insurance and don't get the green book within the time period? And if you use fake plates too?

I think the emission test could be my biggest problem - my bike is carbureted, so i'm pretty sure it won't pass the test. Is there somewhere i can get a pre-test done without paying 28k?

[katabeachbum]

"Max fine is 50.000 baht and/or a couple of years in jail, for not having white plates within 30 days, covering plate or cutting away plates "seals" - katabeachbum

So there is a 50k and jail time if you apply for insurance and don't get the green book within the time period? And if you use fake plates too?

I think the emission test could be my biggest problem - my bike is carbureted, so i'm pretty sure it won't pass the test. Is there somewhere i can get a pre-test done without paying 28k?

Fake red plates (rather common for both cars and bikes) within the 30 days after issuing insurance is usually max 1000 baht.

Fake white plates is serious trouble

[chunkylover53]

So if my bike has excise tax paid, emission test passed then I can use red plates? Legally, could I throw red plates on my bike now, even though I haven't gone for the emission test?

[katabeachbum]

So if my bike has excise tax paid, emission test passed then I can use red plates? Legally, could I throw red plates on my bike now, even though I haven't gone for the emission test?

you can insure and redplate your bike today. If Importduty and excice tax can be proved, you are safe for 30 days. If you try to repeat the process, your chassinumber is registered as already have had insurance in LOS, and penalty as previously posted/bike inpound

If emission is passed and taxes ok, you qualify for reg and book, so why not white plate?

[chunkylover53]

Thanks again katabeachbum - your saving my life :jap:

So, today I'm going to get the excise tax paid and insurance. I've read the excise tax is 3% (of the bikes value??) Should I just drive the bike to the customs dep. or is there somewhere else?

[katabeachbum]

Thanks again katabeachbum - your saving my life :jap:

So, today I'm going to get the excise tax paid and insurance. I've read the excise tax is 3% (of the bikes value??) Should I just drive the bike to the customs dep. or is there somewhere else?

Sorry, no experience on customs or excise taxes

But I believe excice is payed to DLT, can anyone confirm or advice othervise?

[ChangNoi1]

I do not believe that excise tax is paid at DLT, I thought at the Tax Reveneu Office.

Yes it is 3% over the new value of your motorbike. But what is the new value of your motorbike?

So you first have to request the value of your motorbike, of which you will get an official letter. With that letter you can go pay the excise tax.

If the bike is never sold in Thailand they can make up any price ..... I have a Yamaha XT250x from 2006 (that I have for sale now)that was valued at 215.500 thb. over which I had to pay 3% excise tax (plus 10% over that tax) so a total of 7315 thb I believe it was. A said it did cost me a lot time, problems and money but I now have a legal Green Book & License plate.

BTW Fake license-plate ..... if they are a 100% copy (but still fake) then you are in big trouble for fraud. If it is a 90% copy (no government stamp) then it is only a fake license-plate. You can put them for show in your house (or shop) .... then it is just decoration. When you put them on a car or motorbike then it is a fake license-plate.

BTW Fake red-plates .... even big car dealers try to give you a copy-red-plate without the orginal red-book that belongs to every red-plate. They just sale more cars as they have red-plates so they try to give you a copy. So red-plate without the red-book ..... forget it ... I have a red-plate like that for show in my stock-room.

[harrry]

I do not believe that excise tax is paid at DLT, I thought at the Tax Reveneu Office.

Yes it is 3% over the new value of your motorbike. But what is the new value of your motorbike?

So you first have to request the value of your motorbike, of which you will get an official letter. With that letter you can go pay the excise tax.

If the bike is never sold in Thailand they can make up any price ..... I have a Yamaha XT250x from 2006 (that I have for sale now)that was valued at 215.500 thb. over which I had to pay 3% excise tax (plus 10% over that tax) so a total of 7315 thb I believe it was. A said it did cost me a lot time, problems and money but I now have a legal Green Book & License plate.

Just for interest what is your selling price of the bike? In other words how close to the value are they.

[chunkylover53]

BTW Fake red-plates .... even big car dealers try to give you a copy-red-plate without the orginal red-book that belongs to every red-plate. They just sale more cars as they have red-plates so they try to give you a copy. So red-plate without the red-book ..... forget it ... I have a red-plate like that for show in my stock-room.

Fake red plates are common, but require a red book to match?

So there really is no legal way to drive a bike around without the full, legit green book?

Edited December 1, 2010 by chunkylover53

[BigBikeBKK]

BTW Fake red-plates .... even big car dealers try to give you a copy-red-plate without the orginal red-book that belongs to every red-plate. They just sale more cars as they have red-plates so they try to give you a copy. So red-plate without the red-book ..... forget it ... I have a red-plate like that for show in my stock-room.

Fake red plates are common, but require a red book to match?

So there really is no legal way to drive a bike around without the full, legit green book?

Why the drama? It's Thailand. Whatever you need can be bought. Problem solved. :jap:

[ChangNoi1]

The drama could be that what "Buying" has given, any cop can take it away.

Chang Noi

@Harry .... I think the new value of 215.500 thb for my Yamaha XT250x was a good value (looking to the price that they have been sold in Japan and Hong Kong). But for that price you could never import a whole new bike like that now. But the bike is now 5 years old so my selling price will be a bit lower at 145k (costs me more but also used it for almost 2 years). Although I am also considering to keep it for playing around.

[chunkylover53]

Nobody has any ideas about an emission pretest? Is there anywhere in Bangkok?

[katabeachbum]

Nobody has any ideas about an emission pretest? Is there anywhere in Bangkok?

each emission test is approx 29k baht, and most fail first test.

I believe Red Baron charges approx 80k baht to manage emission test and registration on those bikes possible to pass.

Honda has found it impossible to pass LOS emision tests from 100-250cc without injection. 250cc is the largest officially sold Honda in LOS

[LivinLOS]

Nobody has any ideas about an emission pretest? Is there anywhere in Bangkok?

I think your missing a vital part of the equation.. If your paying them enough, they will find a way to pass the bike.. If you dont pay them, they will find a way to make it fail !!

Its not like they rigidly apply the legal spec.. Its all about who, how, and how much..

[chunkylover53]

Ok problem solved

Aside from Red Baron and Teera then, who can manage emission tests and the other paperwork?

[katabeachbum]

Ok problem solved

Aside from Red Baron and Teera then, who can manage emission tests and the other paperwork?

as teera and some others are claiming to be able to have green book issued without needing you bike in bkk for a week, its not likely they ever do any emission test, just have the emission test docs issued

[chunkylover53]

I know about Teera and RB, but who else can do this? Teera and Red Baron won't do this for walk-in-customers.....i'm missing a link here!

[ChangNoi1]

There are a few shops that for the right money they will "help you to arrange" a Green Book for a "spare-part-imported-and-re-build" motorbike. But first of all the bike needs to have proper import-papers, proper re-build papers and it costs actually a lot of money. And you will have a lot of problems. Although I did get my Green Book for my bike I know that another person using that same shop (at the same time) still does not have a Green Book.

Chang Noi

[chunkylover53]

Yea, I've spent the last page of the thread figuring out what I need . I've contacted a logistics company that deals with import (kind of) and they're making sure I have all the documents. Now all I need to do is find someone who will put this all to use for the right price.