Bought new scooter in Chiang Mai, no plates issued

[ttkeric]

Hello everyone. I live in Chiang Mai. I recently took delivery of a new scooter and was caught by surprise that the dealer didn't issue any number plate for it. No, not even the red one which I understood to be temporary because registration will take awhile.

Anyone else encountered this? From what I can glean from this forum, this shouldn't be the case but according to the dealer, this is "normal" and if I wanted the red plates, I should've mentioned it earlier because he would've had to apply for them.

Anyway, he stapled together the receipts for the bike, insurance and registration, put them in a nice plastic folder and told me that should I run into the police, and if (he emphasized the "if") asked for, to just show them these receipts. Said this will do until I get the full plates. Besides, according to him the police are only looking out for drunks and people hopped up on drugs. Wear your helmet, always have your license and passport on you, and you'll be fine, he says. Asked if there are any restrictions during this period, he said "no". Can I ride all the way down to Bangkok? "If you want to", says he.

Still, it doesn't inspire confidence. I drive around a lot and encounter these roadblocks often enough although as a driver I never got stopped, I observed that motorcyclists are, more or less, pretty much asked to stop.

Worst still, searching here yielded some distressing, albeit older posts, where the police will confiscate unregistered vehicles on the spot. Talk about being unceremoniously unsaddled! Will no plates = unregistered?

Where I come from, vehicles without plates are unheard of. But then again, neither is a registration process that takes 3 months (if you're lucky...) Anyone else had this experience before?

[Namplik]

Not unusual, here in Bangkok they dont issue red plates at all for any vehicle. Got my plates after a week from the dealer.

[Nickymaster]

Don't worry. What he told you is correct. New bikes you can drive with the papers you have mentioned for a couple of months. Done it numerous times.

[eisfeld]

Nickymaster: that used to be the case. They fined me 500THB because I had a red plate for more than a month (dealers fault).

And with a red plate or no plate you are supposed to not drive out of the province.

I don't think they'll confiscate the bike but be prepared to pay the odd 500THB if unlucky.

And about not getting red plates: I dont think they have to apply. They usually have a bunch of them in stock here and just give you one on the spot. BKK seems to be different in that regard.

[thecaveman]

a registration process that takes 3 months (if you're lucky...)

It can be done within 2 or 3 working days. 4 months ago it took my Toyota dealer exactly 2 working days to get the registration and the insurance completet and to deliver the plates. It's not the registration process, that takes time. It's all up to the person who applies for it.

[Nickymaster]

a registration process that takes 3 months (if you're lucky...)

It can be done within 2 or 3 working days. 4 months ago it took my Toyota dealer exactly 2 working days to get the registration and the insurance completet and to deliver the plates. It's not the registration process, that takes time. It's all up to the person who applies for it.

Depends. For newly released (big) bikes it might take a bit longer to get your plate.

[ttkeric]

Ok... thanks everyone. At least I know now the process is "same, same but different" for everybody. Ha ha.

[moe666]

That is standard procedur in CM, took me 8 months to get mine nothing ever said

[sometimewoodworker]

The reason it can take a long time to get a number plate, is that the dealer has to pay the tax (that you payed him) to get the plates, so it helps his cash flow to delay as long as he can.

[MaeJoMTB]

That is standard procedur in CM, took me 8 months to get mine nothing ever said

Same for me.

If you don't have plates in cm or cr they just wave you through the police checks.

[nard]

I bought my d'tracker on dec23rd,no red plate supplied and still waiting.Think I'll phone them in a minute

[Dewey]

Ride during 3 months without any plate before got mine. Called Yamaha 3/4 times, it didn't help... You'll just have to wait.

[Vijay1987]

Hi guys,

What are the documents that will convince the police that I have bought a new bike?

I currently have the invoice and another document that the dealer gave me - not sure if it is insurance (or) registration bill.

@ttkeric, You said that the dealer gave you invoice + registration + insurance papers - Is my understanding correct?

If so, were the registration & insurance in a single piece of document?

Thanks!

[seedy]

Post discussing Illegal Activity Removed.

[Vijay1987]

Hi Seedy / Global moderator,

I am not sure if the previous comment was in response to what I have posted.

To clarify, I just got a new bike (delivered today) and the dealer gave me 2 documents - An invoice & another piece of document.

After several minutes spent with the dealer, I still could not understand (due to the dealers' inability to speak good English) whether it was a receipt for insurance payment (or) a receipt for payment for registration.

The document bears the headline "Road Accident Victims Protection Company Limited" - This sounds like an insurance company to me.

So, I am seeking help to understand whether this document is enough for me to start riding the bike, (or) should I look for another document (most likely a registration invoice - I have no Idea) from the dealer, so that I can start riding without any hassles.

Thanks!

[ttkeric]

Vijay1987....

Wow, this seems like light years ago for me now

Happily, I got my plates just before Songkran.

But back to your question: What the dealer handed to me were several slips clipped together. The receipt and two more I vaguely understood as probably for the registration and insurance. They're lying around my house somewhere. I'll take a look in the morning and post if I'm wrong.

Happy to report that during the 3 month wait I've only gotten stop once and all they wanted was my license. Checked, valid, thank you and welcome to Chiang Mai was he said!

[Vijay1987]

@ttkeric

Thank you so much. Appreciate it!

[stament]

Thai friend bought a repossessed motorbike which has the green book and finance papers but no number plate or tax disc (bike is 6 months old) Will the police and licensing place just be able to look up the green book to find out the number plate number in order to transfer the bike into his name. Note the bikes original owner was from a different province if this makes a difference.

 

I am sure this should be straightforward if they have the green book and all the papers.

[steve187]

1 hour ago, stament said:

Thai friend bought a repossessed motorbike which has the green book and finance papers but no number plate or tax disc (bike is 6 months old) Will the police and licensing place just be able to look up the green book to find out the number plate number in order to transfer the bike into his name. Note the bikes original owner was from a different province if this makes a difference.

 

I am sure this should be straightforward if they have the green book and all the papers.

does he live in the same province as the bike is registered in

[stament]

nope

[stament]

7 hours ago, steve187 said:

does he live in the same province as the bike is registered in

 

no

[steve187]

13 minutes ago, stament said:

 

no

then a bit more complicated, he will need all the paperwork and signed copies of id card etc and change to local registration and his name, takes a few trips to office

[stament]

1 hour ago, steve187 said:

then a bit more complicated, he will need all the paperwork and signed copies of id card etc and change to local registration and his name, takes a few trips to office

They have that it was just the lack of number plate that is a concern.

 

 

[steve187]

they will need the old ones handing in, but if lost/not given they must have a system