In Cars, International News / By Graham Chin / 16 March 2016 6:50 pm / 14 comments

To control the rush of foreign vehicles, tourists will be banned from driving motorcycles and motorhomes into Thailand, the Bangkok Post reports. However, the ban will not apply to vehicles from Laos, Malaysia and Singapore, as these countries have a pact on international car usage.

With that, vehicles from countries such as China, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam will be prohibited from entering, if no prior agreements or permission of car usage have been arranged from abroad. The ban is meant to enforce order as foreign vehicles tend to cause frequent accidents and ecological harm, according to Thailand’s Land Transport Department chief Sanit Phromwong.

Permission must be requested via Thai tourism operators, 10 days before the intended travel. After that, transport officials overseeing provinces will decide as to whether a “foreign card,” which costs 1,000 baht (RM118), is to be issued or not. Upon approval and issuance of the card, motorists are required to display it inside their vehicles.

The new order stipulates that foreign vehicles are only permitted to travel within a province in which they entered from. The travel duration is limited to 30 days for each trip, and the total permitted period cannot exceed 60 days in one year, according to Sanit. Only vehicles with nine seats (or fewer) and pick-up trucks with a max weight of 3,500 kg will be allowed entry.

Meanwhile, to regulate foreign vehicles more strictly, the department will share information with other state agencies. This is so that custom officials can keep tabs on overstays. Should a vehicle be caught overstaying, transport officials will record this for future consideration as to whether the vehicle in question be allowed re-entry into Thailand.