Tax

This Article is part of the Thai Motorcycle Law

Synopsis

1. You must pay the annual tax before the due date.
2. You must attach the tax sticker on your bike where it can be clearly seen.

In Thailand, the tax term of a motor vehicle starts on the first registration day and lasts for one year. Thus, each motor vehicle has its unique tax due date every year.

The annual tax for a motorcycle is 100B, regardless of its engine displacement. You must pay the tax before the due date; Otherwise, you will be charged extra 1% tax in arrears per delayed month. You can pay the tax from three months before the tax due date.

To pay the vehicle tax, you need to bring the registration book to a local Land Transport Office. You also need to bring either the current insurance policy or insurance sticker for presentation. There are five Land Transport Offices in Bangkok (ref. Land Transport Office Map), and each province has at least one such Office. Or you may choose to pay at a post office. Upon payment of tax, you will receive a tax sticker.

• Update: As of September 2004, you need to present a compulsory insurance policy whose expiratory date is NOT before the next tax due date. This usually means that you need to pre-extend the compulsory insurance so that its expiratory date matches the tax due date. You can do this at the Land Traffic Office, if you don't mind extending the compulsory insurance with the government-chosen insurance company.
• Update: As of January 2012, You can now pay your annual vehicle tax by using any of the following Bank channels: Direct Debit cards, credit cards, ATM, Internet banking and over the counter service at banks nationwide. You can pay annual taxes for cars, vans, pick-up trucks, and motorcycles registered in any province in Thailand. Interested vehicle owners can apply for the service at the bank or log in via the Department of Land Transport's website www.dlte-serv.in.th. For questions you can call the Department of Land Transport on 02-272-5498.

From the fifth renewal of the tax sticker for motorcycles (seventh renewal for cars), you must have your motorcycle inspected at an authorized inspection site, and turn in the Certificate of Inspection upon paying the tax (Private Motor Vehicle Inspection).

    Example of Inspection Schedule
    ---
    May 1996 ... registered
    May 1997 ... 1st renewal
    May 1998 ... 2nd renewal
    May 1999 ... 3rd renewal
    May 2000 ... 4th renewal
    May 2001 ... 5th renewal (requires inspection)
    May 2002 ... 6th renewal (requires inspection)
    ....

There are usually several such inspection sites near a Land Transport Office - look for a yellow cogwheel logo (shown on the right).The inspection itself is simple and costs 60B for a motorcycle and 150B for a car. But the whole process of locating a Land Traffic Office and an inspection site in an unfamiliar area can be tedious and time-consuming, especially in Bangkok. An alternative is to ask a motorcycle shop to handle it for you. Some motorcycle shops can take care of renewing your tax sticker, as well as taking care of the mandatory inspection, if you know what I mean, for a fee of 400B - 500B. Or else, the tax sticker renewal can be processed at any Land Traffic Office in any province, regardless of your registered address written in the registration book, so you can take care of it outside Bangkok if it's convenient for you.