Ext. Customs Temp. Import of Foreign Reg. Bike in Chiang Mai

KTMphil

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Joined
Jan 11, 2011
Location
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Bikes
2007 KTM 990 Adventure Suzuki DRZ 400
Extending Thai Customs Temporary Import of a Foreign Registered Bike at Chiang Mai Customs Office

I know of 2 foreign registered motorbikes that have been in Chiang Mai this month that have been able to extend their Thai Customs Simplified Temporary Import Contract at Chiang Mai Customs office near the airport.

The extensions that were given were for the length of their immigration visa's which were 60 day multiple entry tourist visa's.

This means that there is no need to ride to Laos to renew a foreign bikes temporary import contract.
 
The Thai Customs lady at Chiang Mai Airport/ Cargo area is now requiring to see Thai insurance for the foreign motorcycle before she will extend the temporary import for another 30 days.
 
As of 27th June, 2016, your foreign registered motorcycle will only be allowed to be in Thailand for 60 days in any 12 month period. This probably means you will be able to get a 1 time 30 day extension.

If your foreign registered motorcycle is currently on temporary import in Thailand, your granted period of temporary import by Thai customs will be allowed even if its after the June 27th, 2016 cut off date. Before the end of the temporary import expires, the foreign motorcycle must leave Thailand and then re-enter with the pre-approved permit, legislated by the Thai Land Transport Office.

Thai Customs have said that any day now the process to obtain the pre-arrival permit for foreign registered motorcycles into Thailand will be announced.
 
Where do you have this information from KTMPhil? And do you know where one can get a hold of the pre arrival permit? Is it an online thing or do one need to go through a company?
 
Where do you have this information from KTMPhil? And do you know where one can get a hold of the pre arrival permit? Is it an online thing or do one need to go through a company?


Its a new Thai law thats been issued by the Land Transport Division and to be enforced by Thai Customs at Thai International Border Crossings, you can read about it in the link below:

http://www.rideasia.net/motorcycle-...les-likely-banned-entering-thailand-soon.html


I spoke to Thai Customs 3 days ago and they say their will be an announcement soon about how to get the pre-arrival permit for foreign registered motorcycles.
 
Ok - thanks for answer KTMPhil.
And the 60 days thing is a quite certain rule to be put into force as well?

Anyhow - its just 10 days left, maybe we just have to wait and see what comes out of it.
 
Ok - thanks for answer KTMPhil.
And the 60 days thing is a quite certain rule to be put into force as well?

Anyhow - its just 10 days left, maybe we just have to wait and see what comes out of it.

Yes, everything was confirmed on April 28 when it was announced in the Royal Gazette. You get 30 days with a possible one time extension of 30 more days. 60 days total in one calendar year per vehicle.

Only thing that remains uncertain is how to apply for permission although Thai travel agents have been mentioned.
 
Was taking a break from work and decided to do a bit of googling regarding the new law in Thai and found a couple of interesting articles, all published by Thairath in the last week or two.

Seems that there is still a lot of confusion and contradictory articles out there. One of them was an article about Chinese tourism in the north, which completely avoided the new rules that WILL go into effect claiming that by the end of this year there could be 25,000 Chinese registered vehicles entering Thailand for tourism, after the 12,000 that came so far in the first 4 months of this year.

This is highly unlikely, given all the new requirements, particularly the one that will limit travel to the border province entered, except for special cases requested at least 30 business days in advance. The reason why so many Chinese vehicles came in the past was because entry was easy and almost free. This is about to change so even though they can still come, to suggest the numbers will be as high as claimed is ludicrous. They will go down, because the idea is that the authorities and local residents don't want to put up with large numbers of holidaying Chinese causing accidents on the roads and causing congestion hence a major reason why this law is coming into effect.

If I were to make a guess there will probably only be 1000-2000 more Chinese vehicles entering by the end of the year, the vast majority will be coming on rally type tours since they won't be allowed to enter without making pre-arrangements anymore.

This is also the basis of a last-minute meeting conveyed by Thai based tour operators in the north, who want to see the following changes made to the law by the Land Transport Department (I am translating from the Thai language article with link at the bottom of this post):

1. They would like the new rules to be delayed in order to allow for opinions on the law to be made by concerned parties (I thought this process had already occurred - seems to me that these tour operators are only concerned with their own interests - where were they back in February/March when this new law was debated?)

2. They want the new rules to only allow vehicles with no more than 7 seats including the driver to be allowed entry, not 9 as per the current ruling in order to prevent private tours. This is a bit of an odd one.

3. Vehicles brought in by tourists should be allowed to drive outside the border province entered due to having purchased insurance and being under the control of the tour operators already.

4. Vehicles brought in should be allowed to travel to other provinces in order to exit for other countries. (Seems that these tour operators appear to have little knowledge of the fact that entry into these countries is at the discretion of local authorities. Myanmar doesn't allow entry without a tour with arrangements made at least 30 days in advance; Cambodia generally won't allow entry either except at certain crossings with special conditions, while Laos will allow re-entry at any border crossing. For Malaysia I'm not sure about the requirements to enter if you're driving a non-Thai vehicle, but again, that's at the discretion of the Malaysian authorities. Therefore, it should be assumed that Chinese tourists are coming just to travel to Thailand and not other countries).

5. Permission to allow travel across provincial boundaries and other conditions should be allowed to be requested 10 days in advance (as for the basic permission) not 30 days advance notice. This relates back to points 3 & 4, since applications made at least 30 days in advance allow this.

While there may be some tweaks to the rules, given it's been made law, this last minute "cry wolf" attempt by these Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai tour operators is unlikely to have any immediate impact since the rules will go into force on Monday (27th June).

Since it's a new law, no, it shouldn't be delayed. However, streamlining the rules that will allow applications for all cases to be made 10 days before and allow travel outside the border province entered is a good idea.

It could be however that the Land Transport Department will only allow registered tour operators with multiple vehicles travelling on rallies to be granted these special conditions, with other vehicles entering independently subject to the rules as outlined in the Royal Gazette.

It looks like we will know more once the rules do go into effect next week.

Nothing about motorcycles or motorhomes, but I suspect the "special case" ruling will apply - meaning you will be allowed to bring these vehicle types in but with 30 days advance notice.

For anyone that reads Thai (or has someone who can translate) here's the article I was referring to:

http://www.thairath.co.th/content/645692
 
This article seems to confirm the process on how to be granted permission. http://www.thairath.co.th/content/636754

It says motorcycles and motorhomes need special permission on a per case basis, 30 days in advance.

The Thailand Transport Application (TTA) will cover the procedures for entry. While the article mentions only Chinese vehicles, all foreign registered vehicles (as can be seen from the info graphic) that are not in the following categories need advance permission 1) vehicles registered in countries with which Thailand has agreements on private vehicle usage (Laos, Malaysia and Singapore); 2) vehicles that have an agreement between governments (diplomatic vehicles etc.) 3) local vehicles crossing the border for shopping, medical and other purposes near the border (Cambodian and Burmese registrations) that are not traveling outside of the border zone and will return through the same border crossing.

While it's possible the rules could eventually be streamlined according to the conditions the travel agents mentioned in my previous post would like, on the other hand it may not go their way since an option to leave the border province and exit Thailand through another border crossing is already available; the applicant will need to apply at least 30 days in advance, which is not a big deal when planning an overseas trip to be honest.

Most people don't just plan spontaneous trips, besides, many of us need to provide 30 days advance notice (maybe more, depending on the company) before being granted holidays unless we are self-employed, so from that perspective there is really nothing about these new rules that is unworkable, particularly compared to what other neighboring countries like Myanmar, China and Vietnam require (or even Cambodia, which doesn't have a system).
 
From their Thailand Transport Application website


You can get the application form here:

http://tta.customs.go.th/Announce/ApplicationForm.pdf



Thai tour companies with inbound and outbound tour licenses can obtain the permits (application at least 10 days before entry)


apply4 by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr


apply 1 by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr



apply by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr









Conditions:

http://tta.customs.go.th/Announce/Condition.pdf


เงื่อนไขการนํารถที่จดทะเบียนตางประเทศมาใชในราชอาณาจักรเปนการชั่วคราวCondition for Temporary Use of Foreign-registered Road Vehiclewithin the Kingdom of Thailandผูไดรับอนุญาตใชรถหรือผูขับรถจําเปนตองมีเอกสารสําคัญดังตอไปนี้ติดตัวอยูตลอดเวลาขณะใชรถในราชอาณาจักรVehicle owner or driver(s) who have been granted the permission must carry these following documentsat all time while using the vehicle within the Kingdom of Thailand:1. ใบอนุญาตขับรถที่สามารถใชไดในราชอาณาจักร2. เครื่องหมายแสดงการใชรถที่ออกโดยหนวยงานที่มีอํานาจ3. หนังสือแสดงการจดทะเบียนรถ พรอมฉบับแปลภาษาไทยหรือภาษาอังกฤษ4. หลักฐานการมีประกันภัยรถ1. Driving license that is recognized in Thailand2. Temporary permit for the vehicle issued by Thai competent authority3. Vehicle registration certificate together with its Thai or English translation4. Proof of vehicle insuranceทั้งนี้ ผูไดรับอนุญาตใชรถหรือผูขับรถตองปฏิบัติตามเงื่อนไขตอไปนี้ขณะขับขี่ในประเทศไทยAlso, vehicle owner or driver(s) must uphold these following conditions while driving in Thailand:1. ปฏิบัติตามกฎหมายวาดวยรถยนต กฎหมายวาดวยจราจรทางบก และกฎหมายอื่นๆ ที่เกี่ยวของ2. ติดเครื่องหมายแสดงการใชรถไวที่รถในตําแหนงที่เห็นไดชัดเจน3. ใชรถในเขตทองที่จังหวัดที่ระบุไวในเครื่องหมายแสดงการใชรถ และใชรถเฉพาะคันที่ไดรับอนุญาต4. นํารถเขาและออกราชอาณาจักร ณ ดานพรมแดนศุลกากรในจังหวัดเดียวกัน5. นํารถออกราชอาณาจักรตามกําหนดเวลาที่ไดรับอนุญาต เวนแตมีเหตุฉุกเฉินหรือเหตุสุดวิสัย1. Abide by Thai laws on motor vehicle, road traffic and other related laws.2. Place the temporary permit in the vehicle where it is visible at all times.3. Use only the permitted vehicle solely in the province specified in the temporary permit.4. The vehicle must enter and exit the Kingdom through the boundary post of the same province.5. The vehicle must leave the Kingdom by the end of the permission period except in the case ofemergency or unexpected circumstance.





SAME ENTRY AND EXIT WHICH WILL CAUSE HEADACHES


apply3 by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
 
Summary:


Land Transport's Notificationon Temporary Use of Foreign-registered Vehicle entering the Kingdom of Thailand1. Type of vehicles: This notification only concerns a foreign-registered vehicle when the country towhich it is registered has yet to have road transport agreement with Thailand and when the purpose ofenter is tourism and necessary cause. Only the following type of vehicles are allowed to apply fortemporary permit:1) Passenger car comprising no more than 9 seats including the driver's seat2) Pick-up truck having maximum gross permissible weight no more than 3,500 kilograms2. Application Period: The application for temporary permit must be submitted no less than 10 workingdays before entering Thailand.3. Place for Submission: The Provincial Land Transport Office located within the same province as theentry boundary post4. Submitting Application: Travel agency (Type Inbound or Outbound only) must submit the applicationform for the applicant along with the supplement documents as stated below.The supplement documents concerning travel agency and its representative1) National identification card or Juristic person registration certificate of the holder oftourism business license2) In the case that the person submitting application is an authoritative representative oftravel agency, the letter of attorney is needed.3) Photocopy of tourism business licenseThe supplement documents concerning the applicants (Vehicle owner and/or driver)4) Photocopy of applicant's passport with no less than 6 months of validity and photocopyof a passport page with entry visa unless the applicants come from one of the visaexempt countries5) Photocopy of driving license with no less than 6 months of validity6) Photocopy of vehicle registration certificate that has validity covering the whole period ofvehicle use in Thailand and a letter of consent for vehicle use in the case that theapplicant is not the vehicle owner as stated in vehicle registration certificate7) At least one photo of the vehicle in colour showing license plate and overall physicalappearance8) Vehicle inspection certificate9) Photocopy of proof of a compulsory motor vehicle insurance and third party liabilityinsurance. The third party liability insurance must meet the required coverage minimums,including:a. 1,000,000 THB of loss of life, bodily injury or damage to health, per person inan accident.b. 1,000,000 THB of property damage liability per accident.10) Travel itinerary stating place of accommodation, duration of stay, entry and exitboundary post, arrival and departure date, etc.Every document must be accompanied by Thai or English translation.25. Fees applied includes:1) Temporary use of vehicle for tourism application fee 500 THB2) Issuance of temporary permit 500 THB7. Length of Permission will be based on itinerary but no more than 30 days per application. No morethan total of 60 days can be granted within a calendar year.8. Driving License: In the case that driving license in driver's possession is not recognized in the Kingdomof Thailand, it is in responsibility of travel agency to facilitate the provisional driving license application onthe date of entry. The process will be carried out either at the Provincial Land Transport Office or branchoffice that is located within the same province as boundary post.The driver must also bring the following documents.1) Passport with no less than 6 months of validity2) Proof of accommodation during the driver's stay in Thailand certified by tourism business3) A medical certificate stating that the driver is not a person with any disease that canthreaten ability to drive safely or a person of unsound mind or mentally infirmity. Thecertificate must be issued and certified by physician within 1 month before the date ofentry.4) A valid driving license of the same type as the one in application issued by the foreigngovernment together with Thai or English translation certified by the competent authorityAside from submitting the required documents, the driver must go through these followingprocedures:5) Take the physical test6) Attend 1 hour of instruction session7) Pay the fee and collect the driving license. The fee includes:a. Temporary driving license for car 205 THBb. Photography service and plastic card printing 100 THB9. Condition for vehicle owner and driver1) Must carry driving license that is recognized in Thailand.2) Place the temporary permit in the vehicle where it is visible at all times.3) Use only the permitted vehicle solely in the province specified in the temporary permit.4) Must carry vehicle registration certificate together with its Thai or English translation.5) Must carry proof of motor vehicle insurance according to 4 (9)6) The vehicle must leave the Kingdom by the end of the permission period except in thecase of emergency or unexpected circumstance.7) The vehicle must enter and exit the Kingdom through boundary post of the sameprovince.8) Abide by the law.10. Responsibility of travel agency is to supervise and facilitate vehicle owner or driver in upholdingstrictly to the conditions. If any violation occurs, travel agency must take responsibility. In addition, thetourism business agency will be recorded in Blacklist database.11. The person that commits violation must receive punishment as stated by the law. The person willalso be recorded in Blacklist database.
 
Thai Travel companies with inbound & outbound tour licenses can obtain the permits for foreign motorcycles

4. Submitting Application: Travel agency (Type Inbound or Outbound only) must submit the applicationform for the applicant along with the supplement documents as stated below.The supplement documents concerning travel agency and its representative1) National identification card or Juristic person registration certificate of the holder oftourism business license2) In the case that the person submitting application is an authoritative representative oftravel agency, the letter of attorney is needed.3) Photocopy of tourism business license
 
Un-accompanied, this will cause issues:


10. Responsibility of travel agency is to supervise and facilitate vehicle owner or driver in upholdingstrictly to the conditions. If any violation occurs, travel agency must take responsibility. In addition, thetourism business agency will be recorded in Blacklist database.
 
Thank you Phil.

I have read the notice in the Royal Gazette in full (it's only in Thai), published 2 months ago and was led to believe that only cars with up to 9 seats and max. weight of 3500kg GVM would be permitted, with the proviso that motorcycles and motorhomes (and other vehicle types) can enter on a case by case basis, as long as the basis permission is applied for at least 30 days in advance, unlike for cars where only 10 days is required.

There has been a lot of back and forth on motorcycles, hence the confusion. First they said yes, then no, now yes again? Very confusing indeed. As mentioned, motorcycles have been talked about but up until now I was under the impression the procedures for them would be different as explained above.

Either way, driving outside the border province entered is/should be possible on a case by case basis if advance notice is made at least 30 days ahead of travel. This is mentioned in the Royal Gazette notice. Hence crossing from say Laos to Myanmar (making sure all permissions on the Myanmar side have been received) is possible.

The info graphic below (although in Thai) I have seen posted on the Land Transport Department's website and Facebook pages. They did not mention motorcycles. Anyway, now we seem to have confirmation that they are allowed as per your post.


Some people have been saying that they only see foreign cars mentioned, it does apply to foreign motorcycles too.

http://tta.customs.go.th/PermanantCAR.jsp


mc border by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
 
Un-accompanied, this will cause issues:


10. Responsibility of travel agency is to supervise and facilitate vehicle owner or driver in upholdingstrictly to the conditions. If any violation occurs, travel agency must take responsibility. In addition, thetourism business agency will be recorded in Blacklist database.

This is one point that I haven't been clear on so far.

Are you saying that vehicles brought in by tourists essentially have to be driven around with a guide in tow? Just like in the case of Myanmar, China and Vietnam, where tourists are not allowed to travel around independently by themselves, even if they have received all the border crossing permissions?
 
If the Thai tour company does not supervise the foreigner, who they have obtained the permit for, then its risky for the Thai tour company, as the law states that they are responsible for the actions of the foreigner, while they are in Thailand. You have basically insured/ bonded them while they are in Thailand.

One way might be to hold the foreigners passport, give them copies of their visa stamp until they leave. Send the passport to an agent at the border who watches them exit Thailand.


10. Responsibility of travel agency is to supervise and facilitate vehicle owner or driver in upholdingstrictly to the conditions. If any violation occurs, travel agency must take responsibility. In addition, the tourism business agency will be recorded in Blacklist database.


This is one point that I haven't been clear on so far.

Are you saying that vehicles brought in by tourists essentially have to be driven around with a guide in tow? Just like in the case of Myanmar, China and Vietnam, where tourists are not allowed to travel around independently by themselves, even if they have received all the border crossing permissions?
 
Because the summary from the website doesn't mention motorcycles, there's a few that think this might not affect foreign motorcycles.


This is from the registered Thai tour agent secure login to process the permits, there are fields to process KTM & Harley:


ktm permits by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
 
Went to Chiang Mai Customs today, they called the Chief Customs Officer at the Chiang Khong International Border Crossing & he confirmed they were enforcing the new permit law as of today. He said there will be another announcement with more detailed procedures on the permits but only Thai tour companies with inbound and outbound tour licenses can process and obtain the permits.

Two Chinese bikes were trying to extend their temporary imports while i was there, he said they could not extend and would have leave Thailand, wait 10 days for the entry permit to process, then would be allowed back into Thailand for 30 days, with a maximum Thailand entry of 60 days in any 12 month period.



P_20160627_142711.jpg by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
 
So does anyone know and have the contact information for a thai tour company that can provide such a permit?

And anyonw knows if you can ride freely all over Thailand in the period or stick to a certain itinerary?

Is the limit for bringing the vehicle in again for a calender year or for a 12 month period?
For example if you come overlanding from Europe towards Australia - and arrive in Thailand in october one could stay 60 days and then travel to Laos/Cambodia/Vietnam etc and come back to Thailand in - lets say january and stay another 60 days in the kingdom before heading off to Malaysia?
 
Is a Cambodian Drivers License recognised in Thailand ?

OK the answer to this is not clear cut but I'll try to answer it based on my knowledge of Thai traffic laws and how they work in practice.

Thailand's Department of Land Transport (DLT) claims that the new bilingual Thai DL in credit card size format is acceptable for use in all 10 ASEAN countries. In reality, they are overstepping their authority by making this claim. Thailand has previously signed agreements with Laos, Malaysia and Singapore for mutual recognition of each other's driving licences. Only in these countries can a Thai licence be used for certain, and vice versa. I would therefore expect Thailand NOT to recognize a Cambodian drivers licence.

Indeed one time when my Thai licence had expired I tried to rent a vehicle from AVIS using a Cambodian licence. Despite being in English and all, it was rejected. So I had to present my Aussie licence, which was readily accepted.

Similarly, Thai licences are usually rejected by Cambodian traffic police if you get stopped there. Most traffic cops who can speak English will tell you about the illegality of driving on a Thai licence there. Hence I would imagine this being reciprocated in Thailand.

My advice would be - if you intend on driving a Cambodian vehicle to Thailand under the new system, you will be told whether your licence is acceptable for use in Thailand by the travel agency you use to apply for permission. If traveling only a short distance from the border, in which case there is no need to give advance notice then you won't need to show your DL and it will, in practice, be acceptable for use.

If you can get access to an international driving permit or have a licence issued in a western country you will be better off than using a Cambodian licence though.
 
So does anyone know and have the contact information for a thai tour company that can provide such a permit?

And anyonw knows if you can ride freely all over Thailand in the period or stick to a certain itinerary?

Is the limit for bringing the vehicle in again for a calender year or for a 12 month period?
For example if you come overlanding from Europe towards Australia - and arrive in Thailand in october one could stay 60 days and then travel to Laos/Cambodia/Vietnam etc and come back to Thailand in - lets say january and stay another 60 days in the kingdom before heading off to Malaysia?

NO. You must ride/drive according to the itinerary you have provided and according to KTMPhil (see his earlier post, in reply to mine) the travel agency who applies for the permissions must oversee you the whole time you are in Thailand. This means independent riding/driving is likely out, though I'm not sure as no one has come out to confirm exactly how this will be implemented.

The main problem right now is that the law does not allow you to drive outside the border province entered. However, as I have pointed out numerous times, the rules allow for exceptions to be made, provided a 30 day advance notice is made.

60 day limit is, according to what I have read within a calendar year from Jan 1 to Dec 31. It's 30 days, but a 30 day extension can be requested. Or you could do two separate trips of 30 days each in one calendar year.
 
3. Use only the permitted vehicle solely in the province specified in the temporary permit


Trying to find out if you can specify several provinces on your ITIN, then basically allowed everywhere.
 
Phil, more out of curiosity than anything but do you know how riders/drivers of foreign motorcycles/cars who have entered Thailand in the past 4 weeks or so BEFORE June 27th will be affected?

For starters, since the new rules require a travel agency to be responsible for the tourists and except for those cases where an exemption to the rules has been sought, tourists are not allowed to drive outside the border province entered, how will the police distinguish between drivers who entered under the old and new systems? Or will they start seizing vehicles driven around the country belonging to those tourists who have entered under the old system? Clearly there will be some confusion in this transition period, which will end around the time the temporary import permits of those that entered on the last day before the new system took effect entered the country, so roughly in late July (around July 25th). However, there could be so few foreign vehicles (except for Lao and Malaysian plates) inside Thailand at the moment it won't be noticeable.

Aside from the 2 Chinese bikes you saw, are you still seeing many Chinese bikes/cars driving around in Thailand, especially in Chiang Mai? I haven't seen a single one since April 13, though I live in Bangkok but have travelled to Trat, Cha-am and other places since then. Whereas up until March they were everywhere.
 
Yes before 27th June, 2016 same as before, 30 days.


Phil, more out of curiosity than anything but do you know how riders/drivers of foreign motorcycles/cars who have entered Thailand in the past 4 weeks or so BEFORE June 27th will be affected?

For starters, since the new rules require a travel agency to be responsible for the tourists and except for those cases where an exemption to the rules has been sought, tourists are not allowed to drive outside the border province entered, how will the police distinguish between drivers who entered under the old and new systems? Or will they start seizing vehicles driven around the country belonging to those tourists who have entered under the old system? Clearly there will be some confusion in this transition period, which will end around the time the temporary import permits of those that entered on the last day before the new system took effect entered the country, so roughly in late July (around July 25th). However, there could be so few foreign vehicles (except for Lao and Malaysian plates) inside Thailand at the moment it won't be noticeable.

Aside from the 2 Chinese bikes you saw, are you still seeing many Chinese bikes/cars driving around in Thailand, especially in Chiang Mai? I haven't seen a single one since April 13, though I live in Bangkok but have travelled to Trat, Cha-am and other places since then. Whereas up until March they were everywhere.
 
Clearly there will be some confusion in this transition period, which will end around the time the temporary import permits



No confusion, old system stands until expiry of what was contracted. The difference is the old temporary import cannot be extended now. If you want to stay another 30 days, you need to apply for a permit 10 days before the expiry of your temp import and go to the border and come back in with the permit.
 
Clearly there will be some confusion in this transition period, which will end around the time the temporary import permits



No confusion, old system stands until expiry of what was contracted. The difference is the old temporary import cannot be extended now. If you want to stay another 30 days, you need to apply for a permit 10 days before the expiry of your temp import and go to the border and come back in with the permit.

Well what I meant by confusion was what will happen when you are driving outside the province. The new system doesn't allow that (except if requested 30 days in advance), whereas the old one did. Haven't police been instructed to prevent foreign registrations from driving outside the province entered as the new rules state?

Also, coming in with the permit, won't that mean going through a travel agency? Clearly, as you stated just a couple days ago, independent travel like in the past is likely a thing of the past now, unless you are driving a Lao/Malaysian or Singaporean bike/car.
 
OK the answer to this is not clear cut but I'll try to answer it based on my knowledge of Thai traffic laws and how they work in practice.

Thailand's Department of Land Transport (DLT) claims that the new bilingual Thai DL in credit card size format is acceptable for use in all 10 ASEAN countries. In reality, they are overstepping their authority by making this claim. Thailand has previously signed agreements with Laos, Malaysia and Singapore for mutual recognition of each other's driving licences. Only in these countries can a Thai licence be used for certain, and vice versa. I would therefore expect Thailand NOT to recognize a Cambodian drivers licence.

Indeed one time when my Thai licence had expired I tried to rent a vehicle from AVIS using a Cambodian licence. Despite being in English and all, it was rejected. So I had to present my Aussie licence, which was readily accepted.

Similarly, Thai licences are usually rejected by Cambodian traffic police if you get stopped there. Most traffic cops who can speak English will tell you about the illegality of driving on a Thai licence there. Hence I would imagine this being reciprocated in Thailand.

My advice would be - if you intend on driving a Cambodian vehicle to Thailand under the new system, you will be told whether your licence is acceptable for use in Thailand by the travel agency you use to apply for permission. If traveling only a short distance from the border, in which case there is no need to give advance notice then you won't need to show your DL and it will, in practice, be acceptable for use.

If you can get access to an international driving permit or have a licence issued in a western country you will be better off than using a Cambodian licence though.

Thx for those insights BW

I've traveled to T/land on a Cambo license a fair bit over the last 15 years and its worked ok, except one time coming into Trat from Had Lek.
They'd setup a roadblock and fined me Bt 200 for no IDL, gave me a receipt too.
Last trip to Northern Thailand Jan 2016 one policeman apologized for pulling me over when he saw I was a foreigner, and some others stopped me to take photos of themselves with me and the bike....

Officially, I guess the Cambo DL isn't acceptable away from the border entry areas, and now that's being enforced ?
I have an Australian DL too but (this time) have to fly back to renew it in person.
Pretty sure valid IDL not obtainable in Cambo

Phil, when you logon to the website as a tour operator, are their any drop-down menus or woteva that list which foreign licenses are acceptable to use in Thailand ?
Logic suggests that info's included somewhere in the application process.
 
I dont have their details yet. Blackwolf, I'd like to thankyou for all the effort you have put into your border posts here, they are very useful.

Appreciate it; glad to help.
 
I'm in Chiang Mai with my bike at the moment. Entered Thailand before the new regulations took effect so I have the temp import permit. Chiang Mai customs extended it once but said they won't extend it again. Does anyone know if there are any customs offices in Thailand still extending the old permit?

I only need one more extension to tie in with my booked tour through Myanmar to India that had been organised prior to the regulation change. For me to exit Thailand and reenter under the new regulation seems like it would be more expensive and annoying than paying the overstay fee.
 
I'm in Chiang Mai with my bike at the moment. Entered Thailand before the new regulations took effect so I have the temp import permit. Chiang Mai customs extended it once but said they won't extend it again. Does anyone know if there are any customs offices in Thailand still extending the old permit?

I only need one more extension to tie in with my booked tour through Myanmar to India that had been organised prior to the regulation change. For me to exit Thailand and reenter under the new regulation seems like it would be more expensive and annoying than paying the overstay fee.

It seems they've changed their mind on the temporary import extension for a 3rd time and now will not extend for the people who came in before 27th June, 2016.

If you will be under the 6 months time span, your best bet is to just pay the 10,000 Baht overstay fine at the border when you leave.
 
Not sure if anyone else is still chasing extensions on the old temporary permit but after getting told 'it can't be done' by every customs officer I spoke to, I had luck the other day by going straight to the Director General of Customs Region 3 at the building near Airport Plaza (not the customs office in the Cargo building). She authorized a final extension for the bike to match the extension I got for my tourist visa the day before. All done in under 20 minutes. Had to go back to the cargo building to get it stamped by Mr Tony who had told me only an hour before that the system won't accept new extensions.
 
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