Registering A Vehicle In My Name

[jonboy]

Hey all

I know similar questions have been asked umpteen times on here and I have searched and searched but seem to only get conflicting posts.

I have had 2 Non Imm visas whilst being here in Thailand and whilst I had them I :-

1, Got a mororbike licence

2, Got a car licence

3, Registered a motorbike in my name

I no longer have a Non Imm visa and I no longer want a motorbike but want to buy a car.I want to put down the deposit tomorrow but I'm worried that I'll lose the deposit if I cant get it registered in my name due to not having a work permit or a Non Imm visa.

There are posts on here that say all you need to register a car in your name is a passport,a tourist visa,a proof of address from the embassy(im British) and the cash.......I have all of these things.

They also say that you only need to have a work permit/non Imm if you want to buy it on finance?

I realise I have bought a bike already and should already know all of this but I simply handed her all the documents with mu Non Imm B visa and im not sure if she looked at it or not.

Any advice greatly appreciated

[Phil Conners]

You don't need a work permit to register the car but without a work permit nobody will finance more than 50% of the car.

You need a non immigrant visa to register the car in your name.

[jonboy]

Hey Madsere....I dont need financing as I will buy the car by cash in 1 lump sum. Are you sure I still need a non imm visa as im getting other people saying I dont.

[Phil Conners]

I am quite sure you can not (normally) register a car in your name if you are on a tourist visa ... but who knows, TiT and rules are sometimes negotiable

[jonboy]

Sorry for not being clear but I have a triple entry tourist visa not a 30 day stamp.Does this make a difference?

Cheers

[Phil Conners]

A foreigner who wants to buy a car and register it in his name, must hold a non-immigrant visa and either a work permit or a proof-of-address document from the Immigration Office.

Source: http://www.thaivisa.com/own_car_thailand.0.html

[johng]

Mr Kerryd seems to have got a motorbike registered in his name on a 30 day tourist stamp..is it any different for a car ???

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=68904&st=0

QUOTE(johng @ 2006-05-17 15:57:12)

....to try to get a "comfirmation of place of residence " , as needed for a driving licence and bank account...

...trouble is that was the last 90 days I could get on that particular Non Imm O visa ( it expired ) so I didn't bother going back as they won't issue the certificate on a 30 day " tourist " stamp

QUOTE (kerryd @ 2006-05-19 08:16:43 )

Not true. I got my first certificate in October while on a 30 day stamp (at the soi 8 office). I went back in December (to the soi 5 office now) and got another certificate, still on a (new) 30 day stamp. (That's all I have, as I don't feel like travelling home to try and get a longer visa at this point).

I have a bank account and a moto in my name (plus the telephone/internet).

Then again, maybe she like my face

Edited June 23, 2006 by johng

[Phil Conners]

Well you know the rules and you know most rules can be bent in Thailand....

[Netfan]

This is all interesting as i have been told i cannot register my motorcycle (400cc) in my name, despite having a work permit, because i do not have a house paper! Been told by the bike shop and the registration office in Pranburi - but the did give me a 7 year drivers license.

[LivinLOS]

For the house paper you go to immigration and for 200 baht (??) you get the 'proof of residence form' sometimes they want to see a house rental agreement but my immigration seem a farang friendly and lax bunch and they just smiled and issued me one.

I know for a fact I put bikes and a car in my name on a triple entry tourist visa though I have been advised that its not possible.. I paid no tea money, no bribes or anything.. Just smiled and was polite and was directed into the office and out of all the queues and given personal help to fill in the all Thai forms and shown where the seller had to sign.. Next day returned with sellers ID / Tabien baan and signatures and as soon as the window staff spottred me again called without queueing behind the counter where they finished everything with smiles.. I gave her a 100 baht tip for lunch money as she was so helpful in what would have been a struggle without a thai translator.. I didnt feel that was a bribe more a thank you and it was never hinted I should.

Sometimes I / we bitch and moan about Thailand but often we get singled out for the special treatmewnt in a good way also.

[Tingnongnoi]

was told by the dealer when I bought my car, I would need to have non-im to register it in my name.

[Nickkbh]

Yup,same here.The Ram Intra-ekkamai Honda dealer was quite clear.

No non im,no car.

Same with the license.

Other than that,buying a car was a breeze.

[mraitchison]

No non im,no car.

Other than that,buying a car was a breeze.

Does that mean you stole it then?

[MaiChai]

I can make a comparison between buying a car in Sukhothai provence and Bangkok. Go for Bangkok for minimal hassle; the dealers in Bangkok are more used to dealing with foreigners and know the ropes. If you dont live in Bangkok, maybe you can make a holiday in Bangkok just for buying your car/motorbike?

[jonboy]

Sorry for not getting back to you all earlier....

I got the car registered in my name on the triple entry visa but eye brows were raised at me not having a NON IMM visa or work permit and MAYBE some tea money was paid by the garage I was buying it from(they say they paid some but not sure if they actually did).

Thanks all for your help

[dr_Pat_Pong]

This is all interesting as i have been told i cannot register my motorcycle (400cc) in my name, despite having a work permit, because i do not have a house paper! Been told by the bike shop and the registration office in Pranburi - but the did give me a 7 year drivers license.

A 7 year DL. Have another look at it.

[HDRIDER]

Hi Guys

I have 2 motorbikes a big one and a small, i have a car to,, and all are in my own name

i am on tourist visa. it can be done.

[Hans Lankari]

Here in Pattaya -area it can be done with whatever visa or even without one:

I myself and several of my friends have bought motorbikes on our names on 30-day stamp; no visa of any kind.

(Though I also know that some people here have been refused to do it without a proper visa.)

No bribes, no special connections, no black-magic; nothing. Just some kind of a rental agreement to immigration + photo to obtain certificate of your address in Thailand. Then passport, this certificate and money to the dealer. Voilá; bike is on your name!

[PeaceBlondie]

As always, it depends on the location, the officer, your appearance and behavior, blind luck, etc. Last week, I was in the Chiang Mai Immigration office, and the front counter has a big sign saying you have to have a non-immigrant one year visa to register a car. A polite European lady, who was on a tourist visa this time, was told she had to have a non-immigrant visa to SELL her bike! Later, they let her go ahead.

When we first walked in to get the residence certificate (I've never had a work permit), we were told to bring back a lease. When I did, they were very nice, gave me two certificates, and didn't charge me one satang!! Luck of the draw.

[astral]

A polite European lady, who was on a tourist visa this time, was told she had to have a non-immigrant visa to SELL her bike! Later, they let her go ahead.

This is the other side of the coin.

I had great difficulty selling my car after I had left Thailand, as I had no legal standing to get the

necessary address confirmation letter.

Tea money did the trick.

[Scenium11]

I think that registring a car is much mùore difficult than registring a bike.

If you buy a brand new car, there is no doubt that the dealer will require your Non-Imm visa to do the paperwork and bribing won't make the thing as he's not the decision-maker.

Buying a 2nd hand car at any of these carshops may be different as the owner may have some 'friends' at Mochit registration centre.

Keep in mind that administration will ask for your Non-Imm when you'll sell your car.

This can become an hassle!

[phibunmike]

According to:

http://www.expatmotors.co.th/paperwork.html

To register a car in your own name you'll need the following:

Passport: copies of the photograph page and current visa page of your passport, a car can registered with any visa, tourist, non-immigrant "O" "B" or retirement visa. (all copies must be signed)

Work Permit: Copies of every page of your work permit (all copies must be signed). For those without a work permit read below.

Embassy Letter: For people without a work permit you'll need to visit your embassy and get a notary document confirming your name and address in Thailand. Typically these documents cost around 1,500 Baht and are easy to obtain, just explain to your embassy that you are purchasing a car and need the notary document for registration purposes. The immigration department can also issue a similar document.

To register a car in your Thai Husband's/Wife's name: We will need copies of his/her ID card and a copy of his/her house registration document "Tabian Baan". We will provide the all the other relevant documents to sign.

To Register a car in a company name: We will need a copy of the company registration papers, copies of the identification card, and house registration papers of the owner/owners of the company if the owner/s is Thai, or copies of the work permit/s and passport/s if the owner/s of the company is foreign.

[bold print added by me]