An ownership transfer in Thailand is a single visit to a Department of Land Transport office with the vehicle, the registration book, both parties and their identification. It is not difficult, it is not expensive — commonly ฿1,000 to ฿3,000 all-in for a car, and considerably less for a motorbike — and it usually takes a morning. What it is not is optional: the law gives both the seller and the buyer fifteen days to notify the registrar, and both are liable if it does not happen.
The mistake that costs people is treating the transfer as an administrative tidying-up exercise to be done later. Until the registrar records it, the seller is still the registered owner, with everything that implies for both of you.
- Deadline15 days from the transfer, on both parties
- Penalty for missing itA fine of up to ฿2,000
- WhereThe DLT office in the province where the vehicle is registered
- Vehicle present?Yes — its numbers are physically checked
- Typical all-in cost, carApproximately ฿1,000–3,000
Motor Vehicle Act B.E. 2522, section 17
Where ownership of a registered vehicle is transferred, both the transferor and the transferee must notify the registrar within fifteen days of the date of transfer. Section 60 sets the penalty for failing to notify at a fine not exceeding ฿2,000 — a maximum, not a fixed charge.
Section 17 also provides that a vehicle may not be taken out of the Kingdom within fifteen days of a transfer without the registrar's written permission, and section 18 separately requires the registrar's permission to take any registered vehicle out of Thailand.
Who has to attend
In principle, both parties. In practice, one party frequently attends holding a power of attorney signed by the other, with copies of their identification attached — dealers do this as routine, and it is perfectly normal.
For a private purchase, though, be careful with it. A power of attorney only helps you if the person who signed it really is the registered owner and really did sign it. If you are buying from someone you met yesterday, attending together is worth the inconvenience. If they are leaving the country and cannot attend, get the power of attorney signed in front of you, with their passport or identity card copied and signed at the same time.
What to bring
- The vehicle itself — it will be inspected
- The registration book: green for a motorbike, blue for a car
- Seller's identity card (Thai) or passport and visa (foreign), plus signed copies
- Seller's house registration copy, if Thai
- Buyer's passport with valid visa, plus signed copies of the photo page, visa and entry stamp
- Buyer's proof of address — certificate of residence from Immigration or an embassy, or a yellow house book
- Current compulsory insurance (Por Ror Bor) certificate
- Valid roadworthiness inspection certificate, if the vehicle is old enough to need one
- Power of attorney, signed, if either party is not attending
- Cash for the fees, and a pen
Documents you need to register a vehicle in your name covers each of the buyer's documents and how to obtain them.
The visit, step by step
- Take a queue number. Offices open early and are busiest at the start of the day and at the end of the month. Going mid-morning, mid-month, is the usual advice.
- Vehicle inspection. Drive or ride round to the inspection bay. An officer checks the chassis or frame number and the engine number against the registration book, and takes a rubbing or a photograph. This is the step that catches false identities, and it is why the vehicle has to be there.
- Submit the file. Hand in the inspection result, the registration book, the signed transfer forms and both parties' documents at the transfer counter. Forms are in Thai; the counter staff will normally show you where to sign.
- Assessment. The office assesses the vehicle's value for stamp duty. This is their assessment, not your purchase price.
- Pay the fees. At the cashier, against a printed slip.
- Collect. The registration book comes back with the transfer entered and the new owner's details recorded. If plates are changing, they may be issued the same day or follow later.
Take a Thai speaker. The forms are in Thai, the counters are signed in Thai, and the question you will be asked at exactly the wrong moment will be in Thai. An hour of a bilingual friend's time turns a stressful morning into a routine one. Failing that, a dealer or a licensed agent will do the whole thing for a modest fee.
What it costs
| Item | Approximate |
|---|---|
| Application fee (ค่าคำขอ) | ฿5 |
| Transfer fee (ค่าธรรมเนียมโอน) | ฿100 |
| Vehicle inspection — car | ฿50 |
| Vehicle inspection — motorcycle | ฿10 |
| Stamp duty | ฿50 per ฿10,000 of the DLT-assessed value (0.5%) |
| New plates, if the province changes | ฿200 for the pair |
| Replacement registration book, if the old one is damaged | ฿100 |
| Typical total, used car | ฿1,000–3,000 depending on assessed value |
These figures are quoted identically by many independent Thai sources but come from commercial guidance rather than a ministerial fee schedule we were able to read, so treat them as approximate rather than exact. The statutory parts of this page — the fifteen-day deadline and the ฿2,000 maximum fine — are a different order of reliability.
The stamp duty is the variable, because it is charged on the value the DLT puts on the vehicle rather than on what you paid. On a cheap old scooter it is negligible; on a recent car it is the largest single line.
Road tax at the point of transfer
If the annual road tax has already been paid for the year, the new owner does not pay it again in that year — that is provided for in section 32 of the Motor Vehicle Act. The tax follows the vehicle, not the owner.
The corollary is the one buyers forget: unpaid tax follows the vehicle too. Arrears come with a surcharge of 1% for every month or part month overdue, and if the tax is more than a year late the vehicle must pass a roadworthiness inspection before it can be taxed at all. Check the tax history page in the registration book before you agree a price. Thai road tax and how to pay it covers the renewal cycle.
When to hand over the money
Pay the balance in the building, after the transfer is recorded. The strongest structure for a private sale is a modest deposit against a short written agreement naming the vehicle, its plate and its chassis number, and the balance paid at the land transport office once the registration is in your name. A seller who insists on full payment days beforehand is asking you to take on the entire risk of a book or a vehicle that turns out to be wrong — see avoiding a stolen or cloned vehicle.
Special cases
The vehicle is registered in another province. The transfer starts at the office in the province where it is currently registered. You can then either leave it on those plates or move the registration to your own province — see buying a vehicle registered in another Thai province and moving a vehicle registration to another province.
A finance company is named as title holder. The vehicle is under hire purchase and cannot be transferred until the agreement is settled and the finance company is removed from the book. Car finance for foreigners explains the structure.
The registration book is lost. A duplicate has to be obtained before a transfer can proceed. See lost your logbook?.
You are selling rather than buying. The obligation and the fifteen-day clock fall on you as much as on the buyer, and leaving your name in the book leaves the vehicle's liabilities attached to you. Selling your vehicle before you leave Thailand covers it from that side.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a vehicle transfer take in Thailand?
Usually a single morning at the office, assuming the documents are complete and the vehicle is present. The paperwork is quick; the queue and any missing signature are what cause a second visit.
Does the vehicle really have to be there?
Yes. Its chassis and engine numbers are physically checked against the registration book at the office in the province where it is currently registered.
What happens if we miss the fifteen days?
Section 60 provides for a fine not exceeding ฿2,000, and it applies to both parties. In practice the greater cost is that until the transfer is recorded, the seller remains the registered owner of a vehicle they no longer control.
Can I transfer a vehicle without the seller present?
With a properly executed power of attorney and copies of their identification, yes. Be cautious in a private sale — a power of attorney from a person you cannot verify is not much protection.
Who pays the transfer costs?
There is no rule. It is negotiated, and it is common for the buyer to pay or for the two parties to split it. Agree it before the day rather than at the cashier's window.
Is the stamp duty based on what I paid?
No — on the value the DLT assesses, at roughly 0.5%. That can be more or less than the price you agreed.