Pinky's Experience Crossing Over Malaysia - Thailand

Okay, this is one experience I have to write in this blog.It is about how I brought my little dear cute car, "Pinky" to cross over the Malaysia - Thailand boarder the other day - Pinky's longest journey ever. I hope to share this experience in case there are others who wish to also bring their car to cross over, but found the lack of information at the boarder on what to do and how to do it.

I have been to Thailand quite a number of times, but never with our own car. We normally either fly to Hat Yai or Mr D's Thai business partner will wait for us at the boarder. This is the first time we thought of driving ourselves to Southern Thailand because Mr D wanted to have a little freedom going around as he has a number of things to settle for his business. Pinky was chosen because of its small size, with the hope to make it easier for us to park in the crowded Hat Yai.

We drove from Subang Jaya, but stopped by at Penang for the night before crossing over from Bukit Kayu Hitam to Sadao the next day. We started our journey from Penang at about 8am, but managed to cross over to Sadao only at about 12pm, though the journey from Penang to Bukit Kayu Hitam took less than 2 hours. The delay was due to the difficulty we faced with regards to Pinky. 

For those thinking of crossing over, below are what you need to do in order to be allowed to cross over with your car :

1.  Don't forget to bring your car's ownership paper. It will be needed at the boarder. Without the car ownership paper, you won't be able to cross over with the car. And the car should be either under your name, or with some evidence that you are authorised to drive the car by the legal owner.
2.  Make sure the road tax renewal are updated at the back of the ownership paper. My ownership paper wasn't updated because I renewed the road tax via internet. Luckily the custom officer released it after I explained that to her and showed the road tax pasted on Pinky.
3. Settle our passport / boarder pass at the passport control and then move to the custom with the car ownership paper. The letter as per below will be issued. This will have to be kept and returned back to the custom at the boarder before crossing back to Malaysia later. The next custom officer will check the information before releasing it.
4. We didn't know that we have to buy Thai insurance for the car so we thought it was done. Halfway through the town of Danok, Mr D's business partner called him and ask him how things are. It was then that we know we have to buy the insurance.. so Mr D turned back, and ask around on where to buy the insurance. The insurance can be purchased in Changlun, before we cross over. Or it can be purchased at the premises selling insurance in Danok, right after the boarder. So Mr D purchased a 9 day insurance which was sold at 150 baht (RM15).
5. Upon returning back to Malaysia, the above paper will have to be returned to the Custom after we are done with our passport. The Custom will ask to sign in a book,the signature similar to the one we signed in the above paper. This will be the prove that we already bring our car back to Malaysia.

 The situation was a bit kelam-kabut for us, simply because we didn't know what to do next and didn't know what to expect. There was no instructions displayed (or perhaps there are, but we didn't understand as it was written in Thai) . So if you think of bringing your car in, remember the above ya!