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Driver's license . Thai Driver's License . International Driving Permit -- See International Driving Permit Insurance . Compulsory -- See Registration, Tax and Insurance . Comprehensive Motorcycle . Choice Categories . Personal Import . Rental in Bangkok . Transport by Train Where to find . Battery Charger . Tyre Sealant |
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Thai Driver's License While the possession of a non-immigrant visa is no longer a requisite for foreigners to purchase and register a motor vehicle in Thailand, it still is the case for application for a Thai driver's license. First, read this: http://www.visathailand.com/info5_01.htm Now some supplementary information: 1. Address Certificate Your Embassy in Thailand regularly issues "address certificate" for the purpose of purchasing a motor vehicle or application for Thai driver's license. This piece of paper is pretty expensive, ranging from 700B to 1000B depending on the Embassy, and it may take a couple of days. An alternative is to get an address certificate from the Immigration Office. This one is written in Thai and costs 500B. In case you have been negligent of the 90-day address report to the Immigration Office, you may want to stay away from there. There are other alternatives, like presenting your work permit to prove your address, or asking a local police station to issue one, but these methods are rather irregular and may or may not work out. 2. International Driving Permit or a Driver's License from Another Country If you have a valid International Driving Permit or a driver's license from another country, you don't need to take the written test or the driving test. The International Driving Permit makes things easiest. You don't need to have it certified or translated. Just bring it to the Land Transport Office. In case you don't have an International Driving Permit, but have a driver's license from another country,
b. In case the driver's license is written in English, I don't know whether you can just bring it to the Land Transport Office, or you still need to have it certified at the Embassy of the country where the driver's license was issued. (Let us know if you have information or experience on this issue.) This is largely a formality. The certificate can be obtained from any hospital or clinic, its fee ranging from 20B to 200B depending on which hospital or clinic you choose. The certificate certifies that you are not suffering from certain physical or psychiatric disorders specified in the law, but unless you specifically claim that you are suffering from such a disorder, the doctor will certify that all is well with you. 4. Application for Plural Driver's Licenses The Motor Vehicle Act of Thailand specifies ten categories of driver's license (eg. car, motorcycle, tuk-tuk, etc.). You must apply for them separately and they issue separate driver's licenses. If you intend to apply for both car driver's license and motorcycle driver's license at the same time, you only need one original document for each of the above-mentioned certificates, and make a set of photocopies for application of additional driver's license. 5. Temporary Driver's License According to the Motor Vehicle Act of Thailand, what you get for the first year, both for the car and motorcycle, is a so-called "temporary driver's license" or "provisional driver's license." Its color is blue. From the second year on (at your first renewal), you get a full driver's license. Its color is green. It is not clear what is temporary or provisional about the driver's license for the first year. Mostly, it works as a full driver's license. One thing is, you cannot apply for an International Driving Permit in Thailand with a temporary driver's license. Another thing is, as I have heard, that some insurance companies put restrictions on its comprehensive insurance policy (but not compulsory insurance policy) for drivers with a temporary driver's license. 6. Renewal Procedure At the moment, a Thai driver's license issued to a foreigner is only valid for one year, unless he has an immigrant-visa (permanent resident status). You are supposed to renew your driver's license before it expires, but not earlier than one month before it expires. You can still renew your driver's license after it expires, and it has been a myth that officials at the Land Transport Office tell you to renew your driver's license after it expires, but it is against the law to drive a motor vehicle with an expired driver's license. For driver's license renewal, you don't need the address certificate (unless you have changed your address) or health certificate, but you still need to be in possession of a non-immigrant visa. In some provincial Land Transport Offices, officials may ask you to produce address certificate upon driver's license renewal. I'm not sure about such a case, whether those officials have a certain discretion as to what documents are required for driver's license renewal, or they're simply ignorant of laws and regulations. Probably the latter. 7. Motorcycle Driver's License Many countries issue different levels of motorcycle driver's license, imposing a certain restriction to the size of the engine allowed for each level. Thailand issues only one level of motorcycle driver's license, though there is an age-based restriction (15 - 17 years old ... motorcycles under 90cc).
8. Tout When you go to the Land Transport Office for driver's license application, a tout may spot you and talk to you, offering to take care of the procedure for 1000B - 1500B. If you have all necessary papers, you don't need his assistance even if you don't speak a word of Thai. On the other hand, if you don't have necessary papers, he cannot help you at all. There's another kind of personality who can actually help you get a Thai driver's license without necessary papers, but this kind of agent won't be hanging around in front of the Land Transport Office. 9. Utility of a Thai Driver's License A Thai driver's license is an official document proving that you reside in Thailand, and is accepted in lieu of a passport in a lot of situations. It also distinguishes you, as a resident foreigner, from visiting tourists. Notably, many National Park gatekeepers unofficially let you in for the Thai rate of 20B instead of the foreigner rate of 200B if you present your Thai driver's license. |
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Comprehensive Insurance Comprehensive insurance for motorcycles is not very popular or readily available in Thailand. Life is cheap here. Compensation for loss of life used to be under 100,000B, but now on the rise to 200,000B. However, legal prosecution for causing traffic accidents involving injury or death can be pretty tedious, especially if your command of Thai is limited. Read this story of a guy who hit and caused the death of a pedestrian: http://217.195.241.35/be-au/english/017b.html Thus, a comprehensive insurance comes in handy in case of property damage (eg. Mercedes-Benz) or bailing you out of the police detention. Following is a list of insurance companies which have been known to provide comprehensive insurance for motorcycles.
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Choice Categories Many countries impose restrictive regulations on big motorcycles, either economic (tax and insurance) or legal (strict driver's license for bigger motorcycles). In Thailand, big motorcycles are rarity and the Government has yet to impose restrictive regulations on big motorcycles. The current situation in Thailand is: 1. The annual tax for motorcycles is 100B regardless of the engine displacement. 2. The compulsory insurance premium is 600B/year for anything bigger than 150cc. 3. There's only one class of motorcycle driver's license, which is fairly easy to get. Replacement parts for Japanese motorcycles are readily available at many motorcycle shops in Bangkok. The situation is not so bad for the BMW or Harley Davidson. Brands like Ducati or Triumph may pose a bit of a problem. Following table describes 2 x 2 categories of choice of selection.
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Personal Import of a Motorcycle So you're planning to move into Thailand for a few years and want to bring your motorcycle from your home country. There are three issues: 1. You need a permit to import a secondhand motor vehicle. You don't need a permit to import a new motor vehicle, but you need one to import a secondhand motor vehicle. Every once in a while, someone brings a secondhand motor vehicle into Thailand without getting a permit in advance, and the vehicle is confiscated. Not everyone is eligible to apply for a permit to import a secondhand motor vehicle. If, as a foreigner (non-Thai), you satisfy following requirements, you are eligible to apply for a permit to import one (and only one) motor vehicle. 1. You have a non-immigrant visa (class-B with a work permit or class-O with a certificate of marriage to a Thai spouse). 2. The motor vehicle has been registered in your name for the past 18 months. 3. You have had a valid driver's license to drive that motor vehicle for the past 18 months. Contact the Thai Embassy in your home country for further information. See also Permanent Import of Personal Vehicles - This page only mentions the case of non-immigrant visa class-B plus work permit, as if to say other cases are not eligible? 2. The import tax is pretty expensive. First there is the Import Duty, then the Excise Tax, then the Municipal Tax, and finally the VAT. The calculation of the total sum of tax is a good math exercise. Roughly speaking, expect to pay about 100% of the value of your motor vehicle, the value being discounted 35% after 3 years of registration in your home country, 55% after 5 years and 70% after 10 years. 3. There is a strict pre-registration inspection. Thai Government has set up a strict emission inspection prior to motor vehicle registration. This especially affects big motorcycles. Motorcycle importers have expertise and connection to get big motorcycles registered, but the door is virtually shut for personal importers. Unless you intend to use your motorcycle without proper registration and a license plate, you must find a motorcycle importer and ask him to get your motorcycle registered. The service fee is said to be around 50,000B. For above difficulties, you are advised to leave or sell your motorcycle in your home country and buy a new or secondhand motorcycle in Thailand. Incidentally, there are some cases where you can bring in your motor vehicle easily and duty-free: 1. You are working for a foreign Embassy in Thailand (diplomatic passport). 2. You are working for your Government and invited by Thai Government to stay in Thailand (official passport). |
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Rental Motorcycles in Bangkok Rental motorcycles are rare resource in Bangkok.
Alternative resources: 1. If you are already familiar and in good terms with a certain motorcycle shop, they may rent you a secondhand motorcycle prior to sale on a case-by-case basis. 2. You can try a bellboy at the hotel you are staying (NOT at the reception). He may rent you his (small) motorcycle or procure his friend's motorcycle. 3. Looking for a Harley Davidson? 4. Be the first one to review this contact In any case, usually, the motorcycle you rent has only the legal minimum insurance (bodily injuries to third parties). Expect to compensate for full damage in case of an accident. |
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Motorcycle Transport by Train The State Railway of Thailand undertakes to transport your motorcycle. The cost depends on the distance and the engine displacement. For the Bangkok - Chiangmai section, for example, the transport of a 600cc motorcycle costs about 1,200B. You can ask them to transport your motorcycle on the same train with you, or send it as an independent freight. There's one catch. They don't have any slope or ramp to bring your motorcycle into the freight car which is about one meter high from the platform. What happens is, several porters grab your motorcycle and lift it up with their hands. Although this method usually works fine, there's no guarantee that they don't cause minor damage to your motorcycle. You may want to supervise the porters and give them directions as to which parts of the motorcycle to grab. You are not required to pay any tips to the porters. Indeed, there's a sign (both in Thai and English) at the freight office which says:
A night train (sleeper) usually has an attached freight car, but a day train usually doesn't. Confirm at the Freight Office, in any case. Freight is handled on the first-come-first-served basis, so you'd want to show up at the Freight Office two hours before the train departure. If the freight car is crowded, your motorcycle may arrive on the next train which can be as late as 24 hours later. Summary of the procedure to travel with your motorcycle 1. Inquire at the Freight Office if a specific train has an attached freight car. [1] 2. Buy a train ticket for yourself, either on the day you're traveling or in advance. 3. Show up at the Freight Office, preferably at least two hours before departure, and check in your motorcycle. 4. Supervise porters lift up your bike. Map of the Freight Office at the Hua Lampong Railway Station -- Note: [1] I don't know if it's possible to reserve freight space for your motorcycle beforehand. Please let me know if you have any information or experience on this issue. |
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Where to find a Battery Charger The use of a battery charger is not popular in Thailand, hence it is often difficult to find one. Here's a list of shops where (imported) battery chargers have been seen to be on sale: 1. Siam Speedway on Phetburi Rd opp. soi Thonglor 2. Jammers on soi 12 Soi Chokechai off Ladprao 3. Autobacs on Naratiwad Rachanakharin Rd (BOSCH brand=3400B, CTEK Multi XS3600=3250B)) Alternatively, there seem to be a couple of battery charger manufacturers in Thailand (eg. http://www.chargerthai.com). They are typically sold at general hardware/machinery shops (those rather archiaic-looking small shops managed by Chinese-Thai merchants). Prices range from 400B to 2000B depending on the model. In case you'll be purchasing a manual/semi-automatic (compared to full-automatic) battery charger, you should have some understanding of the science of battery charging. Excessive or extended charging may damage the battery. |
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Where to find Tyre Sealant This is a major concern for riders of big motorcycles with tube-tyres. Basically, there are two types of tyre sealant for tube-tyres: 1. Preventative (eg. SLIME) 2. Post-Puncture Sealant (eg. Holts Tyre Weld) #1 is difficult to find in Thailand. You must either bring it by yourself, ask someone to bring it for you, or mail-order it. (Correction: A "Victor" brand preventative for bicycles and motorcycles can be found at Home Pro.) #2 can be found in major car accessory shops or supermarkets. A common problem for both #1 and #2 is:
In addition, #2 poses following problems:
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