Thais don’t want us to follow the laws.

V

Vancouver Man

Junior Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2013
Thai documents... A bit tongue in cheek, but fatual as happened.

Thais don’t want us to follow the laws. If they did they would not make it so frigging difficult to follow them with all the paperwork that has to be done in widely separated places.

I would LIKE to follow the laws and rules of the country, but the Thai system makes it very difficult and frustrating.
For example, I would like my motorbike to be registered, licensed and insured up to Thai standards. I want to have a valid driver’s license. Unfortunately, it takes about a week to get this all done, with much waiting in various line-ups. I understand that this creates lots of jobs for people, but my gawd the inefficiency of the system. No wonder so many people just don’t bother. I know at least a dozen Thais who own various vehicles and still don’t have any of them licensed. Nor do they have driver’s licenses.

The immigration reporting system is another nightmare for tourists, foreign workers and long term residents. The huge line ups and long waits at Chiang Mai’s immigration near the airport is a totally bizarre situation. They’ve eased SOME of the congestion by moving part of it (Burmese workers) way out in the boonies across from the Promenada Mall. That is also where a tourist has to go to get “official” residency papers which you need to get a Thai driver’s license. Of course, they hid that office in behind a construction site, and off a gravel road. From what I could see, the only signs were in Thai… if at all. I only found it because a friend told me how and where to turn, and what to do when I got there. And, you better have all your documents in order or you have to do it all over again… 2 passport photos, residency document from where you are staying, passport etc. Multi photo copies are made, you pay 500 baht… and then come back the FOLLOWING day to pick up the forms.

Not done yet. Then you go to the motor vehicle office off the Hangdong road and go upstairs to the information booth. The nice lady sends you to get MORE photocopies made of everything, and then you go back to her to be sent for the eye testing. That is pretty straight forward if you are not totally colour blind. Then, you go back to the nice lady AGAIN to get a NUMBER to wait in line for the first available agent who will fill out more forms, take your money and take your picture. About an hour or so later you should have your nice new plastic driver’s license… good for one year. At which point you have to do it all over again.

You’re still not done. Now you have to have to TRY and get insurance for your motorbike. Oh, sorry about that. Remember when you went way out to the immigration office to get all those forms? You should have gotten another couple of sets of those forms for yourself. You need them to insure the motorbike in your name. So, you go BACK to the immigration office hidden behind the construction site and pay ANOTHER 500 baht to the office… and be sure you have 2 more photo copies of your passport and 2 little 2”x2.5” photos to match. Then you wait ANOTHER day and go back again to get the completed forms. Depending on where you live you should be up to about 300 km of travel by now. I would hate to think of the cost if you were traveling by tuk tuk or taxi.

Now, it’s back to the government office on Lamphun Road, near the Rajavej hospital. You pay you 650 baht and the lady who takes your money sends you into the next office where the nice lady looks at the motorcycle green book and sees that it is registered in someone else’s name. Whoops! Just because you have all the proper documentation saying who and where you bought it from, that’s not enough. You have to go to another office down the road where a guy takes the green book and disappears into an office with it. A mechanic tests the motorbike to see if lights are working, and gets the registration number off the bike and takes it to the guy who took the green book. Ah, now everything is in order and after paying another 100 baht it’s back to the pretty lady in the OTHER office who will give you a number for the first available lady who will enter documents in ANOTHER computer and for another 100 baht you get a little 4”x4” decal to say you are FINALLY licensed and legal to drive or ride.

See you next year when you have do the whole process all over again.​
 
Regarding getting the license, consider yourself lucky that you did not have to sit through the video (in Thai) teaching you how to drive.

But your tale about having to prove residency to pay the insurance premium has me confused. Whenever I pay the insurance on my wife's scooter, they take my money without question - even though it is not in my name. What insurance office asked for the residency form?
 
But your tale about having to prove residency to pay the insurance premium has me confused. Whenever I pay the insurance on my wife's scooter, they take my money without question - even though it is not in my name. What insurance office asked for the residency form?
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It was the inner office at the government office on Lamphun Road, near the Rajavej hospital. Four years ago when I first bought the D-Tracker in a private sale I was given lots of different advice by various locals. Different government offices told me conflicting information. it was so confusing that I rode a year without a license, insurance or OFFICIAL registered transfer papers. Then, an event up north along the border with Burma (whole other story) made me aware I better get my papers in order in the future.

I stay in Thailand 5 months each year from November to end of March. I travel on a triple entry tourist visa because it works for me, even though I could qualify for a retirement visa. However, that means you need other documents than a full time resident needs in Thailand. A proof of residency is the sticky one. You have to get that from the owner of the property where you are staying. Staff at different government offices have different ideas what constitutes a proof of residency and if it is actually needed. In the four years I've been doing this I've had four different experiences depending on what office I go to. I'm not about to argue with someone in a Thai office.
 
Yes, it is always fun jumping through the hoops, and even harder finding the right hoops.

Here are somethings to remember for next year:

Once you get the residency form, the first government office you use it in can make a certified copy for use at another office.

Right now, they are not letting people with 1 year licenses and tourist visas upgrade to the 5 year license. You can get another 1 year, but it might be easier to get an IDP in your home country and drive here legally.

There is only one company in Thailand allowed to sell the required government insurance. The company has their main office off the super highway, between the Tesco and the 107. There is a big sign with the company name. Usually no waiting - the one at the Motor Vehicle office can get really backed up.
 
Thanks, Bob. I only posted this as some advice to others who might be in the same situation as me. The police ARE cracking down on those who don't have proper documents. And, they do seem to prey on tourists who are unaware of what they need. They will let Thais without helmets go flying by, but flag down obvious tourists for whatever violation they can find.

Another tourist trap is the parking laws that really vary depending on what area of the city you are in. They have the strange rule of parking on different sides of the road depending on odd or even numbered days or weeks. It varies depending on the time of day, and it's not always enforced. And, there are very few signs saying what the laws are. The parking fine for tourists is 400 baht, and 200 baht for Thais. Just be thankful if your rented scooter is not clamped and you have to walk to the nearest police station.
 
I am living here now 15 years and I have no problem with following the rules. Just get yourself informed well and do not believe everything people say (as many people really do not have any idea).

That many people in Thailand do not follow the rules is because they do not care (you know they are "free") and it saves money. I call that egoistic. I was hit by a scooter, she did not have insurance, she does not have any serious money. So I am lucky I have a medical insurance that paid my hospital bill and a motorbike insurance that paid a small part of all other costs. But for the rest I will have to pay for the costs. And that all because she was to lazy and did not want to spend money on her insurance.
 
True enough, Changnoi. It is for those very reasons that I posted this topic. It takes a while to learn the different rules and laws which seem to change daily here. And, they don't seem to apply everywhere in the city.
Being here for 15 years you've learned most of the laws and understand what it takes to survive. A few weeks ago I was knocked off my motorbike by a Thai driving a truck. I was slowing down for a red light while riding in the curb lane and the guy in the truck wanted to go through the red light. He couldn't drive through the car in front of him so he cut into my lane and clipped my front wheel. I was on the ground and he sped through the red light without stopping.
 
Dont understand why you went for residence papers to buy insurance.. I have insured loads of bikes and never done anything more than show the book (not in my name even) or ownership docs and pay the money..

As to the rest.. residence paper takes a day.. License takes another day.. Would take far longer to get a license in my home country.

I get that its confusing.. But its not that slow.
 
LivinLOS said:
Dont understand why you went for residence papers to buy insurance.. I have insured loads of bikes and never done anything more than show the book (not in my name even) or ownership docs and pay the money..

As to the rest.. residence paper takes a day.. License takes another day.. Would take far longer to get a license in my home country.

I get that its confusing.. But its not that slow.
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I just did as I was told to do by the official at the desk. As I already said, I'm not about to argue with an official in a Thai office.

No question that it takes longer in North America. But, that is because they actually TEST your proficiency behind the wheel of a car or while riding a motorcycle. In Thailand it's all about more offices and more documents. They don't really care if you can drive or ride at all.

Yes, and I do know that I could hire some Thai person to do it all for me while I sat at home.
 
I go to a registered ageni who charges me 150 baht fee to sort everything regarding tax and insurance ,, she even sorts my license when it needs doing all i have to do is turn up follow her instructions and pay .

actually did the annual inspection and tax etc in less than 10 minutes yesterday and picked up the docs today easy peasy
 
I have a yellow house book that can be used as "letter of residency" (what you can also get at the immigration office). Of course first here in KK they did not have a clue that I could use that ... I asked the lady to ask her boss. She came back 10 min later and indeed I could use it. I used it for getting my driver-license, Thai IDP and registering my Z250.

If some officials are not nice or not explain good then just behave like a stupid westerner and tell them you do not understand it ... please explain again. If your DLT does not work like that just go to another DLT. And file a complain about your DLT.

Paying tax here in KK takes about 5 min while I sit on my motorbike (or in my car) waiting at the drive-thru-counter. You do not need any "fixer" to help you.
Paying compulsory insurance for our motorbikes also takes 5 min at the insurance company office that is about 2 km from our house. But I think at the DLT you can also do it. They really do not care who owns the motorbike. Just give the green book. Full insurance for my motorbike takes a bit longer .... 10 min .... also done by myself at the office of the insurance company.

Insurance (both compulsory & full) goes via the insurance main office in the city. Takes about 20 min. More paperwork. Again they do not care who owns the car. Just show the blue book, insurance papers and money.
 
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