Vehicle registration rules relaxed for flood-hit southern motorists
Thailand’s Transport Ministry has instructed the Department of Land Transport (DLT) to relax documentation requirements for motorists in the south who lost or damaged their licence plates or vehicle registration documents due to recent flooding.
Affected individuals will not need to present the original registration book or ID card to request replacements.
The announcement was made yesterday, December 5, by Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, alongside Deputy Transport Minister Mallika Chirawongwanich. The policy aims to alleviate the hardships caused by the southern floods, especially in cases where vehicles are essential for daily travel and recovery.
According to DLT Director-General Sorapong Paitoonpong, vehicle owners whose registration plates, tax stickers (circular discs), or registration books were damaged or lost in the floods can now request replacements with less stringent paperwork.
If the registration book has been lost, an individual who legally owns the vehicle can simply present their national ID card at the transport office in the area where the vehicle is registered.
In cases where the vehicle is financed, and the owner does not have direct possession of the registration book, they may still request a copy of the registration data using just their ID card at any transport office nationwide.
For those who need to replace a damaged or lost licence plate or tax disc, the DLT will accept a copy of the registration book if available. If that is not possible, an ID card will suffice. Damaged licence plates or stickers must be returned when collecting the new ones.
If the items were lost or destroyed, vehicle owners may either file a statement with the transport registrar or submit a police report to verify the loss.
If someone else is acting on the owner’s behalf, a written power of attorney is required, along with ID documents from both the owner and the representative.
For replacement requests filed outside the province of vehicle registration, the new licence plate or tax disc must be collected at the same office where the application was submitted.
In Songkhla province, affected motorists can access this service immediately until February 25, 2026. In other provinces, assistance is available within 60 days from the date the area is officially declared a disaster zone.
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