Temporary importing and exporting foreign Thai vehicles by land

      Bringing a foreign registered car or motorcycle into the Kingdom temporarily through the land border checkpoint is considering issuing a license (or waiver of a license) to bring a car into the Kingdom temporarily, as well as accepting the conditions for granting such permission, such as required documents, type of vehicle, or the route, according to the Department of Land Transport. Persons entering the Kingdom by foreign registered vehicles through land border checkpoints can perform customs clearance by filling out a simplified customs declaration form, allowing them to temporarily bring such vehicles into the Kingdom at the office of customs officials at land border checkpoints. And they must bring that vehicle back and export it within the specified period.

Required documents for a simplified customs declaration form

1. Vehicle registration document or other reliable document, and in the event that the driver does not own the vehicle, a power of attorney from the owner must be presented. 

2. Passport of the person who wishes to bring a vehicle into the Kingdom, with the entry stamp. (In the case of a driver with Thai nationality, documents certifying residence in a foreign country or occupation abroad or marriage with a foreign spouse or studying abroad, are required.);

3. Temporary vehicle border pass issued by the Department of Land Transport, except the following:

       3.1 Vehicles from countries with road transport agreements, namely Malaysia, Singapore, and Lao PDR;

       3.2 Local vehicles are vehicles from countries without road transport agreements, such as Cambodia and Myanmar, that regularly enter and exit through land border crossings for business such as buying consumer goods, providing medical treatment, education, etc.;

       3.3 Vehicles imported as a cooperation between the Thai government and the government of that country.

Customs clearance procedures

1. The driver brings the vehicle intended for temporary importation together with documents to the customs officer at the land border checkpoint for the officer to inspect;

2. The custom officer checks the vehicle and the passengers' baggage. When completed, the officer will record and issue a simplified customs declaration form and give it to the driver to keep as evidence;
3. The driver must re-export the vehicle within the specified period. When the driver returns to the land border checkpoint (whether or not it is at the same border point where the vehicle was taken out), the vehicle, together with the simplified customs declaration form given by the customs officer, must be presented to the customs officer for inspection;

4. When the customs officer has inspected the vehicle and documents, if it is found that the vehicle to be re-exported matches the details in the simplified customs declaration form and the time does not exceed the specified period, the officer will allow the vehicle to pass through the border, but if it is found that the driver fails to re-export the vehicle within the time-limit, the customs officer will impose a fine of 1,000 baht per bill or take legal action if it is found that the re-imported vehicle is not in accordance with the information on the simplified customs declaration form. 

Remark: The time-limit depends on international agreements to determine which countries’ passport holders will be allowed to stay in which countries for how long.

Remark: “How long can I stay in the Kingdom?” It depends on the conditions for how long the Immigration Office will consider granting permission to a passenger holding a passport of any nationality.

Information as of 20 March 2020

Source: Aranyaprathet Customs House

Tel. +66 3723 0313