My friend entered the Kingdom during the last week of validity of his one year Non O-A visa, thus receiving a stamp 'Admitted until' date good for one year, until September 2014.

Now trying to sell his motorbike,,,with an expired Visa.

My original thought was that a valid Visa was a pre-requisite for making a vehicle transaction in Thailand.

But then we discussed the situation of foreigners living in the Kingdom year after year, 'based on yearly extensions of stay'. which means, as I understand it, that these people do not have a valid visa.

If so, how do these foreigners go through the process of buying and selling vehicles? If possible at all....

I went to explain this situation to the most knowledgeable (sic) official in the motor registration office in Phuket town.

I asked if a transaction was possible based on an 'Admitted Until' stamp, rather than on a valid Visa. As that might be possible based on an 'Extension of stay'...

After 20 minutes of discussion, and looking at the lady's puzzled eyes, I said ' first time you get a situation like this'? To which she answered 'Yes'....with a nice smile.

Anybody has some insights on this please...

Trying to avoid the alternative of having the buyer to consider driving the motorbike for one year, and change the name in the fall of 2014, when my friend comes back with a new Visa.

Does a vehicle vendor need any special status or documentation at all? I wasn't aware of it and don't really see the point of it.

I'm on a retirement extension and when I bought my new car the vehicle registration people accepted my extension as being the equivalent of a long visa. (My actual original visa expired years ago and isnt even in my current passport.) I also had to get a 200Baht residence certificate from immigration to "prove" (haha) my address.

So at worst your friend should need no more than that and he should be able get it easily enough. Unless Phuket has different rules to Pattaya.

Yes, a status is required to process a vehicle transaction.

So a Visa is good.

An extension of stay is good..

Now the question is:

Can an 'Admitted until' date stamp be considered in the same fashion as an 'Extension of stay'.

The Motor Registration Office in Phuket town did not know...

Answer was, valid Visa is required..

Even that might have been incorrect, as you point out that you had transactions processed based on an 'Extension of stay' .

A 'Proof of residence' from Immigration is required for the buyer, not for the seller...

Yes, a status is required to process a vehicle transaction.

Are you certain? This seems very odd.

Can an 'Admitted until' date stamp be considered in the same fashion as an 'Extension of stay'.

Surely, because that's all an extension of stay is: a stamp saying you can stay till xxx date at which time you can renew or leave.

The Motor Registration Office in Phuket town did not know...

That seems odd too. There can be no shortage of farangs with vehicles in Phuket, any more than there are in Pattaya. So they must have come across this situation before.

Try asking another official there.

How much to "borrow" the bike..my Lady has a type O visa, and I'll be around a while..we live with an architect who works with the governmevenent, a very sweet guy..no problem..