Hi guys,

There's plenty of people riding Europe to Asia, but what if I fly from Europe, land in SE Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos), and buy a motorcycle there to explore the region?

I've done the Mae Hong Son loop, rode in the Philippines, etc.

I don't want to rent. I want to do this for an extended time and would rather own my own.

Would it be possible to do this, as a tourist?

Or do I need a local to buy a bike (and register and insure). Would it even be possible to cross borders that way?

Insights welcome!

You mention SE-Asia and want to know rules about buying and owning a bike there as a foreigner.

First of all you have to know that SE-Asia is not a country - its several countries. Actually its 11 different countries in SE-Asia and all have different rules according to your questsion. So as you might understand there is no simple answer to this….

I will try to mention what I know about this….

1. Thailand - yes a foreigner can buy and own a motorbike in Thailand. The most important is to get a sertificate of recidency as you will need this document to register a bike in your name. This document can be a PITA to get sometimes but I have heard if you buy a brand new bike the dealer sometimes can help with that.
Then you will have to wait for plates. This can in some provinces take several months, in other provinces just a few days. You just have to ask locally to get info about this. You cannot cross international borders before you get plates on the bike. And from what I have heard you shouldnt take the bike outside the province its registrated in before you get the plates - although I dont think this is very important (unless your in an accident…)
You need also to pay a yearly tax and basic insurance to get it plated and legal. If a bike is 5 years old or more it needs to get a yearly inspection.

A thai plated bike can easily be taken into Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia. Vietnam demands a guide and permits for a thai plated bike which is expensive. A very few thai plated bikes have managed to get into Vietnam without guide and permits - but its definetively not the rule. Myanmar demands guides and permits for all foreign bikes. Indonesia demands a Carnet for foreign bikes and I dont know where to get a Carnet for a thai plated bike.

And this is only the rules for Thailand - and I do own a bike in Thailand so I know a bit about it…

2. Laos - I dont know the rules for

3. Myanmar - my guess is if you have a recidency you will be able to buy a bike there - if not its not possible to do it legally.
And remember any foreign vehicle travelling in Myanmar will need guides and permits…

4. Vietnam - heaps of backpackers buy cheap motos in Vietnam and also cross the borders to Laos and Cambodia with them - so that should definetivwly be possible to own a bike there. From my understanding you simple get the ownership document with you when you buy the bike and as such there isnt a problem owning a bike there. I have no personal experience about this however….
Crossing borders to Laos and Cambodia isnt any problem with a vietnam plated bike - but for Thailand a vietnamese plated bike need guides and permits.

5. Cambodia - I really dont know

6. Malaysia - it is possible to buy a motorbike in Malaysia as a foreigner. I have read detailed reports about it, just dont remember where.

7. Indonesia - from my understanding its possible the same way its possible in Vietnam. You buy a bike and by that you also get the ownership document of the bike. And as such you can ride it where you want. Dont know about bordercrossings with it, but then again Indonesia dont have many landborders with other countries, only East Timor and Malaysia on the Borneo island (called Kalimantan in Indonesia)

8. East Timor - I have no idea

9. Singapore - I have no idea

10. Brunei - I have no idea

11. The Philippines - I am not sure if a foreigner on a tourist visa can buy and register a bike there. Expats with long term visas can definetively buy a bike there - but the registration process can be very very time consuming. I have read several complaints about this on different forums…

Hopefully others with more detailed info about these countries can chime in and share info….

To sum it up - SE-Asia are 11 different countries - thus 11 different set of rules. And add to this that in many of these countries law enforcement isnt always consistant - to speak mildly - it can be a challenge to buy a vehicle and travel with it legally. As always - expect the unexpected ans smile…

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Thanks for the helpful reply.

Reading all this, I was just looking for the country with the easiest registration process that allows me to buy a vehicle to travel anywhere in the region.

I've never seen European plated bikes there. Would it be a waste of time and money to get a bike in Europe, ship it over, and use it there for an extended time? Or would I need many permits/carnets/headaches for all the countries?

Again, thank you for your reply, you have a wealth of knowledge.

Personally I would never ship a european plated bike to a country in SE-Asia and have it placed there. For the none carnet countries you will get a 30 day TIP. After that the bike would have to leave the country. Or at least get it to the nearest Customs office and try to renew the TIP another 30 days. It would of course be possible if you stay in the country the whole time but still a PITA to every 30 day travel to a Customs office and beg for a renewing of the TIP.

I had my norwegian plated bike in Thailand for quite some time back in 2014-2015. I tried to get the TIP renewed several times, in Chiang Mai they did it a bit reluctantly, in Udon Thani NO! Absolutely no! In Ranong - they were very happy to renew my TIP. But you get the point - its not worth it.

Buy a bike in the country you plan to spend most of your time. In Thailand its possible - it just takes some time. In Malaysia too. Also Vietnam and Indonesia its possible.

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

The information provided by snakeboy is comprehensive enough.

I'll share some info:
Brunei - it's a very small country and sandwiched between the states of Sabah & Sarawak, Malaysia on the island of Borneo.
I have never heard of anyone attempting to buy a motorcycle there. You would have better luck buying it in Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah or Sarawak)
To be honest there is nothing much to see in Brunei.

If you decide to buy a bike in South East Asia, Thailand looks like the better choice.
When I was touring in Vietnam in November 2022, I did not see any foreign plated bike.

I bought a bike in Thailand although it was about eight years ago so pre covid, plus there's been lots of changes since then.
I think the type of visa you have will either help or hinder the situation. The old multiple entry 12/15 month visa is no longer available (or very difficult to obtain) and that's what I had. My friendly guesthouse in Chiang Mai were happy to write a letter confirming I was living there and I bought a brand new CBR150 from a local shop. It was fairly straightforward and all the paperwork was sorted quickly, I think I might have had to wait a week or two for the plates to arrive.

I rode all over northern Thailand then sold the bike to the same shop two months later; I think the difference in re-sale was about £300 sterling so about £5 / day.

I'd be interested to hear of your experience.

you dont need driver license or insurance to buy vehicle in indonesia the only thing you have to wait about 10 days to get plate and registration and about a month to get title. you can used hotel address then you free to go. to buy carnete for 20 pages is rp 2.500.000 is less than 8.60 usd /pages or 40 pages rp 4.500.000 less than 7,75 usd/pages and you good to go. and valid for 1 year and free renewal for i year.

you dont need driver license or insurance to buy vehicle in indonesia the only thing you have to wait about 10 days to get plate and registration and about a month to get title. you can used hotel address then you free to go. to buy carnete for 20 pages is rp 2.500.000 is less than 8.60 usd /pages or 40 pages rp 4.500.000 less than 7,75 usd/pages and you good to go. and valid for 1 year and free renewal for i year. oh yeah...you have to put 25% from the value of vehicle then you get it back when the vehicle is in indonesia.

Thanks for information Fahmi Bayacob, much appriciated! I guess your write-up is about buying a new vehicle? Would it be any different buying a second hand vehicle?

You mentioned Carnet - I guess you mean a regular Carnet de Passage - as for international border crossings to countries that demands a Carnet?

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

Buying a new motorbike and getting it registered in your name is not a problem in Cambodia. I did it in 2016 and the shop where I bought it (in Phnom Penh) took care of everything.

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