Great organization!
When we traveled from Laos to Thailand via Chiang Khong back in December 2019, everything went perfectly well. Our guide brought all the documents and permits to the border and a short time later we were in Chiang Rai. Great organization and handling, very professional and recommended!
Thanks Tibetmoto!
Good advice and planning before the trip. Our guide took care of the bureaucratic hurdles upon entry and we were able to comfortably watch the chaos at the border. 5 stars for price, organization and suggested route.
Great Tour!
Wonderful Thailand Overland trip through 24 provinces. From Vientiane (Nong Khai) to Bangkok and on to Malaysia (Wang Prachan), everything worked out wonderfully. Great advice and price, highly recommended.
Thailand Overland Tours – What is the process like?
An Overland tour can be associated with a lot of hardship and inconvenience. The application procedure often takes a lot of time and nerves. With our help, you are guaranteed to enjoy your overland journey without having to worry. We support you throughout the process – and that starts with planning and preparation! You can either choose one of our suggested Thailand overland tours routes or we will work with you to create your desired route. The earlier you start planning, the more relaxed the pre-travel time will be.
One thing is certain – your travel route must be fixed after we collect your documents and before we apply for all necessary permits from the relevant authorities After the successful Overland transit application and once we receive the “go ahead” from customs and the traffic authority for the Thai provinces your journey takes you through, we get in touch and give you the final confirmation. Therefore, it is very important to prepare and plan the route for your Overland trip beforehand.
For your tour, an experienced guide is at your side. Note that any Overland tour through Thailand cannot be booked and done without a guide who holds an official guide license. At present a transit without a guide is legally not possible. Hotels can also optionally be booked through us.
But what does an Overland tour look like? How does the registration of the vehicle work?
Procedure for a Thailand Overland tour and the approval of foreign vehicles
Due to the increasing number of foreign vehicles in Thailand, the Ministry of Land Transport has established an application process for vehicles that are registered abroad and want to drive through Thailand: Before entering Thailand, a permit for foreign vehicles must be applied for. The application can only be made by a licensed tour operator. After filing the application, officials will review the relevant documents, including vehicle registration, car insurance, and driver’s license, before granting approval and issuing the Thai license plate. After successful application you can start your Overland trip through Thailand and drive through the approved provinces, for a maximum of 30 days.
In order to be able to use your foreign vehicle without Thai registration, you should consider the following points:
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Only drive your vehicle within permitted provinces. At present it is possible to apply for a transit through all of Thailand´s 73 provinces.
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The maximum validity of the permit / license plate is 30 days.
1. Every beginning is difficult – but not with us!
First you will receive a form from us by email, which you have to fill out. You can conveniently scan the documents required for the approval of the temporary Thai license plate and upload it to a cloud service that we provide or submit by email. We have a lead time of 4 weeks for an application.
We need the following documents / scans to apply for your vehicle:
- ID card
- Vehicle registration
- Driving license & international driving license
- Vehicle inspection document
- Car insurance
- Proof of details of the trip or the itinerary in consultation with us
2. More formalities: vehicle inspection
You have all the documents together – then we can start. We will arrange your application smoothly.
It is important that all your documents are valid for your travel period and that you have no records of any criminal offenses in Thailand. We make sure that all your data is transmitted correctly.
We will translate your documents for the vehicle registration application and forward them to the Thai Foreign Vehicle Transportation Office.
The officers will review the submitted application and inform us of the result by email. If we get the permit, we will contact you and nothing stands in the way of your Overland trip.
3. Thailand – here we come!
Now your Thailand Overland tour can start. You reach the Thai border with your own vehicle and our guide is waiting for you at the border crossing on the Thai side of the border with the permits. He already has all the necessary papers with him (apart from your originals, which of course you carry with you) and submits them together with you on site.
4. Border crossing – olé!
Next are customs and immigration procedures. Our guide will do this for you and handles all permits and relevant papers for a trouble-free customs clearance while you go through immigration. Our guide takes over the entire communication.
5. Rest – we have everything under “control”
In order for your vehicle to be considered generally roadworthy, your vehicle must now undergo an inspection at the traffic administration near the border. This takes a short period of time. Our guide is by your side and clarifies any questions that may arise. The temporary Thai license plate will then be issued and our guide will give you all the relevant documents. The printed temporary Thai license plate must always be clearly visible on the vehicle.
6. Sawadee and Welcome to Thailand!
You did it, the entry procedure is complete! Our team and your guide will reliably support you with your further journey. Now you have the opportunity to download the FVP (Foreign Vehicle Permit System) app onto your smartphone, which can support foreign vehicle drivers during their trip through Thailand. Our team has the bureaucracy firmly under control – from the FVP registration process to the border crossing, from the customs entry procedure to departure.
My own Overland Tour!
Great service, everything was perfect, 100%!
Everything was great!
Immigration, customs and logistics were smooth including shipping my Toyota Land Cruiser J70 from Bangkok to Hamburg by container sea freight. Recommended!
Great organization!
5 stars for planning, advice and the super helpful tour guide Arthit. Whithout him I would not have made it so easily after an engine failure of my 1200 GS. Everything went perfectly.
Included Services for all Thailand Overland tours and transits/Temporary import of a foreign registered vehicle:
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Temporary Thai license plate
- Vehicle insurance
- Customs clearance at entry and exit borders
- All official translations
- English speaking and licensed tour guide
- Meals and accommodation for the tour guide
- Trips from/to entry and exit borders for the tour guide
- Optional service/support vehicle
- Individual travel and route advice
- Tibetmoto Service: Customer support during your trip from Monday-Sunday 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Thai time
Questions & Answers
In Thailand, tourists as well as Thais are allowed to camp in certain places or spend the night outdoors. This is the case, for example, in national parks, which by the way is also a very popular weekend activity for Thais, as well as on private or state campsites. In addition, camping is allowed wherever the landowner or village head allows it, for example in fields, rice terraces, plantations, villages or farms.
To organize your tour and apply for all necessary permits, we need scans or high-resolution photos of your national driving license, your international driving license, your passport (data sheet), you national vehicle registration, the last vehicle inspection certificate and a passport style photo.
All our itineraries give you a good overview what you will experience and discover when booking with tibetmoto. The itineraries are nevertheless best understood if they are seen as a suggestion rather than as a 100% planned and a thousand times done way of traveling. We like to keep every tour, every adventure, every trip unique and special. We are proud to say that we have never done a trip two times exactly the same way. Our team does not like to offer mainstream tourism tours, and we believe that people enjoy their time best when they have freedom and possibilities to choose from. Freedom and flexibility are very good ingredients to cook an exceptional discovery or adventure, to meet unusual people and visit off-the-beaten-track places.
American Express, Visa and Master Card are widely used in Thailand. Cash is only accepted in baht (Thai currency). However, it is relatively easy to change euros or US dollars at a exchange point in the larger tourist areas in Thai Baht.
Most European nationalities do not require a visa to visit Thailand and receive a visa-free stay of up to 30 days upon arrival in Thailand.