Letter of Residence to transfer motorcycle registration

MartinThai

MartinThai

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2011
Location
Maejo
Bikes
'97 H-D Electra Glide, '91 H-D FXRS, '96 Honda XRV750 Africa Twin
Went to Chiang Mai Immigration today (for my 90 day Notification on my Retirement Visa.... the officials were a bit confused with this one and didn't really know how to deal with it and what to do...... doesn't anyone else in CM stay here on a Retirement Visa? But I digress...... that's another story) with all correct paperwork for a Letter of Residence to transfer the "Tabieng Motocy" for my FXRS currently languishing in Pattaya up to Chiang Mai, to be told "No, we cannot do"

"Oh bloody hell" I thought, "here we go again, shades of all that bollox back in February yet again"

(See here: http://www.rideasia.net/motorcycle-...ls-farangd-out-chiang-mai-fed-up-full-up.html )

But, instead of giving me a confused excuse about Chiang Mai being "full up" the helpful chappie said "Chiang Mai Immigration Police not do this now, you must go to your British Consulate, they do for you"

So...... is there light at the end of the tunnel? Has anyone else used their Consulate to transfer a vehicle registration in the last few months? I did hope to have a completed report for you but couldn't find the Brit Consulate so I'll leave it till Monday now and get back to you with results next week.

To be continued.......
 
Hi Martin, glad the lights are coming on for you. I recently obtained the same letter for the renewal of my driving license & was amazed at the cost @ 2,640 baht.

Need to get there by 11am and wait 24 hours for it to be done & you pay upfront.

The British Consulate is found if yo go down the Bus Arcade road, from super highway, past McCormick hospital on your left and then at the next lights turn left. The Consulate is about 500 metres on the left.

Hope your leg is doing ok.

Ally
 
Hi Ally and thanks, yep, got straight on t' net when I got home and found the Consulate, so I'll go straight there Monday. Actually when I was in the Immigration Police I bumped into Toni from Yummee's Pizza and he told me roughly where the Brit Consulate was...... which landed me in the region of a body massage joint...... there's me thinking he was being a funny fuc*er and I just turned round and went off on another job....... little did I know if I kept going I'd have come to the right place!! 2640 baht for a LoR eh? Bloody 'ell!

The other job mentioned was to pick up my Chiang Mai license plate (2 months waiting) for the Africa Twin, so she's now a local! :D

Knee's improving thanks, the firm want me back on the rig on May 29...... 3 months paid lazing around's enough!
 
Martin, at the risk of kicking in an open door, is it not more convenient to arrange a yellow house book instead of these letters of residence?
Also quite helpfull for bankaccounts, local hospitals etc.
 
Hi Brake..... I only rent, so the tabien baan/house book is not in my name..... I have to take a copy of the house book, plus owners ID, plus house rental agreement along with the application form and my passport info for the LoR.
 
Martin I am not sure if the fact that you rent prevents a yellow book......If the owner of the house co-operates then you can get such a yellow book.
There is some info on the general Thai forum's and it can be different papers in different Amphurs; I needed a certified copy of my passport + visa by the Dutch embassy for example. Some postings said this was not required in other Amphurs. Anyway maybe worth checking out, I think in all I payed less then 1000 baht for it.
And it is valid untill you pass away or relocate to another address.
 
^ Bloody good info there mate, thanks for that.
 
So they have changed the rules about getting a LOR again then by the sounds of it.

They were always easy to obtain from the British Consulate but expensive but it now sounds like they might be more difficult to get for the likes of people like me who stay in guest houses or hotels
 
Captain, if in major wahala then I offer to share my yellow book with you, how's that?

The only thing this book shows is your official address when you are in Thailand, it shows you registered at the Amphur.

I might be wrong but I once understood that everybody (Thai and Farang) who stays longer then 30 days (or was it 3 months??) in one Amphur is obligated to register at that Amphur?!
 
@Brake - You cannot "share" your Yellow Book. Previously, you could have gone with someone to Immigration and claimed that he was staying with you - and then he could get the Certificate of Residency. I have done this in the past.

Martin could always let you register his bike in your name ;-)

@Martin - I live in Amphur Chiang Mai, and got my Yellow Book about 6 years ago. The cost then was 25 baht. We needed copies of passport, wife's Tabian Baan, wife's ID card - but nothing certified. We also had to BRING two witnesses along to sign statements that I did live there. The witnesses had to be residents of Chiang Mai as well.

Hope this helps.
 
I got a letter about a month ago from immigration in Chiang Rai . It stated that I wanted to transfer my wifes bike into my name. but it could have been used to buy a new one, or transfer a bike from anyone, it's effectively a proof of residence. it cost 200 baht. up from 100 baht a few years ago. it took minutes to produce and I guess is a nice little earner, I'd be very surprised if it's not now available.
 
@ Dakota, the LoS is valid for only 30 days I believe?! Regards Blaze.......

@BobS, the LoS is not required to get a yellow book, at least I did not need one to get the book.
The yellow book allows 16 people to stay at my address and as my wife holds the blue book (i did not count but I guess also 16 people can be in that book), she decides how will be eligable to register at our address.
My two daughters have the Thai nationality and are both registered in the blue book.
If they would have had the Dutch nationality, they would have been registered in the same yellow book I am in.
Indeed witnesses and Phu Yai Baan are often needed to give evidence of someone living at any address.
 
I guess I'm saying that I suspect the LOS or LOR is only a problem at CM Immigration because they seem to be special. :)
I'd be very surprised if it wasn't available elsewhere as I got one a month ago.

The Yellow Book is another thing completely
 
Meant LoR, sorry, typo.
Yes, yellow book, different thing but if you have it then you do not require any more LoR's untill you die or relocate.
 
By the way, yellow book is requested for at the Amphur, not at Immigrations........not kicking in any open doors here I hope
 
Annoying those letters are no longer being done as in any one year I seem to always need a few..

CM were charging 500b a few months back, 200 in most other provinces.

I really should sort out the yellow book but as renting here I just kept putting it off.
 
LivinLOS said:
Annoying those letters are no longer being done as in any one year I seem to always need a few..

CM were charging 500b a few months back, 200 in most other provinces.

I really should sort out the yellow book but as renting here I just kept putting it off.
Click to expand...

Yeah I think maybe Lakota applied for his "on the cusp" of Chiang Rai changing over to the new system...... as in so many things here I'll bet the new protocol wasn't changed overnight, and who knows, there may still be some provincial Immigration Police where you can get a LoR for 100 or 200 baht.

Back in January I needed one and was charged 200 baht...... in February, when the whole fiasco started but Chiang Mai couldn't/wouldn't tell me there was a new system on the way (or didn't know the details themselves) and tried to put me off applying by saying "Cannot do, full up!" I was then charged 500 baht...... which was a shit coz I needed two!!

If I could sling my leg over anything but my lil scooter I'd nip up to Chiang Rai on Monday just to see if they're still doing a 200 baht LoR at Immigration....... but I cannot, so it's gonna be a whopping 2,640 at the Brit Consulate....... bloody double tier pricing eh? Mebbe I'll just put the new Harley in the missus name this time.
 
MartinThai said:
If I could sling my leg over anything but my lil scooter I'd nip up to Chiang Rai on Monday just to see if they're still doing a 200 baht LoR at Immigration.
Click to expand...

Do you not have to get the LoR from the province you are living in?
 
Captain_Slash said:
Do you not have to get the LoR from the province you are living in?
Click to expand...

Yeah I did think the same Cap'n but I've never heard anyone reporting anything to the contrary, so it would've been worth it just to check out.
 
On their website, the Thailand Department of Land Transport still says to get one at Immigration.

"2. ORIGINAL PRESENT RESIDENT ADDRESS IN THAILAND CERTIFY FROM EMBASSY / IMMIGRATION BUREAU (VALID FOR 1 YEAR) OR WORK PERMIT WITH ORIGINAL AND PHOTO COPY"

TEMPORARY (ONE YEAR) DRIVING LICENSE
 
I wonder if the Department of Land Transport will except a copy of a housing lease agreement if Immigration wont provide one?
 
Ok, so after a brief trip to the British Consulate in Chiang Mai I can confirm what Ally told me above (apart from the price..... mine was 2,530 baht!) in that an Affirmation of Residency Letter will be issued after producing proof of address (in my case my house rental agreement) and your passport..... they didn't want photos and they didn't want copies of my house owners ID and Tabien Baan. The whole process was over and done with in 10 minutes, no going back later to pick it up (of course if they're busy this might easily apply) even though I have to anyway as I left me bleedin' telephone on the counter! Very painless, very expensive, but easily worth what you might spend in only one night out, whatever your pleasure!

Now I just have to find out if it's accepted by the Land Transport office when I go to transfer Black Beastie into my name!

DSCN0877a.jpg
 
What a pain in the ass this has become with the seller also needing a residency certificate too.





MartinThai said:
Ok, so after a brief trip to the British Consulate in Chiang Mai I can confirm what Ally told me above (apart from the price..... mine was 2,530 baht!) in that an Affirmation of Residency Letter will be issued after producing proof of address (in my case my house rental agreement) and your passport..... they didn't want photos and they didn't want copies of my house owners ID and Tabien Baan. The whole process was over and done with in 10 minutes, no going back later to pick it up (of course if they're busy this might easily apply) even though I have to anyway as I left me bleedin' telephone on the counter! Very painless, very expensive, but easily worth what you might spend in only one night out, whatever your pleasure!

Now I just have to find out if it's accepted by the Land Transport office when I go to transfer Black Beastie into my name!

View attachment 17241
Click to expand...
 
And i wonder if it`s 2500 baht each (like Thai immi were doing) if you need a couple of them,car,bike,whatever else?
 
Last time I got one from the Consulate (about 2 years ago), the did give me two copies intimating the second wud be good for a drivers licence. Suggest you make a copy in case u need more. The proper ones are embossed I think, but its Thai , so maybe they accept copies sometimes !
 
@Brake - "The yellow book allows 16 people to stay at my address....They would have had the Dutch nationality, they would have been registered in the same yellow book I am in."

Just curious - have you (or anyone else) tried to register a non-related foreigner into your Yellow Book? Were you successful?

@Phil - "What a pain in the ass this has become with the seller also needing a residency certificate too"

More curiousity - When did this policy go into effect? How would it work in the case of a seller out of country who has signed the power of attorney?

Thanks
 
BobS, my quote read a bit different then your recap. Anyway, no but I am willing to give it a try, why not?
 
@Brake - True - I did not include the part about your wife's blue book, since only Thais can be registered in that one. Everything you quoted about the yellow book was included - here is the full quote -

"@BobS, the LoS is not required to get a yellow book, at least I did not need one to get the book.
The yellow book allows 16 people to stay at my address and as my wife holds the blue book (i did not count but I guess also 16 people can be in that book), she decides how will be eligable to register at our address.
My two daughters have the Thai nationality and are both registered in the blue book.
If they would have had the Dutch nationality, they would have been registered in the same yellow book I am in.
Indeed witnesses and Phu Yai Baan are often needed to give evidence of someone living at any address."

If it can be done, it would be a huge benefit to friends who visit on a regular basis.
 
Hi BobS, is there information about yellow books refused?
 
Hi Brake

I have never tried it, nor do I know of anyone that has. In fact, your post is the first mention that it might be possible.

That is why I asked the question to you or anyone else.
 
Hi BobS, I personally know of a fellow Dutchman in Hua Hin who has a yellow book for quite some years, he is not married.
Reading upon this subject on many forums does not give a conclusive answer so the only way to find out is to just try it.

I am willing to rent out my garden bungalow from end of September for a 1 year period if someone wants to give it a try.
Provided that person would consider living in the middle of no where, close to the new Chiang Khong bridge :phil......
 
I've had one of those Yellow Tambien Bans for six years now, found it quite handy a couple of times. First for renewing my Thai 5-year driving permit, didn't have to hit the U.S. Embassy and pay a bunch of baht for their letter of residence. Then during the October 2011 flood down here in Thanyaburi Klong 10, I split to the Muak Lek area of Saraburi and needed to open up a new bank account for transfers from the U.S. The bank wanted my work permit, but since I'm retired, don't have one. Pulled out the Yellow tambien ban, done deal. Once going to a national park my Thai driving permit didn't work for the Thai entrance fee, but the Yellow tambien ban did.

Here's a long thread on the yeas and nays, and successes and failures, and problems, of getting one:

Yellow Tabien Bahn - Real Estate, housing, house and land ownership - Thailand Forum

Note, when I went to our local amphur it was super easy, done in about 45 minutes by a real friendly staffer. Didn't need anything from the Embassy, did have a translation of our U.S. marriage certificate. As it turned out, my Yellow tambien ban is referenced to the wife's Blue tambien ban's serial number. But I have my own Thai serial number which is now on my driving permit.

Some folks reporting their experiences to the ThaiVisa forum have had lots of troubles, some have paid, mine was free. There's also writeups of unmarried guys who own condos getting the Yellow book.

Anyway, take a wander through the url above. It's worth a shot, in my opinion.

Mac
a frequenter 4WD visitor to NE Laos
 
I have it on good authority that 500b residence letters will restart in the next week or two in CM..
 
Dang! 2000 baht of beer money down the drain! :?
 
Captain_Slash said:
Thats very good news indeed, lets hope its true
Click to expand...

If not, I have been told there is some 'assistance' that can probably be gained for a small fee..
 
Russ McDermid said:
Last time I got one from the Consulate (about 2 years ago), the did give me two copies intimating the second wud be good for a drivers licence. Suggest you make a copy in case u need more. The proper ones are embossed I think, but its Thai , so maybe they accept copies sometimes !
Click to expand...

As far as the lovely ladies in the Chiang Mai motorcycle transfer section are concerned, a copy is fine. I took the embossed original, which they treated with reverence as they knew it cost 2500 baht ( :| ) and a colour copy, which was perfectly acceptable for the process of transferring ye olde green book into my name.

They're actually issuing me with a brand new book and Chiang Mai registration (of my choosing :D ) which is a bit of a shame as it will wipe out over 20 years history of exclusive ownership of this bike by members of two of the countries best known MC's.

Btw it doesn't need to be a colour copy.
 
Any ideas how long the one from the consulate is valid for? I forgot to look at the one I got!
 
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