Here an update of getting a legal Green Book for my motorbike. About a year ago I bought a Yamaha XT250x for a reasonable price knowing that this price did not include a Green Book. Of course I also knew that this was a “spare-part imported motorbike”. But if came with full import-papers and import-duties were paid and the shop-owner promised me to arrange a legal Green Book for me for a price of about 35k (which later changed to 50-60k). Well after a half year he still not had even tested the bike, and as I did not pay him anything it was easy to forget him. Reminder to myself : Never do business with him again!

Via internet I did meet Mark who represented himself as “Big Bike Cycles” but in reality was working together with a motorbike shop in Lam Lukha in Bangkok named “On Road Bike”. A shop where I had been before and altogether it looks to me like a trustful straight forward business. They are selling mainly chopper bikes. They offered me to take care of obtaining a legal Green Book for my motorbike for 75k excluding the to be paid excise tax.

Mid November 2009 I decided to business with them and they promised me that all together it would take about 3 months before I would receive my Green Book.

With a legal Green Book I mean a real Green Book (not a copy or a recycled one) where is mentioned at page 18 that the excise tax has been paid and that the bike has been tested and approved.

There would be 5 steps within about 3 months
1 Doing the emission test that would costs about 28k
2 Apply for setting the value of the motorbike
3 Paying the excise tax (3% of the value of the motorbike)
4 Apply for the Green Book (which actually costs about 1500,- thb?)
5 After 1 month : Receiving the number/license-plate
6 Two (2) weeks later : Receiving the Green Book

Although steps 1 to 4 seems to be processed (although on a bit different time-frame) step 5 & 6 are still in the pipe-line. It took a bit longer but the bike was finally tested end of December 2009 and begin January 2010 I received proof of the fact that the bike has been tested and approved.

In the meanwhile Mark left Thailand and at end of March I did receive proof of setting the value of my motorbike at 215.000,- thb over what I have to pay 3% tax (plus VAT over the tax and duty stamp). One (1) week later I did receive proof of paying the excise tax of 7.124,- thb.

Now all the papers are ready to apply for the Green Book and within 5 weeks I would receive my new license-plate and 2 weeks after that I would receive my Green Book.

Well at 8 may 2010 the date for receiving my new license-plate has been delayed due to “slow working of the government” and is now set for “before 20 May 2010”.

As it was scheduled that I would receive about 20 May 2010 my license-plate a mini-civil-war in BKK & upcountry made that all DLT office's were closed so no license-plate yet at the moment.

So today I was just wondering what was happening as I received a call that my "Certificate of Address" was expired (yeah it's about 6 months old now) so they needed a new one. Well that indicated that at least something might be happening. I did send them a copy of my Yellow-House-Book which should be OK (but I heard that some DLT's are not accepting a house-book for foreigners). Was told that I would hear Monday 31 May 2010 when I will receive my License-plate & Green-Book. Keep you updated next week again.

Nevertheless how this story end I think I will not go this route again for getting a motorbike with a legal Green Book. Nowadays there other options, although I think that BMW or KTM are too expensive in Thailand and big bike Kawasaki’s are not really very well build. And I am not into racing bikes like Yamaha or Suzuki. It is too bad that due to a tax system (of which some Thai family clan’s benefit mostly) people living in Thailand have a very poor choice of cars & motorbikes. And that Thai clan’s benefit so much that they can effort themselves easily to privately import whatever they like to ride.

Chang Noi

Hi ChiangNoi,

You probably lucky with the emission test, after April 2010, it is said that the rules have really tighten up for the emission rules.

Anyway the Yamaha XT250 was already a equipped with an engine which burned fuel very efficient and produced a low emission.

I hope you keep us informed of future developments...

Chiang Noi,

It's a dirt bike, isn't it? Could the gearing be why the top speed seems a bit low? Personally, not sure these days, but seems that when I used to ride dirt bikes they were geared pretty steeply.

Also, I'm wondering... You paid quite a bit to get your plate and green book, etc. Was it worth it? Did you save money by doing it this way?

Thanks
Ken

I bought the bike for playing in the nearby mountains and driving to the city so indeed the top-speed is not that important. The bike is originally sold as a motard anId as I do understand from European friends who have the same bike it should drive a little bit faster. With a top-speed of 110 (1 person and no luggage) it means that the comfortable driving speed is about 90-95 and that is just a little bit too slow for a bit longer on-road trips.

Expensive all together? Well I could have bought a Kawasaki D-Tracker 250 for 160k, but as I have short legs I would still have to modify it. And the Kawa-dealer was not very helpful in doing so and the Kawa is a bit under-powered (less power is my XT).

Was it worth it? I dunno as I still not really have the Green Book.

Chang Noi

7 months after they told me it would take 3 months!

Welcome to Thailand

Today was scheduled to pickup the Green Book at the DLT in bkk but when I was there the (middleman) contact person said "Mai mi" and "Call your motorbike shop". And the motorbike shop said "It is at the DLT". Then suddenly someone else calls me "I arrange the Green Book for you, but I am upcountry can you come back monday" .... Noooooooooooo!!!

Then a lot of weird stories are being told and I think "The Green Book is ready and it is at the DLT but someone did make his commision yet" so I play the stupid falang and go to the information desk and show them the copy of the Green Book "Where my Green Book?". The sweet girl takes me to another guy with a computer and he writes her an ID-number and name. We then walk into a kind of manager of the DLT office (I see them a bit talking) and there is my Green Book with all the correct stamps (as far as I know). I have to sign for receiving (nobody asks for my ID) and of I go with my Green Book.

Lesson learned? Yes next time I will just do it all myself!

Great story Chiang Noi, glad it worked out for you in the end. I've got a mate with a Harley who had 'connections' (you know the ones; friend of a friend high up in the Dept), was promised 3 months and after a year he gave it up as a bad joke and cancelled it.

I just bought a brand new run-of-the-mill Wave today, ETA for the Greenbook is 3 months; go figure. What a system!!!!

Quote by: NAT

THANK YOU CHIANG NOI FOR SHARED YOUR STORY. I AM PLANNING TO BUY USE MOTORCYCLE. IT'S LONG BEEN SCREW UP SYSTEM IN THAILAND. WHAT ELES DO THEY NEED BESIDE TITLE, INSPECTION,ID,PROVE OF ADDRESS,TAX,TAX+SALE TAX. IT'S SOULD BE DONE IN 1 OR 2 DAYS TO REGISTER. I HOPE ITS WILL IMPROVE AS REGISTER FOR RESIDENCE ID.

FINALLY, I DO LOVE THAILAND AND WHEN THE WORD UNDER DEVELOP COUNTRY WILL GO AWAY.

Hello Nat,

I would strongly advice against buying a motorcycle that comes without a greenbook (Thai registration papers and license plate) as currently it's not allowed to import any secondhand motorcycle into Thailand without an import permit.

Needless to say that the import permits are extremely difficult to impossible to obtain, when you try to register your an so-called invoice motorcycle in Thailand the authorities as the Department of Land Transport are likely to ask for the import permit.

With the old system, before the import of used motorcycles was prohibited you could show the payment receipt that you paid the 1,000 THB fine for not having a import permit. Currently we get more and more information that the Department of Land Transport is not accepting the payment receipt for not having a import permit.

If you want to buy a so-called invoice motorcycle in Thailand and plan to register it for getting a greenbook you should check if the motorcycle was imported with a official import permit. (Many people during the old system didn't bother applying for a import permit as it could take months before you got the official import permit, and the fine for nothing having a permit was only 1000 THB).

Also be aware that most motorcycles, that have been imported before Thailand closed it's borders for all used motorcycles, will not pass the most recent exhaust emission levels…

I hope you understand that every year, many people living in Thailand get motorcycles confiscated by the Thai authorities.