Korean Cannot Get Residence Permit To Register Motorbike ?

[blakegeee]

I have sold a motorcycle to a Korean national. I am trying to assist him in getting the green book transferred to his name. Apparently he needs to get a residence permit from Immigration in order to register the bike in his name. But, in order to get the residence permit, he needs to have at least a tourist visa. Since he is Korean, he is unable to get a tourist visa because Koreans are already exempt from visas for a longer period of time than a tourist visa permits anyways.

So if a Korean is not married to a Thai, retired, or working (with a permit of course) in Thailand, than they can not register a motorbike??? This seems unusual! I am suggesting that he tries to get a visa for "researching business opportunities in Thailand" as I understand these are not too complicated as the person won't actually be doing business so there is little required in order to get it. I really don't know any of the details about this visa though, and find it strange that this may be the only option for him.

Does anyone have any suggestions or know of another way around this? He tried getting a similar residence permit from his embassy but that wasn't good enough.

[wayned]

He might be able to get one from the Koren embassy.

[blakegeee]

He might be able to get one from the Koren embassy.

Hehee, the last sentence in the OP is "He tried getting a similar residence permit from his embassy but that wasn't good enough."

[Mario2008]

There are two options for a residency letter:

1. the embassy

2. immigration. But immigration will often not issue, unless one is making 90 day reports. Otherwise they have no record of you staying at an address.

Some DMV offices accept a letter from regular police or the local amphur or teesabaan.

[JusMe]

I think part of the problem here might be terminology.

He doesn't need a residence permit, but a letter indicating a residential address in Thailand. One can generally get that from one's own embassy, for a fee, when you basically swear that you are living at the address indicated.

Immigration will often provide a letter indicating an address, but sometime you've got to prove you live there by showing utility bills or an agreement with a landlord.

[NomadJoe]

^ Yeah what Jusme jus said.

Indeed it appears Koreans, Argintinians, Peruvians, Chilians and Brazilians get a 90 day visa exemption due to bi-lateral agreement. But this should not prevent him from being able to apply for and receive a tourist visa, although that is not the solution IMO.

I know everyone shits kittens when people call a "visa exempt stamp" a "visa", but it technically is. The technical term is actually "courtesy visa". http://www.phuketimmigration.go.th/visa/visa-en.php

Anyway, his visa status should not matter in the least, as long as he is here legally. It also makes no sense (I know, I know) that an advantage given him over other nationalities would turn into a disadvantage. It's merely his "residence" that needs to be established. A WP easily does this, but without that the best thing to do, and what I have done a number of times when I was either on a tourist visa or a "courtesy" visa, is to take his room/house rental contract to Thai immigration. It's officially free, but sometimes they want a little kickback, so if you are met with resistance, offer 500B. That should move things along nicely.

Also, the comment about the embassy document "not being good enough" is not consistent with other peoples experience. I'm curious, did you go with him to immigration? Did you see the embassy document? Or is this just what he has told you? I am wondering if maybe he is here illegally and that is why he is telling you what he is telling you.

[falang07]

There are two options for a residency letter:

1. the embassy

2. immigration. But immigration will often not issue, unless one is making 90 day reports. Otherwise they have no record of you staying at an address.

Some DMV offices accept a letter from regular police or the local amphur or teesabaan.

I used the rental agreement for the house I stay in, no problem at all to prove the address.

[ubonjoe]

Most immigration offices will not issue residence certificates to those on tourist visas either as written by Mario2008's post that also brings in the fact that any visa entry is not enough for some immigration offices. Only those that are on extensions of stay can get the document.

A document from an embassy should be good enough but it would have to be translated to Thai and possibly be certified by the Ministry of Foreign affairs.

[NomadJoe]

Most immigration offices will not issue residence certificates to those on tourist visas either as written by Mario2008's post that also brings in the fact that any visa entry is not enough for some immigration offices. Only those that are on extensions of stay can get the document.

A document from an embassy should be good enough but it would have to be translated to Thai and possibly be certified by the Ministry of Foreign affairs.

I know it's crazy to ask questions like this in Thailand, but why do they want to make it so hard to register a vehicle in a longstay tourist's name?

[ubonjoe]

Because they do not expect a tourist to be on a long stay. Even people on multiple entry visas can have problems.

It is the same to get a drivers license. You can get a 1 year easy enough but a 5 year seems to be getting harder unless you are on an extension of stay. Some locations require that immigration certify that you are qualified to get a license and give you a form to take to immigration for this.

[PoorSucker]

Samui immigrations will do it for anyone , but wants 500 baht.

[NomadJoe]

You can get a 1 year easy enough but a 5 year seems to be getting harder unless you are on an extension of stay.

...Only those that are on extensions of stay can get the document.

Toursit visa's have extension of stay's, 30 days for most countries. But I guess that is not what you guys meant.