ASEAN Legalities

buebo · May 24, 2006

Hi,
I'm an expat based in Cambodia (Phnom Penh) and currently toying with the idea of buying a Bike for my remaining months (going back to Germany in october) and doing some tours through Cambodia, Thailand and Laos.

While in Cambodia nobody really cares about Papers, Insurance and real or fake license plates, things seem to be different as soon as you want to cross a border.

I know that I need proof of ownership but I wonder about insurance and the drivers license. Is proof of insurance really neccesary (both in practise and theorie)?

Nobody seems to care about the drivers license as far as I heard, but theoretically would you need to have a Thai or Lao License to get your Bike into Thailand or Lao? I know that the international license doesn't matter but would a Cambodian License do (because it's also an ASEAN Country)?

One last thing: Would I be allowed to drive (for example) to Thailand or Malaysia and sell the Bike there? If Iam not legally allowed would it be any trouble?

These are probally pretty newbish questions, but I'm a little spoiled by the EU where you just ride anywhere you bloddy want and nobody gives a damn about it, so this whole issue of crossing borders seems a little complicated for me and at least in Phnom Penh nobody really knowns nothing definite.

Cheers
buebo

DavidFL · May 24, 2006

Buebo
3rd party insurance is compulsory, but not strictly enforced. It will only be a problem if you have an accident, so for the price of a few beers (a short time?)- 600 baht - do yourself a favour & get the Thai 3rd party insurance on the border.
The same goes for Laos, off-hand about 300 baht for a short stay. 12 months costs me 1,500 baht for maximum 3rd party coverage. What the minimum 3rd party rate in Malaysia is I dont know.
Selling the bike in another country is technically illegal, as you are supposed to be importing the bike temporarily. Breach of this should mean that a fine is payable &/or customs duties are payable; however you do have to get caught. So it may not be such a serious problem & you could probably sell your bike once & get away with it. The buyer would then have a problem to get the bike legally registered in his own country, plus have difficulty taking it out on your temporary import papers. So whoever you sold the bike to would not pay much for it as they would have problem with an illegal bike to sort out = extra money to pay.

Take a look at
https://www.gt-rider.com/crossingborders.html
and
https://www.gt-rider.com/bikes.html#BRINGINGYOUROWNBIKE
for more a bit more info

Davidfl
Keep The Power On

buebo · May 25, 2006

Hey,
thanks for the quick reply. Do I get it right that I can get a Short Time Insurance directly at the Border (meaning from the Border-Guards on the Thai/Lao Side)?

My plan at the moment is to cross the Border into Thailand at Poipet/Aranyaprathet and then go northwards, visit Chiang Mai and cross into Lao at the Friendship Bridge, so it would be quite unerving to have to get insurance everytime, especially since my experience and everything I heard so far is that if you do have an accident you have to bribe your way out of it anyway, because thats what the other party will most likely do. On the other hand 600 Baht is not that much if it spares you trouble at the border.

In regards to selling the Bike, thats more or less what I expected. I think it's probably the best thing to sell it in Cambodia anyway, because the Bike Market it would probably fetch the best price here.

I think I will just get any scrap of paper I can get in Cambodia and try my luck at the borders, so far showing that one is in fact not a first time tourist, but a genuine, well travelled expat who's not affraid because some official looking dude has a gun and wants money has done a lot for me in dealing with third world custom officials...

Cheers
buebo

bobstaal · May 25, 2006

you don,t need insurance in laos..
you just have to pay 200 bath, wich is 5dollar!
then you get a vignet(could be insurance) to put on your bike.
Think you still cannot enter at the friendship bridge.
But if you come from chiang mai you can easily drive to
chiang rai - chiang khong and cross the border to hua xai..
the road to luang namtha isn't that bad.. almost no tarmac, but they are working on it

just pray to the gods for good weather..
cause if it rains it could be a nasty mud play!
pohngsali is also really nice, but the road is pritty rocky..
have fun!!!
ps: when i went into laos there was a german copple aho also came from cambodja and they didn't have any problems with the paperwork..
so don't worry!
greets bob

HIKO · May 25, 2006

LAST TIMES I CROSSED THE BOARDER AT POIPET WITH A KHMER BIKE ( EXCEPT IF YOU ARRIVE LATE EVENING BEFORE THEY GO HOME) THEY KEPT MY PASSPORT AND ALLOWED ME TO GO TO ARANYAPRETH TO BUY AN INSURANCE ONE YEAR INSURANCE IS ABOUT 650 BAHT THE COVERAGE IS NEXT TO ZERO UP TO 50.000 BAHT FOR THIRD PART MEDICAL EXPENSES SO IF YOU HAVE AN ACCIDENT YOU HAVE TO USE YOUR CREDITCARD..... HIKO

hiko

DavidFL · May 25, 2006

Good tip Hiko, but for me 50,000 baht is a better contribution than nothing if you have to pay for the injured party's medical expenses. It also means your bike is legally on the road, should you be in an accident situation. You never know when some drunk villager coming out of a rice padi piss-up is going to T-bone you! It does happen & having some insurance certainly helps.

Davidfl
Keep The Power On

Wombat · May 28, 2006

Had the same happen to me at Poipet as far as insurance goes.It was into Aranyaprathet to get it while the bike remained at the border.I kept my Cambodian reg bike in Thailand for a year or so,over its permitted stay of 30 days.I tried selling it here in Thailand at a massively reduced price but wasnt able to.Basically most are to afraid to buy...too much hassle.So I rode back to the border at Aranya.,paid the 1000 baht fine and then sold it in Phnom Penh.

wombatsoup-making life taste better!

buebo · May 29, 2006

Where you asked to produce any kind of driver license for the insurance?

I'm thinking about getting one in Cambodia. Since I'll eventually have to get one anyway (for Thailand) and do not have an international drivers license (just a german one) I just might as well get one here, where probably less questions will be asked.

HIKO · May 30, 2006

HI DAVID

Sorry for not replying to your a little "nasty reply" but for some reason this page has been very slow to load the last days. I totally agree with you that paying 650 Baht for one year "coverage" of 50.000 Baht making your travel in Thai more legal is peanuts.... My point was that if you arrive for example on a Sunday to Thailand (as I did) and have to find an Issurance agent 15 km from the boarder can be a little depressing. I found it but it took some time.... At other borders they accept that I promise to take an insurance as soon as I can find an office and I look out for those drunk rice paddy villagers until I get the insurance.

At least in Aran and Pattaya it is possible to get insurance for any bike Khmer or Falang registered without any driving license but if you read the small prints in the insurance paper(in Thai off course) there is no coverage if you do not have a Thai driving license.

If a foreigner wants a Thai license he needs an, at least 90 days Non Immigrant Visa, Thai adress, permission from Immigration and either an International Driving License (a real one they laugh if you present a "Bangkok" made) or an license in English, or a translation from your Embassy/Consulate to English. Otherwise You have to conduct the test, which is rather easy and funny to do but will take you a day. The test consists of EYE control ESPECIALLY COLOUR TEST, then you have to look at a video for one hour and then fill up a QUESTIONARY with some good questions and some bad ( is a thai military tank in war allowed to travel on a motorway? or If you feel tired do you stop do buy amfetamin and continue your trip....) After that you que up for the driving test which is done in a que with 30 bikes together. If you miss it you can go back to the rear of the que and try again until they want to go home and let you pass....This is the Chonburi procedure.

HIKO

hiko

rhiekel · Jun 1, 2006

quote:

Originally posted by buebo

Hey,
thanks for the quick reply. Do I get it right that I can get a Short Time Insurance directly at the Border (meaning from the Border-Guards on the Thai/Lao Side)?

My plan at the moment is to cross the Border into Thailand at Poipet/Aranyaprathet and then go northwards, visit Chiang Mai and cross into Lao at the Friendship Bridge, so it would be quite unerving to have to get insurance everytime, especially since my experience and everything I heard so far is that if you do have an accident you have to bribe your way out of it anyway, because thats what the other party will most likely do. On the other hand 600 Baht is not that much if it spares you trouble at the border.

In regards to selling the Bike, thats more or less what I expected. I think it's probably the best thing to sell it in Cambodia anyway, because the Bike Market it would probably fetch the best price here.

I think I will just get any scrap of paper I can get in Cambodia and try my luck at the borders, so far showing that one is in fact not a first time tourist, but a genuine, well travelled expat who's not affraid because some official looking dude has a gun and wants money has done a lot for me in dealing with third world custom officials...

Cheers
buebo

If you cross at the Poipet border on the Thai side they will ask you for insurance, and refuse to let the bike in without it. I had to do a lot of fast talking to get in my bike that the insurance had expired on. Like some one posted I think you have to go into Arranyaprathet to buy it and then come back. They do not sell it at the border although you think they would.[

] I have come though the border at Koh Kong manyh times and was never asked for insurance. So if you come that way at least you can buy insurance at your leisure inside Thailand. Plus it is a far more relaxed crossing !!