Driving my own Thai car from Thailand -> Malaysia -> Indonesia

[tri]

Hello guys !!
I'm planning a road trip with my own Thai registered car, starting from Thailand, entering Malaysia and Indonesia, then return.

Has anyone done this trip recently ???

What are the updated requirements to enter Malaysia and Indonesia (documents needed and procedures) with a Thai car?

Cheers !

[scorecard]

Previously Thai cars were not allowed to enter Malaysia if they had darker window tint film or one way film.

Perhaps you should check this.

[recom273]

You really did just dream this up last night and announce your dream here, right ?

What your asking is do-able on a bike .. How do you plan to get your car over the water ? There is talk of reviving the RORO from Penang to Belawan route but no date has been set.

I'm pretty sure you will need a carnet to enter Indonesia, I think it's 150% of the value on a car, so you first need to get one from Malaysia as they don't exist in Thailand.

I really think window film is the last of your worries.

Try horizons unlimited - a more specialized website for over landers.

[monkey4u]

1 Make car waterproof with silastic

2 Add an out board engine and a reasonable supply of fuel

3 Happy sailing

[phuketrichard]

i just drove into Malaysia last week with thai car, went in thru Satun ( Wang Prachun ) border, no problems with my 50% tint

if u go thru Sadao ur MAX is 40% and they use a hand held tester, and if ur over u need peel the front film off

Buy insurance at border, (depends on age of car an size of engine)

buy stickers of ur thai license plate (2)

get free round disk

drive on.

but the above is the easy part, getting into Indonesia . now thats going to be fun :-)

[Tomtomtom69]

You really did just dream this up last night and announce your dream here, right ?

What your asking is do-able on a bike .. How do you plan to get your car over the water ? There is talk of reviving the RORO from Penang to Belawan route but no date has been set.

I'm pretty sure you will need a carnet to enter Indonesia, I think it's 150% of the value on a car, so you first need to get one from Malaysia as they don't exist in Thailand.

I really think window film is the last of your worries.

Try horizons unlimited - a more specialized website for over landers.

Have you ever heard of a car ferry? They exist between Malaysia and Indonesia.

In 2013 I became friends with an Indonesian motorcyclist who at the time was crossing over from Laos to Thailand via the Chiang Khong river ferry on his Indonesian registered bike. I was heading over to the Chinese border with my Lao registered car.

If he could enter Thailand on an Indonesian registered bike, a Thai or foreigner driving a Thai registered car can surely enter Indonesia. Having said that, the carnet requirement does need to be checked as some countries require this.

[recom273]

You really did just dream this up last night and announce your dream here, right ?

What your asking is do-able on a bike .. How do you plan to get your car over the water ? There is talk of reviving the RORO from Penang to Belawan route but no date has been set.

I'm pretty sure you will need a carnet to enter Indonesia, I think it's 150% of the value on a car, so you first need to get one from Malaysia as they don't exist in Thailand.

I really think window film is the last of your worries.

Try horizons unlimited - a more specialized website for over landers.

Have you ever heard of a car ferry? They exist between Malaysia and Indonesia.

In 2013 I became friends with an Indonesian motorcyclist who at the time was crossing over from Laos to Thailand via the Chiang Khong river ferry on his Indonesian registered bike. I was heading over to the Chinese border with my Lao registered car.

If he could enter Thailand on an Indonesian registered bike, a Thai or foreigner driving a Thai registered car can surely enter Indonesia. Having said that, the carnet requirement does need to be checked as some countries require this.

Can you tell me the name of the RORO ferry the ports it leaves from and arrives to ?

I would like to take my bike.

Yes, it's not a problem to get a bike over on the 'onion' boat from Penang, the bikes are winched on an off.

Indonesia joined the carnet system on 15/5/2015 and i was checking in the week, 150% if I'm not wrong. Indonesian customs have a record of being difficult even with a carnet.

[rocketboybkk]

It's a crazy thing to do

Fly & enjoy it, drive & sweat, drive & drive

Ridiculous

Try again op

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[user643543]

we are planning the same - or about the same...

@phuketrichard - what do you mean with "buy stickers of ur thai license plate (2)"

we just got our internat. plates for our brandnew thai-registered car - have the "T" in front and in the back stick on the car - have all the paperwork done - passport (purple book) and translation from the "blue book" in english!

you mean, we must let make stickers from our thai-plate? (if yes - what size? what for?)

and @ttt69 - you know almost everything about touring in SEA - is it possible to bring by ferry our thai-registered car from singapore or malaysia to australia?

who knows about import temporarly a thai-car for holidays about 1-3 months in australia? possible or not?

i know - singapore is not worth to drive in with thai-car - expensive etc. but if we want to get a ferry to australia?

thanks for any infos - and about "films" - this is not a problem - just remove them, if someone want it...!

[recom273]

we are planning the same - or about the same...

@phuketrichard - what do you mean with "buy stickers of ur thai license plate (2)"

we just got our internat. plates for our brandnew thai-registered car - have the "T" in front and in the back stick on the car - have all the paperwork done - passport (purple book) and translation from the "blue book" in english!

you mean, we must let make stickers from our thai-plate? (if yes - what size? what for?)

and @ttt69 - you know almost everything about touring in SEA - is it possible to bring by ferry our thai-registered car from singapore or malaysia to australia?

who knows about import temporarly a thai-car for holidays about 1-3 months in australia? possible or not?

i know - singapore is not worth to drive in with thai-car - expensive etc. but if we want to get a ferry to australia?

thanks for any infos - and about "films" - this is not a problem - just remove them, if someone want it...!

You need to get a translation from DLT, it costs 25B, and can take from 1 hr - 48 hrs depending on the office. Then you get a sticker made, any town or city next to the border will have a sticker shop.

I really think the film and the stickers are the least of your worries, you will need to register a bond with the Aussie customs people, you will need a Carnet De Passage to enter Indonesia, you have to place 150% of your cars value with the local automobile association, Thailand doesnt offer this service, I think you have to do some workaround in Malaysia.

Im still waiting for TT69 to inform us of this RORO ferry that links Malaysia to Indonesia. I have a feeling if you want to ship your car to Indo, then you will need to place it in a container.

Edited August 10, 2015 by recom273

[user643543]

@recom273 - you and others wrote about: "Then you get a sticker made, any town or city next to the border will have a sticker shop." - what kind of sticker do you mean? do you have a sample? what is on this sticker? just wondering...!?! - thanks alot - and about australia - this is far too expensive for us - much better - fly to australia and rent a campervan...

[phuketrichard]

we are planning the same - or about the same...

@phuketrichard - what do you mean with "buy stickers of ur thai license plate (2)"

we just got our internat. plates for our brandnew thai-registered car - have the "T" in front and in the back stick on the car - have all the paperwork done - passport (purple book) and translation from the "blue book" in english!

you mean, we must let make stickers from our thai-plate? (if yes - what size? what for?)

and @ttt69 - you know almost everything about touring in SEA - is it possible to bring by ferry our thai-registered car from singapore or malaysia to australia?

who knows about import temporarly a thai-car for holidays about 1-3 months in australia? possible or not?

i know - singapore is not worth to drive in with thai-car - expensive etc. but if we want to get a ferry to australia?

thanks for any infos - and about "films" - this is not a problem - just remove them, if someone want it...!

For Malaysia

Th English plates are not acceptable ( i had them before as well) the stickers are done at the same place u pay for ur insurance

100 baht each, Need two. The purple book is ONLY for laos an you need the letter which is the english translation of ur blue book.

Film MAX 40% and at Sadao (Wang Prachun is better as they dont care) they have a small machine that tests it, IF its to dark

u MUST take the film off the front drivers/passengers windows. Dont forget to get the round tax disk ( free) issued by the

transport office in Malaysia at the border

[user643543]

For Malaysia

Th English plates are not acceptable ( i had them before as well) the stickers are done at the same place u pay for ur insurance

100 baht each, Need two. The purple book is ONLY for laos an you need the letter which is the english translation of ur blue book.

Film MAX 40% and at Sadao (Wang Prachun is better as they dont care) they have a small machine that tests it, IF its to dark

u MUST take the film off the front drivers/passengers windows. Dont forget to get the round tax disk ( free) issued by the

transport office in Malaysia at the border

ok - i understand that my transport office in chiang rai - where i got my international plates (i like them, because not everyone up here have them...! ) - so the transport office (DLT) will issue/make the stickers for me - or is this only possible at the malaysian border? are these stickers in english - what text/picture is on this stickers? - where do you fix them after?

our car have film 40 % front/drivers window and 60 % passangers/side windows - so it will be no problem at all!

the english-translation of the blue book i got already!

oh - just found another posting in this forum - i guess, most the infos there are still ok? - BTW - paid 25 baht for translation in english blue book - 50 baht passport (purple book) and 200 baht for internat. numbers (got them within 1 month after applied them.

Edited August 11, 2015 by edh69

[phuketrichard]

I dont know

but the stickers have to be the EXACT size of white letters/numbers on a Black background with a white border.

one goes on the front, the other on the rear.

I got mine at the border once an also on my new car at a shop in Phuket that makes them.

The large T sticker means nothing :-)

The sticker has the thai leters in English followed by the numbers followed by the province

so phuket looks like this

AC 4422 HKT

Edited August 11, 2015 by phuketrichard

[user643543]

I dont know

but the stickers have to be the EXACT size of white letters/numbers on a Black background with a white border.

one goes on the front, the other on the rear.

I got mine at the border once an also on my new car at a shop in Phuket that makes them.

The large T sticker means nothing :-)

The sticker has the thai leters in English followed by the numbers followed by the province

so phuket looks like this

AC 4422 HKT

thanks richard - what is the EXACT SIZE (in mm or so?!) - found some infos here:

or here

and here are some samples:

on google pictures

[phuketrichard]

the first link is correct and whta i said

anyone that makes stickers will know IF THEY have ade them before. If they are NOT correct Malaysia ( especially at Sadao) will tell you no and u

will need rip them off an get new ones

Just drive and get them at the border, takes 10 minutes an du need buy insurance anyway

The shop is right after the border crossing on the right where u buy insurance an get the stickers, the building next door is where they issue the disk

[recom273]

I dont know

but the stickers have to be the EXACT size of white letters/numbers on a Black background with a white border.

one goes on the front, the other on the rear.

I got mine at the border once an also on my new car at a shop in Phuket that makes them.

The large T sticker means nothing :-)

The sticker has the thai leters in English followed by the numbers followed by the province

so phuket looks like this

AC 4422 HKT

I don't know about this .. I made mine myself from the details from the JPJ.MY website that you linked, correct font, spacing and size, then I just scaled them down to fit in a gap on my windscreen, then took them to the sticker shop, they mumbled about the size, noticed my bike in the carpark then just nodded. It's not been a problem, but I avoid Sadao.

I have seen some cars with non-standard fonts, no white border and Malay bikers seem to have them facing upward on their front mudguards.

The correct size isn't a problem on a car bumper but looks silly on a bike. In Hat Yai there are a few dozen shops selling the stickers. 100B each.

Yes, Edh69, you have more than enough paperwork to get them to Malaysia ..

What do Thai international plates look like ?

[user643543]

Yes, Edh69, you have more than enough paperwork to get them to Malaysia ..

What do Thai international plates look like ?

thanks to all for the informations - in fact i need only this to cross the border into malaysia:

1. my car

2. translation in english from the blue-book (car registration thailand)

3. plate-stickers in the correct size and format - easy to buy at the border

4. insurance for malaysia - pay at the border

...what else?

how long i can travel in malaysia? - how expensive is the insurance - the best - for a car (mazda, 2.2 lt. diesel)

thai international plates in english - see attachment! (the number "50" next to thailand mean the province in thailand - 50 for chiang rai

just found an interesting website about thai-plates - even with a sample for malaysia

[phuketrichard]

I dont know

but the stickers have to be the EXACT size of white letters/numbers on a Black background with a white border.

one goes on the front, the other on the rear.

I got mine at the border once an also on my new car at a shop in Phuket that makes them.

The large T sticker means nothing :-)

The sticker has the thai leters in English followed by the numbers followed by the province

so phuket looks like this

AC 4422 HKT

I don't know about this .. I made mine myself from the details from the JPJ.MY website that you linked, correct font, spacing and size, then I just scaled them down to fit in a gap on my windscreen, then took them to the sticker shop, they mumbled about the size, noticed my bike in the carpark then just nodded. It's not been a problem, but I avoid Sadao.

I have seen some cars with non-standard fonts, no white border and Malay bikers seem to have them facing upward on their front mudguards.

The correct size isn't a problem on a car bumper but looks silly on a bike. In Hat Yai there are a few dozen shops selling the stickers. 100B each.

Yes, Edh69, you have more than enough paperwork to get them to Malaysia ..

What do Thai international plates look like ?

Stickers for cars are NOT the same as stickers for a bike (obviously)!!!

This is from my old car

Insurance depends on size of engine and year of car. I have an old one and it was 1,200 baht for 30 days

Edited August 12, 2015 by phuketrichard

[recom273]

Yeah, you see - those plates are not correct, but the driver seems to be using them. ( incorrect font / no white border )

You didn't mention your international driving permit - which in presume you possess.

[phuketrichard]

dont need international driving permit ( never owned one as i consider it a waste of $$)

when u buy insurance u need show a real driving license with the name same as the car owners.

[recom273]

I dont know

but the stickers have to be the EXACT size of white letters/numbers on a Black background with a white border.

one goes on the front, the other on the rear.

I got mine at the border once an also on my new car at a shop in Phuket that makes them.

The large T sticker means nothing :-)

The sticker has the thai leters in English followed by the numbers followed by the province

so phuket looks like this

AC 4422 HKT

I don't know about this .. I made mine myself from the details from the JPJ.MY website that you linked, correct font, spacing and size, then I just scaled them down to fit in a gap on my windscreen, then took them to the sticker shop, they mumbled about the size, noticed my bike in the carpark then just nodded. It's not been a problem, but I avoid Sadao.

I have seen some cars with non-standard fonts, no white border and Malay bikers seem to have them facing upward on their front mudguards.

The correct size isn't a problem on a car bumper but looks silly on a bike. In Hat Yai there are a few dozen shops selling the stickers. 100B each.

Yes, Edh69, you have more than enough paperwork to get them to Malaysia ..

What do Thai international plates look like ?

Stickers for cars are NOT the same as stickers for a bike (obviously)!!!

This is from my old car

Insurance depends on size of engine and year of car. I have an old one and it was 1,200 baht for 30 days

They are mate.

If you turn up at the border without they give you a monster butt ugly sticker and you cut it in two, LOL.

I have seen them with one part running down each fork, I cross every other month, so I wanted something a little more permanent and not so obtrusive.

Can you explain your insurance to the poster. It's not like a 1st class Thai insurance, is it ? It's just some public liability that covers the 3rd party and medical bills .. Am I correct ?

[recom273]

dont need international driving permit ( never owned one as i consider it a waste of $$)

when u buy insurance u need show a real driving license with the name same as the car owners.

Can we just stick to the facts here.

To enter Malysia you should have a IDP - either from your own country or Thailand - like you correctly say, they will accept a 5 year Thai.

[phuketrichard]

funny as have friends here that go often to Malay with their bikes, most got their stickers at the border an they are small, not full size

My insurance is from Kurnia Company Third party/ I image u could pay more for 1st class

Looking at the policy i have no idea what is covered but its good enough to drive legally in Malaysia :-)

"To enter Malysia you should have a IDP - either from your own country or Thailand"

WHY?

the idp is nothing but a English translation of ur license and totally worthless with out the real license. the 5 year thai license an my ca license are in englsh .

Edited August 12, 2015 by phuketrichard

[recom273]

Ok - don't want to argue with you here - point is, the regulation bike size is butt ugly.

I like, many Malaysian riders have made our own stickers, and we are able to cross borders, no one has bothered to measure them and refuse entry.

Like I say, everyday I have seen non-regulation car stickers which are not "EXACTLY" the regulation size, kerning and font and they seem to be acceptable.

And I said before, you are 100% right, any sticker shop will know the regulations and make a legal sticker.

WHY? ( dude you like capital letters ) I don't know mate, I don't make the rules, here's the first google link I saw

http://www.internations.org/malaysia-expats/guide/driving-in-malaysia-15637

However, you are 100% correct in what you say about them accepting a 5 year Thai license, suppose the poster doesn't have a 5 year Thai license ?

But why not just get a IDP - just to put your mind at rest, just as there are plenty of gung-ho bikers that will tell you "you don't need a translation document, a Thai green book is fine" - like why wouldn't you get a translation done for 25b and 15 minutes down at the DLT.

[Ace of Pop]

Id like to see his report when he gets back.

[user643543]

Id like to see his report when he gets back.

yes - will do that...

anyone have special secret places in malaysia/singapore?

- hotels - resorts - guesthouses

- beaches

- cities

- jungles

- islands

- special roads (we have 4x4-driven-car)

- must to see

- restaurants

- pubs

- bistros

thanks

@phuketrichard - are you at home - down in phuket in september/octobre?! for a beer or wine or water or so...?!

will start begin september for about 2 months!

[cumgranosalum]

I dont know

but the stickers have to be the EXACT size of white letters/numbers on a Black background with a white border.

one goes on the front, the other on the rear.

I got mine at the border once an also on my new car at a shop in Phuket that makes them.

The large T sticker means nothing :-)

The sticker has the thai leters in English followed by the numbers followed by the province

so phuket looks like this

AC 4422 HKT

I don't know about this .. I made mine myself from the details from the JPJ.MY website that you linked, correct font, spacing and size, then I just scaled them down to fit in a gap on my windscreen, then took them to the sticker shop, they mumbled about the size, noticed my bike in the carpark then just nodded. It's not been a problem, but I avoid Sadao.

I have seen some cars with non-standard fonts, no white border and Malay bikers seem to have them facing upward on their front mudguards.

The correct size isn't a problem on a car bumper but looks silly on a bike. In Hat Yai there are a few dozen shops selling the stickers. 100B each.

Yes, Edh69, you have more than enough paperwork to get them to Malaysia ..

What do Thai international plates look like ?

Stickers for cars are NOT the same as stickers for a bike (obviously)!!!

This is from my old car

Insurance depends on size of engine and year of car. I have an old one and it was 1,200 baht for 30 days

This number plate is no good as it doesn't have the city/Changwat that the car is registered in

[user643543]

This number plate is no good as it doesn't have the city/Changwat that the car is registered in

sure - HKT means PHUKET!!!

(so phuket looks like this

AC 4422 HKT)

Edited August 14, 2015 by edh69

[phuketrichard]

sorry

internet acting up

Edited August 14, 2015 by phuketrichard