THAILAND IMPORT REGULATION FOR JAPAN USED CARS

Car Import Rules From JapanANTIGUA AND BARBUDAAUSTRALIABAHAMASBARBADOSBOTSWANABRUNEICANADACYPRUSFIJIDOMINICAN REPUBLICGERMANYGUYANAJAMAICAKENYAMALAWIMALAYSIAMALTAMAURITIUSMONGOLIAMOZAMBIQUEMyanmarNETHERLANDSNEW ZEALANDNIGERIAPAKISTANPARAGUAYPOLANDSouth AFRICASURINAME SWAZILANDTAIWANTANZANIATHAILANDTRINIDAD AND TOBAGOTURKEYU.A.E.U.K.U.S.A.UGANDAVIETNAMZAMBIAZIMBABWE

The most popular cars

  1. Toyota Coaster All Year Range
  2. Toyota Corolla All Year Range
  3. Volkswagen Polo All Year Range
  4. Daihatsu Hijet Truck All Year Range
  5. Land Rover Discovery All Year Range
  6. Nissan Silvia All Year Range
  7. Porsche Cayenne All Year Range
  8. Subaru Sambar Truck All Year Range

Shipping Port

The common port in Thailand for importation of used vehicles from Japan is Bangkok and Laem Chabang.

Age Restriction

No age restriction on importation of used vehicle.

Right Hand Drive Cars

Importation of right-hand drive vehicles is permitted in the country.

A temporary import of personal vehicles for a short visit e.g. a motor vehicle, motorcycle, yacht, sports boat, or fishing vessel, etc. into Thailand by owners shall be grant tax/duty relief provided that they are to be re-exported within 1-2 months but not exceeding six months. Any persons intending to temporarily import personal vehicles e.g. a motor vehicle, motorcycle, yacht, sports boat, or fishing vessel, etc. have to closely observe the following Customs regulations and conditions.

Documents Required for importation

  1. An original certificate of registration
  2. Passport of the importer
  3. An invoice or receipt that provides proof of purchase for the vehicle and states the amount paid for it
  4. Insurance
  5. A customs declaration
  6. A work permit, valid for at least one year

Clearance procedures for a temporary import of personal vehicles

  1. An importer/agent submits the Declaration Form and all supporting documents to the Customs office/house at the port of entry. It is also required that all fittings and accessories of the vehicle as well as passengers and accompanying luggage are declared to Customs at the time of entry.
  2. Customs verifies the Declaration Form and all supporting documents, allocates the Declaration number, and then set up a cash deposit or bank guarantee covering the full amount of liable taxes and duties.
  3. The importer/agent places the cash deposit or bank guarantee at a Cashier Office.

Deposit of Guarantee

  1. An importer is allowed to deposit a guarantee in a form of either cash deposit or a bank guarantee. However, for a temporary import of motorcycles via the Bangkok Customs Office and the Suvanabhumi International Airport Cargo Clearance Customs Office, the importer is allowed to offer himself as a guarantee.
  2. In case where the importer is unable to deposit a guarantee either in a form of a cash deposit or a bank guarantee, he/she may request the embassy to issue a letter to Customs for granting approval of the importers self-guarantee.
  3. The amount of a cash deposit and a guarantee calculated by Customs is determined on the basis of all liable taxes and duties to be paid to Customs.
  4. The importer/agent presents evidence of deposited guarantee to Customs.
  5. Customs inspects the vehicle and personal goods, then, returns one copy of the Simplified Goods Declaration to the importer/agent. Please note that the importer is required to retain the copy of the Simplified Goods Declaration and returns it to Customs upon exportation.
  6. New vehicles of all types not yet registered abroad are allowed to be imported without applying for an import permit from the Ministry of Commerce. However, for the vehicles with the weight less than 3500 Kgs., an importer needs to obtain an import permit from the Industrial Standard Institute. 

Note -> For the importation of used/secondhand vehicles, an importer needs to obtain an import permit from the Foreign Trade Department of the Ministry of Commerce before the arrival of the vehicles otherwise he/she shall be liable to a fine equal to 10 percent of the price of vehicle but not less than 1,000 Thai Baht, or exceeding 20,000 Thai Baht.

 Criteria for a permanent import of used/secondhand vehicles

  1. An importer is eligible to import only ONE used/ secondhand vehicles for personal use.
  2. In case where the importer is a nonresident, he/she is required to stay in Thailand for at least ONE year and present a non-immigrant visa issued by the Immigration Bureau, the National Police Office together with a work permit issued by the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare at the time of importation.
  3. In case where an importer is a Thai resident marrying a foreigner, he/she is required to present documentary evidence of marriage and proof of changing residence to Thailand. Also the importer has to own and possess the imported vehicle for at least one and a half year while staying abroad, from the date of transferring the ownership to the date of arrival into Thailand.
  4. In case where an importer is a Thai resident, he/she is allowed to import a vehicle only when such vehicle is accompanied the owner on the change of residence and he/she has owned and possessed the imported vehicle together with the valid driving license for at least one and a half year while staying abroad.