Paperwork For Exporting Car to Germany?

[engrin]

Hello,

My friend bought a pickup here in Thailand and has recently moved back to Germany.

Is it possible to export a pickup from here to there? Also, what paperwork is needed?

Thanks

[IMHO]

Yes, possible to export but no idea what happens when it gets to Germany.

In order to export anything form TH, and exporters license is required, so it's not something you can DIY. If you google around, you will find many export firms willing to assist though.

[jcgodber]

I have questions about doing this....... Does the Thai made vehicle meet German standards for use on the German roads? Am I wrong but do German cars drive on the proper side of the road in Germany?

[Woodsie888]

I have questions about doing this....... Does the Thai made vehicle meet German standards for use on the German roads? Am I wrong but do German cars drive on the proper side of the road in Germany?

No domestic market pick up from Thailand will meet EU regs without modification.

[recycler]

It may also be a bit cold in the winter as they don't have heating ;-)

Maybe he can ship it as household goods together with his other belongings, not sure if this works, but that is how returning expats do it from several countries, but the rules and possibilities differ a lot.

[hansnl]

I have questions about doing this....... Does the Thai made vehicle meet German standards for use on the German roads? Am I wrong but do German cars drive on the proper side of the road in Germany?

No domestic market pick up from Thailand will meet EU regs without modification.

Which is very true.

However, for personal imports those rules can be waived, just like the type approval.

My idea would be to contact the customs in Germany, and the TUV.

[Woodsie888]

I have questions about doing this....... Does the Thai made vehicle meet German standards for use on the German roads? Am I wrong but do German cars drive on the proper side of the road in Germany?

No domestic market pick up from Thailand will meet EU regs without modification.

Which is very true.

However, for personal imports those rules can be waived, just like the type approval.

My idea would be to contact the customs in Germany, and the TUV.

Customs in Germany wil let you bring anything in from anywhere.

Registration however, is another matter altogether.

I have been dealing with TUV for more than 20 years and in fact paid for one of their staff to be based in Thailand for more than a year during 2008-2009 certifying cars for a European market.

it's a total waste of energy to bring a pick up from TH to Germany.

Check the price of an OEM heater with a/c unit first, which will surprise you. Then check the headlight price and the DPF and try and retro fit that as well.

Forget it.

[Woodsie888]

It may also be a bit cold in the winter as they don't have heating ;-)

Maybe he can ship it as household goods together with his other belongings, not sure if this works, but that is how returning expats do it from several countries, but the rules and possibilities differ a lot.

Aftermarket heater units are actually available in TH though the expected performance of every one of these that I have tried is very, very poor.

Having said that, I haven't tried one for some time.

On another note, I notice the Mazda CX5 and Mazda 2 appear to have heaters fitted. A number of other vehicles sold / assembled in TH do as well.

[kdrayong]

I have questions about doing this....... Does the Thai made vehicle meet German standards for use on the German roads? Am I wrong but do German cars drive on the proper side of the road in Germany?

No domestic market pick up from Thailand will meet EU regs without modification.

Which is very true.

However, for personal imports those rules can be waived, just like the type approval.

My idea would be to contact the customs in Germany, and the TUV.

Customs in Germany wil let you bring anything in from anywhere.

Registration however, is another matter altogether.

I have been dealing with TUV for more than 20 years and in fact paid for one of their staff to be based in Thailand for more than a year during 2008-2009 certifying cars for a European market.

it's a total waste of energy to bring a pick up from TH to Germany.

Check the price of an OEM heater with a/c unit first, which will surprise you. Then check the headlight price and the DPF and try and retro fit that as well.

Forget it.

Just can second this opinion. Bringing a car from TH to DE like from DE to TH is just a waste of money and time. I was thinking about this topic some years ago too.

Result: Forget it

[IMHO]

It may also be a bit cold in the winter as they don't have heating ;-)

Maybe he can ship it as household goods together with his other belongings, not sure if this works, but that is how returning expats do it from several countries, but the rules and possibilities differ a lot.

Aftermarket heater units are actually available in TH though the expected performance of every one of these that I have tried is very, very poor.

Having said that, I haven't tried one for some time.

On another note, I notice the Mazda CX5 and Mazda 2 appear to have heaters fitted. A number of other vehicles sold / assembled in TH do as well.

The basic rule of thumb with Thai assembled cars is, if it has automatic climate control, it's probably got a heater. If it doesn't have climate, it probably doesn't have a heater.

[Woodsie888]

It may also be a bit cold in the winter as they don't have heating ;-)

Maybe he can ship it as household goods together with his other belongings, not sure if this works, but that is how returning expats do it from several countries, but the rules and possibilities differ a lot.

Aftermarket heater units are actually available in TH though the expected performance of every one of these that I have tried is very, very poor.

Having said that, I haven't tried one for some time.

On another note, I notice the Mazda CX5 and Mazda 2 appear to have heaters fitted. A number of other vehicles sold / assembled in TH do as well.

The basic rule of thumb with Thai assembled cars is, if it has automatic climate control, it's probably got a heater. If it doesn't have climate, it probably doesn't have a heater.

Correct, except perhaps for the Fortuner, although I'm not 100% sure as that and the new Hilux may have a heater by now.

[shaurene]

He needs to be very carefull, most cars made here do not have crash certificates or they have never been approved, I looked into it for my son who is a car dealer in New Zealand I sent him the chassis number and he checked, the model never had frontal impact approvals And it was a Toyota Vigo, i would think Europe would need this.

If he took it he would never get approval to registar it on the road. He needs to check with the German transport authority.

[umbanda]

If you are sending a vintage car or truck I will like to know the results...Thank you.

[NanLaew]

There was a thread here a few years back about a guy shipping is Fortuner back to Ireland. Even after getting the emissions crap and type approval, etc., it was a total pain in the arse as it only had an air conditioner. With windows fogging up all the time, he invested in an after-market heater which was also a disaster. In the end he couldn't even give it way.

[Ace of Pop]

I must be extra thick Today. Why should anyone want to send a Car from here to the E.U. where you can buy at the proper price. Plus the " 2 Nillers " put the tiller on the wrong side. .

[Woodsie888]

He needs to be very carefull, most cars made here do not have crash certificates or they have never been approved, I looked into it for my son who is a car dealer in New Zealand I sent him the chassis number and he checked, the model never had frontal impact approvals And it was a Toyota Vigo, i would think Europe would need this.

If he took it he would never get approval to registar it on the road. He needs to check with the German transport authority.

NZ is unique in as much as the LTSA only accept certification from Australia, Japan, USA & EU. So if the car has been previously registered in any of those Countries, chances of registering it in NZ increase quite a lot. It's not guaranteed though, because of a number of anomalies in the regulations there.

However in the UK and EU in general it can be possible to certify your car after certain modifications and in some cases acceptable documentation is provided.

Obtaining acceptable documentation is almost impossible in most cases.

The biggest hurdle for Thai vehicles is passing the emissions test. It can be done in some cases, not often though.

[casey1]

Is it not really a bit silly then for New Zealand....I am led to understand Thai assembled vehicles come to NZ brand new for domestic sale... same models as per available in Thailand etc but at 50% inflated price... well that was the case for an Isuzu D-Max a year or so ago...

sound like a bit of the old protectionism system kicking in more than anything???

yet okay to import our washing machines into Nz after the company relocated to Thailand to produce but thats another story???

[thaicbr]

Is it not really a bit silly then for New Zealand....I am led to understand Thai assembled vehicles come to NZ brand new for domestic sale... same models as per available in Thailand etc but at 50% inflated price... well that was the case for an Isuzu D-Max a year or so ago...

 

sound like a bit of the old protectionism system kicking in more than anything???

 

yet okay to import our washing machines into Nz after the company relocated to Thailand to produce but thats another story???

 

 

Probably not the exact same models.. The Mitsubishi Mirage in the UK is substantial different in equipment to the ones here.

Sent from my phone with the app thingy.

[ozyjon]

The car will drive on the other side of the road,, so remember the headlights have to be changed as with the steering (maybe)

[Tomtomtom69]

Yes, make sure that the steering wheel is on the correct side. If anything, a left-hand drive Thai made vehicle personally exported to Germany would make sense, but not a right-hand drive one.

[Toosetinmyways]

https://www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk

Thats for UK, but probably similar for Germany.

I know that all lights must be E approved marked for EEC. Probably need to change all lighting.

[Gomyway]

The first the header wouldn't be a big prob since in Germany you're able to get a "Standheizung" (sorry don't know the english word for this since it's a heater without the engine running) and the second is to change the headlights. The steering wheel normally could stay where it is, but he always must remember to drive on the "wrong side".

And to get an answer he should send a request to the 'Kraftfahrtbundesamt' in Flensburg (kba.de) since that is the registering organisation and maybe also to the TUEV-Sued (tuev-sued.de) since there the technicals are checked - they will tell what's possible and what's not.

Maybe nowaday it's a lil bit more complicated like it was years ago.

[Woodsie888]

The first the header wouldn't be a big prob since in Germany you're able to get a "Standheizung" (sorry don't know the english word for this since it's a heater without the engine running) and the second is to change the headlights. The steering wheel normally could stay where it is, but he always must remember to drive on the "wrong side".

And to get an answer he should send a request to the 'Kraftfahrtbundesamt' in Flensburg (kba.de) since that is the registering organisation and maybe also to the TUEV-Sued (tuev-sued.de) since there the technicals are checked - they will tell what's possible and what's not.

Maybe nowaday it's a lil bit more complicated like it was years ago.

Now that you've solved the easy part, how would you prove that the vehicle meets all safety standards and will pass a Euro 5 emissions test?

Edited November 17, 2013 by Woodsie888

[Ace of Pop]

The O.P. possibly takes German Beer back Home cause its more expensive here. Ive realy missed the Point.