Original Thai reg. motorcycle "green books" needed at Chiang Khong border crossing

[KTMphil]

Original Thai reg. motorcycle "green books" needed at Chiang Khong border crossing

Chiang Khong, Thailand international border crossing with Huay Xai, Laos.


Most of us bring them anyway, although i've only ever had to show copies. Chiang Khong international border crossing is now insisting on all original Thai registered motorcycles to have their "green book" registration available at the border for crossing into Laos.

We just had a tour group at the border with only copies and were denied exit from Thailand. The green books had to be put on the minibus from Chiang Mai to Chiang Khong.


This is bad new for the motorcycle rental companies in Chiang Mai as customers only leave a 20% deposit for the motorcycles and are going foreign with the motorcycles they rent.

 

[Pounce]

Is there any more specific advise for this Phil?
We're hiring bikes from Lan & crossing into Laos there on December 28th.
What is it that we need to do as tourists to get over?

 

[brake034]

One solution is for the rental company to bring the books to the CK border to show at immigration/customs.
They can keep the green books to go back to the rental company as I do not think they are required for re-entry?

 

[LivinLOS]

I didnt even know Laos would let you in on that side without the original..

 

[Russ McDermid]

FYI - Entering Laos at Boten last week, on a UK REG BIKE, they were happy with just a copy of the registration (log book).
And similar when entering Thailand at Nguen/Nan ... just a copy OK.

 

[KTMphil]

Chiang Khong border seems to be the first requesting it.

 

[blackwolf]

Chiang Khong border seems to be the first requesting it.

Nope, I've been across nearly every Thai-Lao crossing now by car and they always insist on the original blue book in addition to the car passport. The one time I brought my motorbike I also brought along my original green book. If you don't have it, the Thai officials can refuse exit. It's listed as being one of the requirements to exit and if the officials allowed you to leave with just a copy, then you were lucky. Don't expect that kind of leniency everywhere and to be honest, there is no good reason not to have the original with you.

Officials from other countries don't care so much - the guy who mentioned he came across the Chinese border at Boten well that doesn't count because that border generally only sees Lao and Chinese vehicles and as such they won't know what a Thai registration looks like anyway. The translation that acts as the translation of the green book should be carried, because it's in English which most officials should, at least in theory be able to read. Since a normal green book is only in Thai, I wouldn't expect anyone except Thai and Lao officials located next to the Thai border be able to read it.

In the vast majority of cases, drivers of cars and riders of motorcycles are not crossing third country borderlines.

 

[Lone Rider]

Maybe I have been lucky but at the Nongkhai to Vientiane crossing and most of the other crossings I have never been asked for the original blue book and the "Passport Rot" (the purple booklet which is a translation of the blue book) has always been enough. At other crossings (sorry, forgot which ones but the Huay Khon to Mueang Ngeun - north of Nan - is one of them) once in a while I was asked to show the blue book.

The "Passport Rot" is no longer issued for bikes so yes, at some crossings they may ask for the original green book. As Phil indicated, that may cause problems for organized tours as quite a few of them make use of rental bikes and the bike rental companies, for obvious reasons, will not be happy that the bike leaves their premises with the original green book