DLT explains the point of the automobile passport between Thailand and Laos

[webfact]

DLT explains the point of the automobile passport between Thailand and Laos

BANGKOK, 26 September 2014 (NNT) - DLT explained that the automobile passport is an agreement between Thailand and Laos, although new driver licenses can allow Thais to drive in all ASEAN countries.

The DLT deputy-general, Atsathai Rattadilok, said the automobile passport cannot be used among other ASEAN countries and can only be used in Laos PDR as the agreement is only between Thailand and Laos PDR.

Other ASEAN countries are not involved in this, although the new driver license will allow drivers to use cars in all ASEAN countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos PDR, Myanmar, and Cambodia.

In case of any confusion, or if you have any clue which can lead to uncovering any deceptive practices, reports should be made to the license department at the Provincial Land Transport Office of Bangkok area 5, Tel. 02-271-8426 or Call Center at 1584 for 24/7.


-- NNT 2014-09-26

[ukrules]

I was expecting an article about Dave Lee Travis based on this headline !

[bigjules007]

I was expecting an article about Dave Lee Travis based on this headline !

You beat me to it, I was going to ask since when has Dave Lee Travis been an authority on these things?

[hgma]

What has a car (purple) passport to do with a drivers license.......confusing header.

[lostinisaan]

Other ASEAN countries are not involved in this, although the new driver license will allow drivers to use cars in all ASEAN countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos PDR, Myanmar, and Cambodia.

Amazing Thailand. A Thai driver's license allows Thai drivers to drive in Thailand.

Great information, indeed.Or both.-

[khwaibah]

Do not a driver license to drive in Thailand. Just ask the locals.

[Tomtomtom69]

Well someone better tell the DLT Deputy General that Thai driver's licences are generally not recognized by the Vietnamese authorities, nor are Thai cars ordinarily permitted to enter Vietnam, only if they arrive on a tour with guide and police escort. Individual Thai cars can't enter Vietnam, but perhaps after the entry into force of AEC 2015 they might be? Anyone know?

Since car rental without a driver (i.e. self-drive) essentially doesn't exist in Vietnam (there are a few small rental shops, mostly in Hanoi that rent out cars but only to drivers in possession of Vietnamese driver's licences and even then only with a hefty deposit and sometimes a motorcycle or other collateral must be arranged in order to be allowed to rent), very, very few Thais or expats with Thai licenses would ever find themselves driving a car in Vietnam. Personally I have, and generally drive myself in Vietnam every time I go there, but I am in possession of a local Vietnamese driver's licence and drive a locally registered car, or in the past, a Lao car.

The one realistic possibility of using your Thai license in Vietnam exists if you rent a car from Laos and drive it into Vietnam, if the Vietnamese will let you. Apparently they'll freely let Lao citizens drive Lao registered cars across the border, but there may be issues with third party foreigners or even Vietnamese driving Lao registered vehicles into the country. Perhaps they'll let you in if the car is registered in your name, but if not, even a power of attorney may not be enough. In the past it was no problem either way, but since late 2012 there have been issues - it could depend on which border crossing you use, but it's far from certain. Even Cambodian vehicles driven by Cambodians have often not been able to enter Vietnam since late 2012, although apparently a new cross border agreement between Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia should have resolved this issue and apparently, vehicles registered in any of these three countries should be able to cross freely (since a few months). However, none of this affects Thais on Thai licenses who are not covered by any agreement so far.

BTW the yellow Lao automobile passport is also valid for Vietnam, while Vietnam issues a similar red document valid only for Laos, though with fewer pages than the Lao one it seems. In practice, the yellow Lao auto passport is also accepted for entry into China (restrictions may exist as to how far a Lao vehicle can drive into China, but certainly in Sipsongbanna and other border regions are OK, possibly all of Yunnan and even Guangxi should be OK these days too assuming the Chinese are following through on their cross-border transport agreement signed back in 2003 I think), although not for Cambodia.

Similarly, although Thai cars can generally enter Cambodia (except at Poipet or Daung) they are supposedly not supposed to travel beyond the border province they entered in (though in reality no one will stop you once inside Cambodia), but Thai driver's licences are generally not recognized by the Cambodian police either way. Or at least they'll turn a blind eye to their use and still fine you. Not a big deal, but if you want to rent a car in Cambodia for self-drive (possible in Phnom Penh or Siem Reap) only Cambodian licences or international permits are accepted. It is recommended to get a Cambodian license, which is simply a case of paying some money, your valid overseas license and supplying a photo, for a 1-year license to drive legally. However, none of this is necessary for driving a Thai car to say Koh Kong and vicinity and then back to Thailand. In such cases it's a case of no licence needed at all.

Myanmar also does not permit any foreign registered vehicles (including Thai vehicles) to travel more than a few km away from it's crossings with Thailand, except if you arrive on a pre-arranged tour. This may eventually change (hopefully) but for now there are major restrictions.

My understanding is the current rules are as follows:

Mae Sot/Myawady. Without a tour, Thai cars can enter Myanmar at Myawady and travel only around 12km to the small industrial and warehouse zone, although in practice nobody will stop you from going all the way up to the mountain pass checkpoint, a further 10 or so km west of there. So if you were driving a Thai car without official paperwork, that's as far as you'd get as there are police, immigration and soldiers who check foreigner's passports and record their visa details and those of the driver and vehicles continuing over the mountain pass to Kawkareik and Hpa-an. Only Burmese vehicles can continue past the checkpoint unless you have pre-arranged a tour of some sort. Thai cars can't remain in Myawady overnight; only day trips are allowed. Apparently powers of attorney may/may not be used to take a Thai car across. If going on a tour, powers of attorney are fine, but without a tour on a day trip to Myawady, maybe not. Thai driver's licences are irrelevant in either case - they wouldn't be asked for on day trips across the border, for tour journeys either a Thai or international licence is fine but probably not really required.

Mae Sai/Tachilek. Without a tour, any foreign registered vehicle can enter and remain for the validity of one's permission to stay (14 days without a visa or 28 days with a tourist visa for example) but only within the vicinity of Tachilek and surrounds, so bringing across a vehicle there is futile unless you are intending on staying only in Tachilek, perhaps to pickup/drop off goods. For trips further inside the country, permission may be required. In the past it was possible to simply drive to the Chinese border and back in a Thai car, but not deviate from the main north/south road. This may once again be allowed soon, but as of April it wasn't, due to the Myanmar authorities not wanting Myanmar drivers to lose revenue from allowing Thais to drive anywhere they want, given the current absence of an agreement allowing Thai/Burmese vehicles to travel freely within each other's territory.

Phu Nam Ron/Htee Khee (for Dawei). Thai vehicles can generally only enter if they come on a tour. Other foreign registered vehicles are subject to the same restrictions. Thai vehicles may otherwise be permitted to shuttle between the Thai and Burmese border posts but can't go any further and can't stay overnight in Myanmar.

Three Pagodas Pass. Thai nationals may bring a Thai car across for the day only, within a 12km radius of the border. Once that border opens up officially as an international checkpoint, foreign nationals may be able to do the same, but not for now because the border is still only considered to be a local checkpoint.

Ranong/Kawthoung. There is a ferry service there and only vehicles that have received permission to enter Myanmar can enter Kawthoung and travel further inside Myanmar. Last year there were 2 Russian registered cars that did this.

Malaysia. Thai cars can freely enter, no need for a vehicle passport as the above article indicated. Only need the blue book.

So it seems that for now, only Laos and Malaysia (and Singapore for that matter) freely allow Thai cars to enter without issues, in all cases and all entry points. Cambodia and Myanmar have restrictions, although the former is easygoing and doesn't enforce these restrictions very well, while in the latter case a travel agency and weeks of planning are required.

China, Vietnam etc.? Forget trying to drive a Thai car to these countries just yet. It's possible, but takes a lot of advance planning. Maybe AEC 2015 will change things but for now, attempting to drive a Thai car anywhere apart from Laos, Malaysia or Singapore is difficult.

[bapak]

Well someone better tell the DLT Deputy General that Thai driver's licences are generally not recognized by the Vietnamese authorities, nor are Thai cars ordinarily permitted to enter Vietnam, only if they arrive on a tour with guide and police escort. Individual Thai cars can't enter Vietnam, but perhaps after the entry into force of AEC 2015 they might be? Anyone know?

Since car rental without a driver (i.e. self-drive) essentially doesn't exist in Vietnam (there are a few small rental shops, mostly in Hanoi that rent out cars but only to drivers in possession of Vietnamese driver's licences and even then only with a hefty deposit and sometimes a motorcycle or other collateral must be arranged in order to be allowed to rent), very, very few Thais or expats with Thai licenses would ever find themselves driving a car in Vietnam. Personally I have, and generally drive myself in Vietnam every time I go there, but I am in possession of a local Vietnamese driver's licence and drive a locally registered car, or in the past, a Lao car.

The one realistic possibility of using your Thai license in Vietnam exists if you rent a car from Laos and drive it into Vietnam, if the Vietnamese will let you. Apparently they'll freely let Lao citizens drive Lao registered cars across the border, but there may be issues with third party foreigners or even Vietnamese driving Lao registered vehicles into the country. Perhaps they'll let you in if the car is registered in your name, but if not, even a power of attorney may not be enough. In the past it was no problem either way, but since late 2012 there have been issues - it could depend on which border crossing you use, but it's far from certain. Even Cambodian vehicles driven by Cambodians have often not been able to enter Vietnam since late 2012, although apparently a new cross border agreement between Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia should have resolved this issue and apparently, vehicles registered in any of these three countries should be able to cross freely (since a few months). However, none of this affects Thais on Thai licenses who are not covered by any agreement so far.

BTW the yellow Lao automobile passport is also valid for Vietnam, while Vietnam issues a similar red document valid only for Laos, though with fewer pages than the Lao one it seems. In practice, the yellow Lao auto passport is also accepted for entry into China (restrictions may exist as to how far a Lao vehicle can drive into China, but certainly in Sipsongbanna and other border regions are OK, possibly all of Yunnan and even Guangxi should be OK these days too assuming the Chinese are following through on their cross-border transport agreement signed back in 2003 I think), although not for Cambodia.

Similarly, although Thai cars can generally enter Cambodia (except at Poipet or Daung) they are supposedly not supposed to travel beyond the border province they entered in (though in reality no one will stop you once inside Cambodia), but Thai driver's licences are generally not recognized by the Cambodian police either way. Or at least they'll turn a blind eye to their use and still fine you. Not a big deal, but if you want to rent a car in Cambodia for self-drive (possible in Phnom Penh or Siem Reap) only Cambodian licences or international permits are accepted. It is recommended to get a Cambodian license, which is simply a case of paying some money, your valid overseas license and supplying a photo, for a 1-year license to drive legally. However, none of this is necessary for driving a Thai car to say Koh Kong and vicinity and then back to Thailand. In such cases it's a case of no licence needed at all.

Myanmar also does not permit any foreign registered vehicles (including Thai vehicles) to travel more than a few km away from it's crossings with Thailand, except if you arrive on a pre-arranged tour. This may eventually change (hopefully) but for now there are major restrictions.

My understanding is the current rules are as follows:

Mae Sot/Myawady. Without a tour, Thai cars can enter Myanmar at Myawady and travel only around 12km to the small industrial and warehouse zone, although in practice nobody will stop you from going all the way up to the mountain pass checkpoint, a further 10 or so km west of there. So if you were driving a Thai car without official paperwork, that's as far as you'd get as there are police, immigration and soldiers who check foreigner's passports and record their visa details and those of the driver and vehicles continuing over the mountain pass to Kawkareik and Hpa-an. Only Burmese vehicles can continue past the checkpoint unless you have pre-arranged a tour of some sort. Thai cars can't remain in Myawady overnight; only day trips are allowed. Apparently powers of attorney may/may not be used to take a Thai car across. If going on a tour, powers of attorney are fine, but without a tour on a day trip to Myawady, maybe not. Thai driver's licences are irrelevant in either case - they wouldn't be asked for on day trips across the border, for tour journeys either a Thai or international licence is fine but probably not really required.

Mae Sai/Tachilek. Without a tour, any foreign registered vehicle can enter and remain for the validity of one's permission to stay (14 days without a visa or 28 days with a tourist visa for example) but only within the vicinity of Tachilek and surrounds, so bringing across a vehicle there is futile unless you are intending on staying only in Tachilek, perhaps to pickup/drop off goods. For trips further inside the country, permission may be required. In the past it was possible to simply drive to the Chinese border and back in a Thai car, but not deviate from the main north/south road. This may once again be allowed soon, but as of April it wasn't, due to the Myanmar authorities not wanting Myanmar drivers to lose revenue from allowing Thais to drive anywhere they want, given the current absence of an agreement allowing Thai/Burmese vehicles to travel freely within each other's territory.

Phu Nam Ron/Htee Khee (for Dawei). Thai vehicles can generally only enter if they come on a tour. Other foreign registered vehicles are subject to the same restrictions. Thai vehicles may otherwise be permitted to shuttle between the Thai and Burmese border posts but can't go any further and can't stay overnight in Myanmar.

Three Pagodas Pass. Thai nationals may bring a Thai car across for the day only, within a 12km radius of the border. Once that border opens up officially as an international checkpoint, foreign nationals may be able to do the same, but not for now because the border is still only considered to be a local checkpoint.

Ranong/Kawthoung. There is a ferry service there and only vehicles that have received permission to enter Myanmar can enter Kawthoung and travel further inside Myanmar. Last year there were 2 Russian registered cars that did this.

Malaysia. Thai cars can freely enter, no need for a vehicle passport as the above article indicated. Only need the blue book.

So it seems that for now, only Laos and Malaysia (and Singapore for that matter) freely allow Thai cars to enter without issues, in all cases and all entry points. Cambodia and Myanmar have restrictions, although the former is easygoing and doesn't enforce these restrictions very well, while in the latter case a travel agency and weeks of planning are required.

China, Vietnam etc.? Forget trying to drive a Thai car to these countries just yet. It's possible, but takes a lot of advance planning. Maybe AEC 2015 will change things but for now, attempting to drive a Thai car anywhere apart from Laos, Malaysia or Singapore is difficult.

Correct me if I am wrong but as I understand, car cannot be taken into Laos or Malaysia if not fully paid for. Cannot be on "Hire Purchase".

[Haverkamp1]

Tomtomtom69, thanks for all the information, now I know that I don't need to make any travel plans for those countries listed in your article, except Laos, Malaysia or Singapore.

[12DrinkMore]

......China, Vietnam etc.? Forget trying to drive a Thai car to these countries just yet. It's possible, but takes a lot of advance planning. Maybe AEC 2015 will change things but for now, attempting to drive a Thai car anywhere apart from Laos, Malaysia or Singapore is difficult.

Thanks for that.

Malaysia requires a Malaysian insurance policy, well, they did from me.

Getting into Singapore is also a pain, they require Singapore Insurance (even though I had a Malaysian policy which stated "Valid for Singapore", plus a road toll device to be fitted (actually optional, but you then have to be very careful not to head up the wrong roads at the wrong times). I gave up on Singapore and parked the vehicle in Malaysia. It was getting to be too much hassle. Public transport is excellent in Singapore.

And Laos, I have heard, does not allow motorcycles. But maybe that has changed.

[Pond Life]

Please clarify for me.

Does this automobile passport refer to your driving licence or to the registration of the vehicle (green book) ?

[mca]

I would have thought the Hairy Cornflake would have enough on his plate this week!

[wabothai]

In few words basically only Laos allows thai cars.

[wabothai]

And as a farang you would have to own the car, isn't it?

[Time Traveller]

Just to clarify. You need your car's blue book (you probably won't have that if you are paying off a auto loan) to get a passport at the DLT for your car. It allows entry to drive your car into any country (as long as you have insurance coverage for that country as well). I've have known people who drove to Vietnam Laos Cambodia and Malaysia.

As far as I know there is only one kind of car passport. This article implies there is another passport just for Thai/Lao international trips. Is this correct?

[laochef]

If you have bought your car with a mortgage, the finance company must agree to let you take the car out. The finance co must also do the vehicle passport. If you have paid in full, no problem, you just take your ordinary vehicle registration to the nearest registration/licence office - it's about 300 THB. The book is valid for 1 year. And you don't need to own the car, as long as you have the car passport.

[4jasmin]

I have seen many Thai owned Cars, driving around in Cambodia ....

so?

[Tomtomtom69]

Well someone better tell the DLT Deputy General that Thai driver's licences are generally not recognized by the Vietnamese authorities, nor are Thai cars ordinarily permitted to enter Vietnam, only if they arrive on a tour with guide and police escort. Individual Thai cars can't enter Vietnam, but perhaps after the entry into force of AEC 2015 they might be? Anyone know?

Since car rental without a driver (i.e. self-drive) essentially doesn't exist in Vietnam (there are a few small rental shops, mostly in Hanoi that rent out cars but only to drivers in possession of Vietnamese driver's licences and even then only with a hefty deposit and sometimes a motorcycle or other collateral must be arranged in order to be allowed to rent), very, very few Thais or expats with Thai licenses would ever find themselves driving a car in Vietnam. Personally I have, and generally drive myself in Vietnam every time I go there, but I am in possession of a local Vietnamese driver's licence and drive a locally registered car, or in the past, a Lao car.

The one realistic possibility of using your Thai license in Vietnam exists if you rent a car from Laos and drive it into Vietnam, if the Vietnamese will let you. Apparently they'll freely let Lao citizens drive Lao registered cars across the border, but there may be issues with third party foreigners or even Vietnamese driving Lao registered vehicles into the country. Perhaps they'll let you in if the car is registered in your name, but if not, even a power of attorney may not be enough. In the past it was no problem either way, but since late 2012 there have been issues - it could depend on which border crossing you use, but it's far from certain. Even Cambodian vehicles driven by Cambodians have often not been able to enter Vietnam since late 2012, although apparently a new cross border agreement between Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia should have resolved this issue and apparently, vehicles registered in any of these three countries should be able to cross freely (since a few months). However, none of this affects Thais on Thai licenses who are not covered by any agreement so far.

BTW the yellow Lao automobile passport is also valid for Vietnam, while Vietnam issues a similar red document valid only for Laos, though with fewer pages than the Lao one it seems. In practice, the yellow Lao auto passport is also accepted for entry into China (restrictions may exist as to how far a Lao vehicle can drive into China, but certainly in Sipsongbanna and other border regions are OK, possibly all of Yunnan and even Guangxi should be OK these days too assuming the Chinese are following through on their cross-border transport agreement signed back in 2003 I think), although not for Cambodia.

Similarly, although Thai cars can generally enter Cambodia (except at Poipet or Daung) they are supposedly not supposed to travel beyond the border province they entered in (though in reality no one will stop you once inside Cambodia), but Thai driver's licences are generally not recognized by the Cambodian police either way. Or at least they'll turn a blind eye to their use and still fine you. Not a big deal, but if you want to rent a car in Cambodia for self-drive (possible in Phnom Penh or Siem Reap) only Cambodian licences or international permits are accepted. It is recommended to get a Cambodian license, which is simply a case of paying some money, your valid overseas license and supplying a photo, for a 1-year license to drive legally. However, none of this is necessary for driving a Thai car to say Koh Kong and vicinity and then back to Thailand. In such cases it's a case of no licence needed at all.

Myanmar also does not permit any foreign registered vehicles (including Thai vehicles) to travel more than a few km away from it's crossings with Thailand, except if you arrive on a pre-arranged tour. This may eventually change (hopefully) but for now there are major restrictions.

My understanding is the current rules are as follows:

Mae Sot/Myawady. Without a tour, Thai cars can enter Myanmar at Myawady and travel only around 12km to the small industrial and warehouse zone, although in practice nobody will stop you from going all the way up to the mountain pass checkpoint, a further 10 or so km west of there. So if you were driving a Thai car without official paperwork, that's as far as you'd get as there are police, immigration and soldiers who check foreigner's passports and record their visa details and those of the driver and vehicles continuing over the mountain pass to Kawkareik and Hpa-an. Only Burmese vehicles can continue past the checkpoint unless you have pre-arranged a tour of some sort. Thai cars can't remain in Myawady overnight; only day trips are allowed. Apparently powers of attorney may/may not be used to take a Thai car across. If going on a tour, powers of attorney are fine, but without a tour on a day trip to Myawady, maybe not. Thai driver's licences are irrelevant in either case - they wouldn't be asked for on day trips across the border, for tour journeys either a Thai or international licence is fine but probably not really required.

Mae Sai/Tachilek. Without a tour, any foreign registered vehicle can enter and remain for the validity of one's permission to stay (14 days without a visa or 28 days with a tourist visa for example) but only within the vicinity of Tachilek and surrounds, so bringing across a vehicle there is futile unless you are intending on staying only in Tachilek, perhaps to pickup/drop off goods. For trips further inside the country, permission may be required. In the past it was possible to simply drive to the Chinese border and back in a Thai car, but not deviate from the main north/south road. This may once again be allowed soon, but as of April it wasn't, due to the Myanmar authorities not wanting Myanmar drivers to lose revenue from allowing Thais to drive anywhere they want, given the current absence of an agreement allowing Thai/Burmese vehicles to travel freely within each other's territory.

Phu Nam Ron/Htee Khee (for Dawei). Thai vehicles can generally only enter if they come on a tour. Other foreign registered vehicles are subject to the same restrictions. Thai vehicles may otherwise be permitted to shuttle between the Thai and Burmese border posts but can't go any further and can't stay overnight in Myanmar.

Three Pagodas Pass. Thai nationals may bring a Thai car across for the day only, within a 12km radius of the border. Once that border opens up officially as an international checkpoint, foreign nationals may be able to do the same, but not for now because the border is still only considered to be a local checkpoint.

Ranong/Kawthoung. There is a ferry service there and only vehicles that have received permission to enter Myanmar can enter Kawthoung and travel further inside Myanmar. Last year there were 2 Russian registered cars that did this.

Malaysia. Thai cars can freely enter, no need for a vehicle passport as the above article indicated. Only need the blue book.

So it seems that for now, only Laos and Malaysia (and Singapore for that matter) freely allow Thai cars to enter without issues, in all cases and all entry points. Cambodia and Myanmar have restrictions, although the former is easygoing and doesn't enforce these restrictions very well, while in the latter case a travel agency and weeks of planning are required.

China, Vietnam etc.? Forget trying to drive a Thai car to these countries just yet. It's possible, but takes a lot of advance planning. Maybe AEC 2015 will change things but for now, attempting to drive a Thai car anywhere apart from Laos, Malaysia or Singapore is difficult.

Correct me if I am wrong but as I understand, car cannot be taken into Laos or Malaysia if not fully paid for. Cannot be on "Hire Purchase".

Yes, I believe you are right. I have done some research in Thai to find some info on Thai language forums to determine if any Thais have managed to convince their finance companies to receive permission to temporarily take their cars out for a short trip. The consensus seems to be that the finance companies will generally not permit cars on hire purchase to leave the country, but under the following circumstances exceptions may be made:

1) the car is going on a tour with a tour leader that can guarantee the car will come back to Thailand at the end of the tour or

2) the owner is close to repaying their loan, has always paid on time and never defaulted on any payments. For example, on a 5 year loan you have 6 months or less remaining, or something like that.

[Tomtomtom69]

I have seen many Thai owned Cars, driving around in Cambodia ....

so?

Yes, so have I and they are allowed in at some crossings, but not others. The point however is that the automobile passport or ITP is not valid for Cambodia. Which in a sense eliminates on piece of bureaucracy because only a blue book (for cars) or green book (for motorcycles) is required to enter Cambodia.

[Tomtomtom69]

Just to clarify. You need your car's blue book (you probably won't have that if you are paying off a auto loan) to get a passport at the DLT for your car. It allows entry to drive your car into any country (as long as you have insurance coverage for that country as well). I've have known people who drove to Vietnam Laos Cambodia and Malaysia.

As far as I know there is only one kind of car passport. This article implies there is another passport just for Thai/Lao international trips. Is this correct?

Nope, the article correctly implies that the automobile passport is only valid for Laos. Cambodia and Malaysia will let Thai cars enter, but they have different requirements. Malaysia is the most straightforward, all they require is a 'vehicle registration certificate', which is a one page letter that acts as an English language translation of your blue book (for cars) or green book (for motorcycles). Laos also recognizes and requires this letter for motorcycles only since automobile passports are not issued for motorcycles.

Cambodia doesn't offer insurance for Thai cars except maybe if you arrange something in advance through a Phnom Penh based insurer, but that's not an entry requirement. Indeed many Thai cars enter Cambodia daily but almost all of them are driving without insurance which is no problem as far as either Thailand or Cambodia are concerned. Besides, it's up to the Cambodians to reform their system and offer insurance coverage but so far there's no official system in place, hence no insurance coverage available at the border.

Vietnam recognizes the yellow Lao automobile passport and they would probably recognize the Thai one too if they allowed Thai cars to enter, but they don't. You say you know of people who drove cars to Vietnam? You mean Thai registered cars? The only way this would have been possible is if said vehicles went in on a tour, in which case a vehicle passport would not necessarily have been a requirement for entry since the tour leaders would take care of all the paperwork at the border (and beforehand) anyway and a tour is considered to be a special case that bypasses normal entry requirements/restrictions.

[Tomtomtom69]

......China, Vietnam etc.? Forget trying to drive a Thai car to these countries just yet. It's possible, but takes a lot of advance planning. Maybe AEC 2015 will change things but for now, attempting to drive a Thai car anywhere apart from Laos, Malaysia or Singapore is difficult.

Thanks for that.

Malaysia requires a Malaysian insurance policy, well, they did from me.

Getting into Singapore is also a pain, they require Singapore Insurance (even though I had a Malaysian policy which stated "Valid for Singapore", plus a road toll device to be fitted (actually optional, but you then have to be very careful not to head up the wrong roads at the wrong times). I gave up on Singapore and parked the vehicle in Malaysia. It was getting to be too much hassle. Public transport is excellent in Singapore.

And Laos, I have heard, does not allow motorcycles. But maybe that has changed.

Laos allows motorcycles at some crossings, but they have to be at least 250cc or larger. The main Nong Khai-Vientiane 1st Friendship Bridge crossing is consistent and allows larger motorcycles to enter no problems at all. Chiang Khong/Huay Xai allows motorcycles if you put the bike on a boat despite the bridge being open there now. Other crossings are generally OK if you're driving a big bike, but it depends. Some crossings are notoriously unreliable and in general, trying to get a scooter or small bike over is a big pain. The Lao entry policy on motorcycles has changed back and forth over the years. For a long time no bikes were allowed across the 1st Friendship Bridge but a few years ago they started allowing them. However at no point did they permit small bikes and that was a deliberate decision to limit lots of locals on small bikes crossing to each other's territory, with little awareness of the different driving standards on the other side of the border.

I've driven to Malaysia before. Malaysian insurance is readily available at the border, as is Lao insurance at the Lao crossings.

Can you get Singapore insurance at the border? I agree that the process you describe might be a pain and perhaps a little expensive, but personally I'd like to drive into Singapore if I'm already in southern Malaysia. Having said that the purpose of driving into Singapore isn't so much to drive around in Singapore as I'd be catching public transport inside the city, but simply to drive into the city, park the car and then drive out once ready to leave. I hear that JB is not the best place to park a car (lots of theft there) so I'd rather drive into Singapore, even if I had to fork out for the toll collection points and parking (and of course insurance). If I could afford to drive that far, another 100 SGD or whatever is a small price to pay for a few days of peace of mind.

[louse1953]

In few words basically only Laos allows thai cars.

Basically this is wrong as proven by myself.Haven't you seen Thai bikes in Laos,including mine.

[Tomtomtom69]

In few words basically only Laos allows thai cars.

Basically this is wrong as proven by myself.Haven't you seen Thai bikes in Laos,including mine.

You're right, but wabothai completely misunderstood the article. Every neighboring country of Thailand allows Thai cars to enter, just as Thailand allows cars from those countries to enter Thailand. However, there are different entry requirements and restrictions - Laos is the only one with a formal "automobile passport" requirement, meaning cars from Thailand (and Vietnam) require an automobile passport, issued by the land transport department in the respective countries to enter Laos. Similar, Lao cars require the same for entry into Thailand and Vietnam.

None of the other surrounding countries use the system. Entry into Malaysia is generally the most straightforward of all of Thailand's neighbors, but a translation of the owners blue book (for cars) or green book (for motorcycles) is required, as is a translation of the licence/number plate, in the form of a sticker with a black background and white lettering, mimicking Malaysia's number plate design.

Cambodia and Myanmar both have restrictions on which border crossings can be used, and/or how far a foreign registered vehicle (including Thai) can drive inside the other's territory. For the most part you can just show up with a blue or green book, for cars and motorcycles respectively and enter Cambodia, at the checkpoints which allow vehicles to enter (currently there are 3). For entry via the other checkpoints, more formal arrangements must be made in advance. For Myanmar you'll need to go on a tour otherwise you won't be able to go much further than the town limits, of whichever border town you enter at, even though you as a passenger could if you enter with a Myanmar visa, but the car won't be allowed to.

[flashpanther]

Can I drive a 'Thai rent a car' (rental car) from Thailand into Laos (with my Laotian fiancée) for a couple days?

Would be using the Friendship bridge at Savannakhet.

Guessing the answer will be a NO

[Thai at Heart]

Seems like the insurance companies and freighting firms are in for a bit of a shakeup come 2015