Customs clearance for motorcycle

[Don Mega]

4 minutes ago, Flinstone said:

Hi Gentlemen.

While realising a previous police order banned the import of second-hand cars and motorbikes a couple of years ago, is there any scope for importing vintage motorbikes? Or is just  blanket rule with no other options?

 

I can see the logic in restricting "new" imports.....no problem with that.

 

I have a 1973 bike that I would love to ride in Thai.....any comments/thoughts welcome.

 

The same old sell  and buy new in Thai just doesn't  apply in this case .

 

I could possibly buy a similar bike in Thai...but those of us who really know motorbikes....i.e. pull down, rebuild  OUR bikes , etc etc will know this isn't the same.

 

If it can't be done thats cool...the Grandson will have a pretty good toy in 15 years.

Kev

 

 

get yourself a import license from the ministry of transportation and you'll be good to go.

[raro]

Right. And honestly, that's maybe worth an effort. Go there, talk to them, ask your way through. My experience with going straight to the authority in charge is usually positive. Never had any luck with the ministry of transportation, though.

[derator01]

Let's move this over to the Motorcycle forum for more exposure.  A link will be left in the General forum.

 

Topic Moved.

[moe666]

Someone I know imported his Mg-TD to Thailand years back, it took two years for him to get the authorization from Dept. of Transportation. He said every week when he went back with paper work, sorry you forget this form he says ok back next week. He refused to pay any tea money. After 2 years they gave him the ok

[M1Tanker]

This is a partial cut and paste including edits from one of my postings on this forum. 

 

I completed the permanent importation of my motorcycle (2008 BMW R1200GS Adventure) into Thailand in 2016.  I also obtained the green registration book and Thai license plate.  The process was long and required a lot of paperwork.

 

Here are some recommended questions to answer prior to starting an attempt to import a motorcycle into Thailand:

• Are you trying to permanently import your motorcycle?
• What kind of visa will you be coming to Thailand on?
• How well documented is your motorcycle? All original sales documentation? All registration documents? Motorcycle driver's licenses to include expired and international drivers licenses? Is there a lien against the motorcycle?
• Do you have a yellow tambien baan (house registration)? (NOTE: This was the first key Thai document that I needed to proceed onto dealing with the Department of Foreign Trade and Thai Customs. This was incredibly bureaucratic for me.)

 

There are two Thai government agencies that one needs to interact with in order to permanently import a motorcycle into Thailand:

1. Department of Foreign Trade within the Ministry of Commerce (NOTE: An import license must be obtained as well as an import permit for the motorcycle. I did NOT obtain these critical documents from the Department of Transportation.) 

2. Customs Department (http://en.customs.go.th/content.php?ini_content=individuals_151007_01&lang=en&left_menu=menu_individuals_151007_01). (NOTE: This is the new link as it appears that Thai Customs has updated its website.)

3. (NOTE: I did contact the Thai Industrial Standards Institute and they informed me that because I was importing a used/second hand motorcycle they did not play a role in the importation process.)

 

I did have to pay import duties and the motorcycle was depreciated in accordance with the formula that can be found in the Thai Customs link above.  The cost wasn't zero baht but it was considerably less than a new or used equivalent BMW here in Thailand.

 

Once I completed the importation, I then took that paperwork to my local Department of Transport.  I filled out more paperwork and paid a small processing fee.  Weeks later I received my green registration book and license plate.

 

AlI personnel that I interacted with at all of the aforementioned Thai government agencies were professional and ethical.  I will point out that many of the personnel in these offices are not completely familiar with permanently importing a motorcycle because they just don't see it happen that often. Patience, thoroughness, and professional determination are required.  I found that researching the process online, asking a lot of questions, and communicating with each office in person or online to be effective.  I started the process over a year prior to shipping my motorcycle.

 

answer777, The depreciation of a 2014 motorcycle can be found on the page found through the link provided above.  I recommend creating a spreadsheet using all of the formulae provided by Thai Customs.  I did that and had someone do it independently prior to making my decision to proceed. After you have determined the total cost (transportation, Thai government fees, customs duties, etc.) to bring your motorcycle to Thailand, you may want to check to see what you could reasonably sell it for and apply those funds to the purchase of a new motorcycle here in Thailand. One of the challenges I had prior to coming to Thailand was selling my motorcycle. I have posted information regarding my experiences on this forum as well as two English speaking Thai motorcycle forums and two other forums.

Edited December 24, 2016 by M1Tanker