Changing blue-plate to yellow plate on minibus/minivan?

[simon43]

I need to buy a second hand minivan DELETED

To enter the airport, the minivan needs to have black on yellow registration plates, registered in my Thai company name.

I can find a few minivans for sale in the classified section, but all these minivans have blue registration plates.

What does a blue registration plate denote? (Commercial vehicle??)

Is it a straightforward process to change a blue plate to a yellow plate?

Edited March 30, 2016 by seedy
advertising

[seedy]

http://www.samuitimes.com/thai-number-plates-explained/

[kartman]

Basically 8+ seats for loosely individuals to drive thier own family or Companies their own workers, go to DLT for info on changing to yellow plates more stringent test only at DLT( also find out how old a vehicle they will issue them for maybe 10 years?) of course driver will need correct license to drive it.

[casualbiker]

Don't forget it doesn't have to be a minivan it can also be something like the Proton Exora.. Probably cheaper with fewer miles and a lot nicer to drive. Aren't the Yellow plates "hire and reward " plates..I think there are other plates for hotels transporting guests.

Edited April 1, 2016 by casualbiker

[casualbiker]

Here are some Protons http://taladrod.com/w30/iCar/SchC.aspx?fno:new+mk:52+md:627+bd:0+ta:0+smd:n+ty:0+cl:0+gr:b+pv:0+y1:0+y2:2016+p1:0+p2:0

Edited April 1, 2016 by casualbiker

[Lancashirelad]

Yellow plates = hire & reward. i.e. taxi. So a foreigner cannot drive.

Hotel taxis are different, see link below.

It depends whether your minibus has more than 7 seats.

Expect tax and insurance to be more expensive.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/21605813/Vehicle-Registration-Plates-of-Thailand-v0-2#scribd

[canthai55]

All very confusing. Our NV town car - two door, green letters on white. Our two door Vigo - black letters on white. Seen two and four door pickups with both colors. Rented a car and driver - Camry - had blue letters on white. I just smile, pay, go. good for a year.

[simon43]

Yellow plates = hire & reward. i.e. taxi. So a foreigner cannot drive.

Hotel taxis are different, see link below.

Whether a yellow plate or a hotel taxi plate, foreigners can't drive it, (and I'm not about to become a taxi driver!)

The hotel taxi (white on green) is what I already have on a Toyota Wish. The yellow plate minibus is different from a yellow plate taxi plate, I think one is yellow on black and t'other is black on yellow.

Anyway... I've checked further into this. If I borrow the purchase money from a finance company, then I cannot register the vehicle on either green or yellow plates, because I (or my Thai ltd company) must be the registered owner, not the finance company.

If I could borrow the money from the bank as a commercial or personal loan, then I could buy a vehicle for cash and get the plates transferred.

I checked re purchasing a green plate vehicle. It has to be a sedan, engine size >1,600cc and can be of any age. So if I can buy an old but reliable vehicle, I should be able to get this green-plated. (The car will only be used to go to/from the airport 2kms away).

[stevenl]

Yellow plates = hire & reward. i.e. taxi. So a foreigner cannot drive.

Hotel taxis are different, see link below.

Whether a yellow plate or a hotel taxi plate, foreigners can't drive it, (and I'm not about to become a taxi driver!)

The hotel taxi (white on green) is what I already have on a Toyota Wish. The yellow plate minibus is different from a yellow plate taxi plate, I think one is yellow on black and t'other is black on yellow.

Anyway... I've checked further into this. If I borrow the purchase money from a finance company, then I cannot register the vehicle on either green or yellow plates, because I (or my Thai ltd company) must be the registered owner, not the finance company.

If I could borrow the money from the bank as a commercial or personal loan, then I could buy a vehicle for cash and get the plates transferred.

I checked re purchasing a green plate vehicle. It has to be a sedan, engine size >1,600cc and can be of any age. So if I can buy an old but reliable vehicle, I should be able to get this green-plated. (The car will only be used to go to/from the airport 2kms away).

Yellow plates from minibus and taxi are the same.

[simon43]

Well, one option to buy a sedan vehicle and green-plate it is not feasible. Green-plate hotel cars (courtesy or paid journeys) use the same green-plate as commercial taxis. In Phuket, there is HUGE waiting list to get a green plate for a taxi vehicle. So although the hotel car is only used to transport hotel guests, it has to use the same green plate as a commercial taxi, and so it is almost impossible to get such a plate now for a hotel courtesy vehicle.

I recall even 2 years ago, this was the same situation and ex #2 paid a high 'fee' under the table to green-plate her hotel sedan car.

This is not a good situation for the guesthouses and small hotels, who don't need a minibus, but only a sedan car to transport their guests.

So buying a yellow-plate minivan seems the only option.

[casualbiker]

Well, one option to buy a sedan vehicle and green-plate it is not feasible. Green-plate hotel cars (courtesy or paid journeys) use the same green-plate as commercial taxis. In Phuket, there is HUGE waiting list to get a green plate for a taxi vehicle. So although the hotel car is only used to transport hotel guests, it has to use the same green plate as a commercial taxi, and so it is almost impossible to get such a plate now for a hotel courtesy vehicle.

I recall even 2 years ago, this was the same situation and ex #2 paid a high 'fee' under the table to green-plate her hotel sedan car.

This is not a good situation for the guesthouses and small hotels, who don't need a minibus, but only a sedan car to transport their guests.

So buying a yellow-plate minivan seems the only option.

What about getting the green plate done in a different province then transferring it!

[kartman]

No point you would join the green plate queue at the same place, the back.

[simon43]

What about getting the green plate done in a different province then transferring it!

and

No point you would join the green plate queue at the same place, the back.

But you got me thinking! What if I got it green-plated in the neighbouring province of Phang Nga, which might be easier than Phuket - I'd have to check.

A Phang-Nga green plate would surely be allowed to enter the airport vicinity.

The access problem is not with the airport taxis or taxi counter at the airport, - it is with the security and airport police who seem to have been instructed to crack down on any non-green plate hotel car. I doubt that they are bothered what province the green plate is from.