Importing A Car ?

[Rik325i]

Ive read quite a bit about importing vehicles to thailand and read all sorts of horror stories about import duty/tax etc etc

Im quite a way from attempting to actually move to thailand as some of you will know from my post about making furniture etc but i like to try and get as much information about this sort of thing from people with actual experience.

I have a car that i have done extensive work on in the years i have owned it and have built her in to a true one-off. She is in storage in my garage at the moment awaiting an engine transplant when i have the time and money to do this.

Would i manage to get her over paying less tax if i shipped the car over with no engine,gearbox etc and send the engine crated at a later date or doesnt it make a difference as they will charge a fortune anyway ?

Heres a link to my never ending project http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3002876/1990-bmw-3-series

[metisdead]

If you would have done a simple search "importing" in this forum:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/forum/78-thailand-motor-forum/

You would find a plethora of topics on this.

Moved to the Motor forum.

[Holysteel]

Forget about it. No one ever escape the 400% added on taxes. Unless you are a returning thai.

[Rik325i]

I take it this 400% tax will be based on what thai customs say the car is worth ? surely an old 1990 bmw cant be worth so much that it wouldnt be worth importing, or will they base the worth also on the modifications ??

[Rik325i]

also how long must a thai lady be outside thailand to be considered a returning thai, as, if my ladyfriend and i eventually decide to marry, she fully intends to spend some time with me in scotland ?

[overherebc]

also how long must a thai lady be outside thailand to be considered a returning thai, as, if my ladyfriend and i eventually decide to marry, she fully intends to spend some time with me in scotland ?

Believe it's two years with the car in her name etc. I may be wrong and don't mind being corrected.

[ignis]

I take it this 400% tax will be based on what thai customs say the car is worth ? surely an old 1990 bmw cant be worth so much that it wouldnt be worth importing, or will they base the worth also on the modifications ??

Any older Imported Touring/Estate or Van as there called here are very rare and expensive

A BMW Touring are VERY rare and very expensive.

Only ever seen one 1990 For Sale here.......... sit down 1.4 million baht, just a normal one.... another rare and expensive 1990 BMW is the Convertible about 1.2 million [no idea why a newer one cost less.... 2000/1 cost the same as a 1990 !]

There is a Honda Accord Estate 2007 For Sale price 4.5 million baht.!!

Maybe best to ask some of the Importers + as it is not from Factory would you be able to get Registration, can you get all the specification as is now. even if you could get it here ?

If you could get it here maybe a Lexus Engine would be easier for Registration

Edited August 4, 2012 by ignis

[Holysteel]

Just buy a new or used car here. Its not worth it. If it is, every tom dick or harry will be importing their cars here already.

And dun let a Thai fool you that they have high friends with connections that can help you avoid this taxes for a special price. No, they cant.

They are just boasting

[Rik325i]

i see, its just that ive had this car now for 12 years and ive done a lot of work on her and shes kinda close to my heart and i dont really want to part with the old girl, im going to be putting a bmw m3 engine in sometime soon.

guess im just a sentimental old sod when it comes to this car lol

[Holysteel]

I take it this 400% tax will be based on what thai customs say the car is worth ? surely an old 1990 bmw cant be worth so much that it wouldnt be worth importing, or will they base the worth also on the modifications ??

You can try declaring your own price. But if they found out your declared price is way too low and is inaccurate. They will start applying their price, which is way higher by many times.

Dun try to outsmart the Thai Customs. They are not stupid people. Just declare it as it were. Or face the consequence of your car being declared 5 times the original price.

[Rik325i]

I take it this 400% tax will be based on what thai customs say the car is worth ? surely an old 1990 bmw cant be worth so much that it wouldnt be worth importing, or will they base the worth also on the modifications ??

You can try declaring your own price. But if they found out your declared price is way too low and is inaccurate. They will start applying their price, which is way higher by many times.

Dun try to outsmart the Thai Customs. They are not stupid people. Just declare it as it were. Or face the consequence of your car being declared 5 times the original price.

hmm i paid £1600 for this car nearly 12 years ago, you can get them here for under £1000, or should i declare the price in thailand ?

[Holysteel]

Where are you located Rik ? Just get a new bike here around 35,000 baht (Manual gear) to 55,000b (Automatic) & maybe a old second hand pick up truck here for starters. And you are good to go.

[Holysteel]

I take it this 400% tax will be based on what thai customs say the car is worth ? surely an old 1990 bmw cant be worth so much that it wouldnt be worth importing, or will they base the worth also on the modifications ??

You can try declaring your own price. But if they found out your declared price is way too low and is inaccurate. They will start applying their price, which is way higher by many times.

Dun try to outsmart the Thai Customs. They are not stupid people. Just declare it as it were. Or face the consequence of your car being declared 5 times the original price.

hmm i paid £1600 for this car nearly 12 years ago, you can get them here for under £1000, or should i declare the price in thailand ?

You declared the price here to the Thai Customs when the shipment arrives. I advise you to consult & seek the services of a Thai Freight forwarder here. They make their living clearing such stuffs. They can explain to you the process & procedures better.

[Rik325i]

I take it this 400% tax will be based on what thai customs say the car is worth ? surely an old 1990 bmw cant be worth so much that it wouldnt be worth importing, or will they base the worth also on the modifications ??

You can try declaring your own price. But if they found out your declared price is way too low and is inaccurate. They will start applying their price, which is way higher by many times.

Dun try to outsmart the Thai Customs. They are not stupid people. Just declare it as it were. Or face the consequence of your car being declared 5 times the original price.

hmm i paid £1600 for this car nearly 12 years ago, you can get them here for under £1000, or should i declare the price in thailand ?

You declared the price here to the Thai Customs when the shipment arrives. I advise you to consult & seek the services of a Thai Freight forwarder here. They make their living clearing such stuffs. They can explain to you the process & procedures better.

sorry, i meant should i declare the price you would pay for one of these in thailand ie 1.4 million baht ??

Edited August 4, 2012 by Rik325i

[Holysteel]

Nope. Just declared the price it is worth in your country

[arthurwait]

Old Bmws are just about the cheapest thing you can buy here except for old pick ups.

You could get stung for 3 times whatever the customs official feels like that day. Maybe 3 times £10,000.

Buy an 70's, 80's or ealry 90's BMW from as low as 60,000 B - 180,000 B. If you want a work tool buy an old pick up for 30-100K or even a new Mits Triton for 400k odd.

Most the old Bmws have a Toyota engine in already (there's a reason for that) and many are converted to LPG which will save money.

Fibre glass is as cheap as chips and so is the labour to have it done.

If I was you I buy one here and find a nice modern Japanese V6 and mate it to a rear drive box.

The choice is yours.

Edited August 4, 2012 by arthurwait

[ignis]

Buy an 70's, 80's or ealry 90's BMW from as low as 60,000 B - 180,000 B.

Yes a 316

You cannot find a E30 with the 325 engine for anywhere near that price.......... An estate is very very rare....... put in a M3 motor = BMW did not make themselves the E30 M3 in an Estate, but a few were made I think by Baur, not sure if Alpine made them........

Check in UK BMW classics....... M3 Estate E30, did see one for 53,000 GBP..........

BMW E30 M3 Sport EvolutionWe are proud to present this superb and rare Legend, possibly the most desirable version of the iconic E30 M3, the legendary Sport ...

£75,000

http://www.one2car.com/BMWE30SIAM

Edit: Maybe contact BMW Owner Club of Thailand or Importers and Exporters someone like Soni Motors Thailand

Edited August 5, 2012 by ignis

[kartman]

To the OP can you let us know how much you are prepared to pay including shipping, taxes, registration etc to bring it here you must have a figure after which you would not bother what is it?.

[arthurwait]

Don't you need a visa to import a car here ?

[John 1]

Don't you need a visa to import a car here ?

Next think we will be told is you need passport.

[Rik325i]

i intend putting the e36 s50 m3 engine in, non vanos, bmw never made this car, will this cause registration problems ? i still have the original m20 2.5 engine in her just now which i could fix and leave in for the moment ??

[la69]

1. I believe the tax is 320% of perceived value.

2. This means that customs decide the worth of the car. Not the actual value for which you bought it.

For instance, I was planning to bring a Ford Mustang from the US to here. It is not an expensive car really, all engine and plastic but it is highly customizable. The price in the US is aorund 30k usd. I was told by customs agents that the value percieved on that car would be somewhere close to 100k usd due to it being a muscle car and rare, on which I would have to pay around 320% tax giving a roughly total of 400k usd for a 30k usd car. Not worth it.

3. If you know someone at customs they could reduce the percieved value but that is a gamble.

4. There are many sports cars that customs have kept in custody as their owners have not been willing to pay that extra tax based on fiction figures. These cars many times will be sold on auction after some time. The starting price is usually what the taxes would have been but there has been exceptions.

5. I believe embassy personnel are allowed to import one car dutyfree every 2nd year. Something to think about.

I still havent given up getting a fun car over here but it looks very remote. My wife's sisters man works in customs and give me some insight to it but it just doesn't seem affordable enough. Better to buy one here unless you are very wealthy.

Hope you find a solution. Good luck, mate!

[la69]

There are also rumours about some higher custom officials not giving out notice about these auctions so they are the only ones attending and that way will be able to pay almost nothing for it but so far those are just rumours to me as I haven't been able to confirm them at all.

However that said, it can't hurt to get a personal contact in a higher position at customs.

Edited August 6, 2012 by la69

[arthurwait]

Don't you need a visa to import a car here ?

You need to have had a non-b visa and work permit for at least a year before you can import a car according to several websites.

Edited August 6, 2012 by arthurwait

[StarFighter]

The eligibility requirements are quite stringent. I am in the middle of trying to import my 12 yo car from Malaysia. I've gotten permission, but with an error in the letter, so am awaiting new letter.

According to Ministry of Foreign Trade, to whom you apply for permission to import; You will need 5 years of continuous B visas with no interruption, and must have owned the car for 1 and 1/2 years before the first issuance of B visa.

Not too many people can possibly fulfill that requirement - who holds onto a car for that long while out of the country.

Work permit and Thai driver's license too. Helps to have a company and you must go to the Ministry in person. ( Nonthaburi )

I'm still trying to get a firm quotation on the duty. I paid 4000 US $ in 2005 and still have that tax receipt.

I imported it to MY from USA last year. I can ask MY to re-access value of it too but am awaiting answer from TH Customs on how value is accessed.

The local Customs guy agreed under 40,000 seemed reasonable, but K Worawat thought that figure, "..would be impossible."

Customs site graph shows cars over 10 years old get 80 % discount.

The tax is 206 % of value, whatever that is and remember freight is added in, too.

I can duck that as I'd be driving it in.

Also you may not sell it for three years.

All I can say is used cars here are stupidly expensive, I refuse to spend any more money here that I have to, is why I'm trying.

If the duty is jacked up I intend to appeal.

Talk to a K. Worawat on the 10 th floor Nonthaburi building- he's about the only one who speaks English, too.

[kartman]

The eligibility requirements are quite stringent. I am in the middle of trying to import my 12 yo car from Malaysia. I've gotten permission, but with an error in the letter, so am awaiting new letter.

According to Ministry of Foreign Trade, to whom you apply for permission to import; You will need 5 years of continuous B visas with no interruption, and must have owned the car for 1 and 1/2 years before the first issuance of B visa.

Not too many people can possibly fulfill that requirement - who holds onto a car for that long while out of the country.

Work permit and Thai driver's license too. Helps to have a company and you must go to the Ministry in person. ( Nonthaburi )

I'm still trying to get a firm quotation on the duty. I paid 4000 US $ in 2005 and still have that tax receipt.

I imported it to MY from USA last year. I can ask MY to re-access value of it too but am awaiting answer from TH Customs on how value is accessed.

The local Customs guy agreed under 40,000 seemed reasonable, but K Worawat thought that figure, "..would be impossible."

Customs site graph shows cars over 10 years old get 80 % discount.

The tax is 206 % of value, whatever that is and remember freight is added in, too.

I can duck that as I'd be driving it in.

Also you may not sell it for three years.

All I can say is used cars here are stupidly expensive, I refuse to spend any more money here that I have to, is why I'm trying.

If the duty is jacked up I intend to appeal.

Talk to a K. Worawat on the 10 th floor Nonthaburi building- he's about the only one who speaks English, too.

So what 12 year old car is it that local customs valued the same as a 18/19 year old Hyundai Excell ?

[StarFighter]

^ Eh, ? Not sure of your question. Customs has not assigned a value, am told I have to get the import license before I can approach them on that subject.

I am stating I paid 4000 USD, in 2005. ( though at the time it was valued at over 7000 according to Kelly Blue book. )

The car is currently valued, in USA at about $ 2,500. Couldn't sell it 2006, when I came to TLand which is why I still have it.

MY has assigned a value of $ USD 7000. I will be challenging that IF Thailand uses that for valuation.

[kartman]

OK i'll put more simply, what is the make, model, spec of the vehicle so we can all see if there are any similar ones here for a idea of value in Thailand(which of course is what counts)then we can see whether you will or not be banging your head against a brick wall.

[Holysteel]

There are also rumours about some higher custom officials not giving out notice about these auctions so they are the only ones attending and that way will be able to pay almost nothing for it but so far those are just rumours to me as I haven't been able to confirm them at all.

However that said, it can't hurt to get a personal contact in a higher position at customs.

Sounds good. Where can i get information on the car auctions ? I would like to own a brand new lamborgini for 500 baht.

[funcat]

There are also rumours about some higher custom officials not giving out notice about these auctions so they are the only ones attending and that way will be able to pay almost nothing for it but so far those are just rumours to me as I haven't been able to confirm them at all.

However that said, it can't hurt to get a personal contact in a higher position at customs.

Sounds good. Where can i get information on the car auctions ? I would like to own a brand new lamborgini for 500 baht.

...it's not an auction,but you can buy one at The Central toys department...