Thai drivers license

[Burgos123]

I normally rent at motobike when in Patts but I only have a danish license for a car so I have been getting tickets when stopped by the police.

Last time a Scottish guy told me that he had a Thai license and that I could get one fairly easy. Now I am getting ready to leave for Patts again in a month and I have been trying to find information about getting this license, but it seems like it is not possible to get on a tourist visa. 

Is it possible?

 

[FTS]

Legally it is not possible , with some donations it is. Though expect donating larger than normal because of latest visa crack down

[furryman]

Legally it is not possible , with some donations it is. Though expect donating larger than normal because of latest visa crack down

Wrong across the board. Easily done in Pattaya. You do need to have a visa though as I understand it. An entry visa waiver won't work, but an actual tourist visa is fine.

 

1 Get some sort of paper from the place you are staying saying you are renting there for a month or more.

 

2 Take that paper to immigration in Jomtien and use it to get a residency certificate. Go to the visa place inside the parking lot of the immigration office. They will fill out the forms for you, take pictures, all you need for about 100 baht. May be worth getting 2 as they are sometimes asked for when you want to open a bank account.

 

3 Stop in at a clinic, any clinic, and get a medical certificate, Cost about 100 baht. You may or may not even see a Doctor. Pretty much, if you can walk in and ask for the certificate, you are healthy enough to get one.

 

4 get copies of you passport, entry card and visa stamp.

 

5 Adventures at the land transport office. The last step can take as little as a half a day, or stretch out over some days if you don't work it right. The best deal is if you have a license with a motorcycle endorsement from your home country. That will let you skip the practical test, AKA the obstacle course.

 

Best way IMO, is to just get up early one day get out there and get it done in one shot.

 

You have to watch a film about thai road rules and then take a multiple choice test on a computer afterwards. They show the film only 2 times a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. You have to get there in time to get into the morning or afternoon 'class' of people watching the film and taking the test. There is a book you can study before the test as well, but they keep it tucked away and you have to ask for it. Skimming through the book was well worth it IME, I pretty much aced it.

 

Once you have passed the theory test you can move on to the practical test. IIRC it is only given once a day, starting about 1 pm. If you can run through the course without any problems, you go back inside, pay a few hundred baht, get your picture taken, and a few minutes later you have your license in hand. 

[HansB]

Hi Burgos123,

 

if you are still in denmark, you should ask for an international driving licence, the european regulations have a licence A1 included if you don´t have a motorbike licence. A1 means you can drive motorbikes up to 125cc (enough for Thailand). Maybe you can print out a paper like this one http://www.tuev-sued.de/driving_license/driving_test/vehicle_categories_for_driving_tests_in_germany which explains the symbols. I know that some land-transport offices were thinking the pictogram means a lincence for bicyle.

With the international driving licence you are allowed to drive in thailand for 3 months. You can also change it to a 1 year thai-driving licence. Therefore you need a residence certificat from the immigration, a fit for drive certificat from a clinic, and you have to do some simple colour test. Cost 210THB plus Clinic.

 

But please i am not shure if you can get a residence certificat on a touist visa. In Bangkok and immigrations up country i will not work.

 

I hope this helps

 

Hans B.

 

[pattayagolf]

you can absolutely get a residence certificate on a tourist visa

[Regulator]

How about with a 30 day entry visa waiver?

 

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[furryman]

How about with a 30 day entry visa waiver?

 

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk

Pretty sure you cannot on an entry waiver. Positive you CAN get a Res. Cert. while here on a tourist visa.

 

If the trip is still a bit in the future, a real tourist visa should still be easy to get before you leave.

[lanzalad]

my friend got his licence on a 30 day stamp in pattaya no problems and i helped him do the paperwork now i'm going to get BM's say over wise but try it first and let us know the result and put all this doubt to rest....

 

I know he did it in a 30 day stamp as he was here for only 30 days then decided to stay another month so he booked the visa run with 5 star visa after getting the stamp he got the residence certificate on a the 30 stamp without any tourist visa in his passport.

 

Then he headed up to the transport office the next day in the morning and did the eye test, response test, and depth of field tests.

Later that afternoon he can around to my place with both car and bike licences.

 

Other provinces may not be the same as pattaya but it can still be done here on the 30 day stamp

[furryman]

my friend got his licence on a 30 day stamp in pattaya no problems and i helped him do the paperwork now i'm going to get BM's say over wise but try it first and let us know the result and put all this doubt to rest....

 

I know he did it in a 30 day stamp as he was here for only 30 days then decided to stay another month so he booked the visa run with 5 star visa after getting the stamp he got the residence certificate on a the 30 stamp without any tourist visa in his passport.

 

Then he headed up to the transport office the next day in the morning and did the eye test, response test, and depth of field tests.

Later that afternoon he can around to my place with both car and bike licences.

 

Other provinces may not be the same as pattaya but it can still be done here on the 30 day stamp

Cool! I had never heard of one done on the entry stamp, and I heard 'around' that it could not be done on an entry stamp. I'll take personal experience over what I hear 'around' anytime.

 

Still easy to get a visa before you leave.

[lanzalad]

Cool! I had never heard of one done on the entry stamp, and I heard 'around' that it could not be done on an entry stamp. I'll take personal experience over what I hear 'around' anytime.

 

Still easy to get a visa before you leave.

 

im not sure about visa's and getting them here or in your country but you will need a letter from where you are staying or your blue book if you have a condo and your name needs to be on the inside on the first page in thai.

 

if you book a hotel get them to type out a later saying your are staying there while in Thailand with it saying your paid up.

 

Then you need a letter from a doctor to say your in good health, i got mine and my friend got his over the road from Sugar Sugar on soi buakhaw

 

Then down the road is the kodak shop that will copy your passport, do your photos, you will need to wear a shirt for the photo's so your covering your arms. no vest.

 

-------

 

And like you said personal experience, i guess its that what counts

[lordarunotai]

IDP in the UK costs around £5.00. ( 250 - 300bt), (not sure about Denmark). Easy and quick to obtain. To me If you are only staying a short time in Pattaya by far the cheapest and easiest solution.

Firstly to obtain a residence certificate, you will need to go to immigration take photographs with you, copy passport etc fill in the form then wait to file your application, waits can be lengthy at busy times.

Next day, you will have to return to Immigration, queue again to collect residence certificate. Cost around 200bt

You will need a medical certificate from a clinic, usually a worthless piece of paper with no input from a doctor price varies clinic to clinic expect 50 - 200bt

Then you will need to go to the land transport office which is quite a distance from Pattaya and not the easiest place to find, if all your documentation is in order expect to spend up to half a day to obtain Thai licence.

If your documentation is not 100%, come back tomorrow. I forget the cost of the licence, but was a few hundred baht.

In short, much easier and cheaper to stick with IDP,  First Thai licence you obtain is only valid for 1 year same as an IDP, then you have to go through all the above again to get a 5 year licence.

Don't forget you will also need your Danish licence together with IDP if you are stopped by police.

[Burgos123]

Thanks for all the info.

I am not sure the IDP is an option for me as I dont think they will tick A1 when I only got license for car. In Denmark you're only allowed to drive up to 50cc on that license.

 

Last trip I set up a bank account so I have some papers with my name and an address. Is that good enough for obtaining a residence certificate?

[furryman]

Thanks for all the info.

I am not sure the IDP is an option for me as I dont think they will tick A1 when I only got license for car. In Denmark you're only allowed to drive up to 50cc on that license.

 

Last trip I set up a bank account so I have some papers with my name and an address. Is that good enough for obtaining a residence certificate?

You will need new papers I am pretty sure. They like those Res Certs to be fairly recent.

 

IDP wont help you if your home license does not have a motorbike listed, and the pattaya cops are pretty clued in on that.

 

Some other advantages come with having a Thai DL. For one thing, most of the time, if you get stopped in some checkpoint, showing that DL is about all you need. It will also get you the Thai admission price for National Parks, museums and lots of tourist places that have one price for Thai admission and one price for tourists.

[splitpin]

Things are not as easy as they used to be, let us know how you get on. New harder test started 1st June

 

 

BANGKOK:-- The Department of Land Transport (DLT) has announced the start of a strict new testing and examination process for obtaining a driving license in Thailand.

 

The new, more stringent tests will be effective nationwide from 1st June 2014 and are in response to urgent calls for Thailand to improve its appalling road safety record.

 

The key points to the new driving tests will see an increase in the number of training hours for learner drivers from 4 hours to 12 hours or more under the new proposals.

 

New drivers will also have to get to grips with a more thorough and comprehensive driving curriculum that will include 4 hours and intense lectures, as well as a written examination on driving theory consisting of 50 questions.

 

In order to pass the written examination, drivers will need to obtain a score of at least 90% or answer 45 questions out the 50 correctly. This is compared to the current driving examination test that includes 30 questions, with a passing grade of 75%.

 

The new tests will be mandatory for all new drivers in Thailand. Any driver who wishes to renew their 5 year Thai driving license will also need to attend a one hour ‘refresher’ lecture in order to bring them up to speed with the new curriculum. Drivers who are applying for a 5 year license for the first time will not need to take this class.

 

The Department of Land Transport believes that the new test will bring driving in Thailand to that of international driving standards, making drivers pay more attention when driving and therefore reducing the number of accidents on Thailand’s roads.

 

A spokesperson for the DLT also went on to confirm that it plans to expand the number of driver training centres nationwide in order to accommodate the increase in training and studying time and that the DLT is actively seeking new trainers to help teach the revised driving curriculum.

[FTS]

Wrong across the board. Easily done in Pattaya. You do need to have a visa though as I understand it. An entry visa waiver won't work, but an actual tourist visa is fine.

 

1 Get some sort of paper from the place you are staying saying you are renting there for a month or more.

 

2 Take that paper to immigration in Jomtien and use it to get a residency certificate. Go to the visa place inside the parking lot of the immigration office. They will fill out the forms for you, take pictures, all you need for about 100 baht. May be worth getting 2 as they are sometimes asked for when you want to open a bank account.

 

3 Stop in at a clinic, any clinic, and get a medical certificate, Cost about 100 baht. You may or may not even see a Doctor. Pretty much, if you can walk in and ask for the certificate, you are healthy enough to get one.

 

4 get copies of you passport, entry card and visa stamp.

 

5 Adventures at the land transport office. The last step can take as little as a half a day, or stretch out over some days if you don't work it right. The best deal is if you have a license with a motorcycle endorsement from your home country. That will let you skip the practical test, AKA the obstacle course.

 

Best way IMO, is to just get up early one day get out there and get it done in one shot.

 

You have to watch a film about thai road rules and then take a multiple choice test on a computer afterwards. They show the film only 2 times a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. You have to get there in time to get into the morning or afternoon 'class' of people watching the film and taking the test. There is a book you can study before the test as well, but they keep it tucked away and you have to ask for it. Skimming through the book was well worth it IME, I pretty much aced it.

 

Once you have passed the theory test you can move on to the practical test. IIRC it is only given once a day, starting about 1 pm. If you can run through the course without any problems, you go back inside, pay a few hundred baht, get your picture taken, and a few minutes later you have your license in hand. 

 

 

Perfect example of someone giving out wrong information and having little to no knowledge at all.

 

Qualifying requirements:•Being of sound mind and good health (not having physical or mental handicap(s) that will prevent them from operating a vehicle safely) - being at least 18 years of age•If the applicant is not Thai national, the applicant must hold a valid Non-Immigrant Visa (tourists can not apply).What you will need when applying for your Thai driver’s license:•If you cannot read and / nor understand the Thai language, you are allowed to bring a interpreter to fill the forms and translate the possible instruction class and tests.•Valid Passport with Valid Non-immigrant Visa  http://www.thaiconsulatemiami.com/driving.html

 

Secondly if one does have valid visa, and licence from home country, there is no watching video or theory tests or driving tests. There are a few silly tests to pass for colorblindness and another 2 or 3.

[losworld]

Cool! I had never heard of one done on the entry stamp, and I heard 'around' that it could not be done on an entry stamp. I'll take personal experience over what I hear 'around' anytime.

 

Still easy to get a visa before you leave.

 

I think the key is the residency certificate. If they give it to you with a 30 day visa you might be good to go.  I would advise this step first then once obtained go for the med certificate.  You will need two med certificates if appying for motorbike and car license which I would advise.

[splitpin]

Perfect example of someone giving out wrong information and having little to no knowledge at all.

 

Qualifying requirements:•Being of sound mind and good health (not having physical or mental handicap(s) that will prevent them from operating a vehicle safely) - being at least 18 years of age•If the applicant is not Thai national, the applicant must hold a valid Non-Immigrant Visa (tourists can not apply).What you will need when applying for your Thai driver’s license:•If you cannot read and / nor understand the Thai language, you are allowed to bring a interpreter to fill the forms and translate the possible instruction class and tests.•Valid Passport with Valid Non-immigrant Visa  http://www.thaiconsulatemiami.com/driving.html

 

Secondly if one does have valid visa, and licence from home country, there is no watching video or theory tests or driving tests. There are a few silly tests to pass for colorblindness and another 2 or 3.

 

 

Might not be so easy now, new regulations from the 1st June, we need someone to report that has been recently

[furryman]

Perfect example of someone giving out wrong information and having little to no knowledge at all.

 

Qualifying requirements:•Being of sound mind and good health (not having physical or mental handicap(s) that will prevent them from operating a vehicle safely) - being at least 18 years of age•If the applicant is not Thai national, the applicant must hold a valid Non-Immigrant Visa (tourists can not apply).What you will need when applying for your Thai driver’s license:•If you cannot read and / nor understand the Thai language, you are allowed to bring a interpreter to fill the forms and translate the possible instruction class and tests.•Valid Passport with Valid Non-immigrant Visa  http://www.thaiconsulatemiami.com/driving.html

 

Secondly if one does have valid visa, and licence from home country, there is no watching video or theory tests or driving tests. There are a few silly tests to pass for colorblindness and another 2 or 3.

I got my DL here on a tourist visa, and renewed it twice on a tourist visa. You cannot get the 5 year perm license on a tourist visa, which is why I have had to renew 3 times. This last renewal, I was on an ED visa, so I was able to get my 5 year DL. I know many others who have gotten a DL while on a TV.

 

Is it that surprising that the guy doing the english language website for the Miami consulate might not be up to date on what is going on at the land transport office back in Thailand? 

[furryman]

Might not be so easy now, new regulations from the 1st June, we need someone to report that has been recently

I have a friend who just got his a few weeks ago, he took his theory test, and passed it, just after the new test went into place. June 3rd or 4th IIRC. He had not heard about it changing until after. From what I read its that they increased the pool of questions the computer can randomly choose from, and increased the % score you need to pass. Nothing to do with visas.

[lanzalad]

I got my DL here on a tourist visa, and renewed it twice on a tourist visa. You cannot get the 5 year perm license on a tourist visa, which is why I have had to renew 3 times. This last renewal, I was on an ED visa, so I was able to get my 5 year DL. I know many others who have gotten a DL while on a TV.

 

Is it that surprising that the guy doing the english language website for the Miami consulate might not be up to date on what is going on at the land transport office back in Thailand? 

 

There's only been a few changes over the last few years and i got my 5 year on a 30 day stamp but the only thing that i know about is you can still get a new 1 year on the 30 day stamp.

 

The full test has changed over the last month and its more intense that before on a licence exchange for a thai licence you only have to sit longer in the class room and listen to someone talk thai.

 

now if your doing the full test its now test over 2 days and the multiple choice has gone up to 50 questions.

[petermik]

I,m applying for my car and bike licence this week and I will report what I find-I hold an International Driving Permit plus my UK Driving Licence which clearly shows I am qualified to drive both p.s. I,m on a retirement visa

[Burgos123]

I was really counting on the 5 year extension and if that is not possible on a tourist visa I am not sure it is worth the trouble!

[altec123]

Secondly if one does have valid visa, and licence from home country, there is no watching video or theory tests or driving tests. There are a few silly tests to pass for colorblindness and another 2 or 3.

Not true.  If your driving license in your country does not specifically say car or motorcycle on it they will make you take the written and practical tests.  I know from first hand experience because my US (Virginia) license did not specifically say car, automobile or motorcycle and I had to take both tests.

[furryman]

I was really counting on the 5 year extension and if that is not possible on a tourist visa I am not sure it is worth the trouble!

You have to get the 1 year license first before you can get the 5 year. The renewal window is pretty wide for the 1 year as well. I think my first one was at least 2 months expired when I renewed it the first time. It is a lot tighter with the 5 year, only a 30 day window at the end. If you let that one expire you have to start over with the tests in order to renew. A string of one year DLs would almost make more sense for the serial traveler who may or may not be around for that 30 day window.

 

If you are only here a couple weeks a year it might not be worth the time for you to do it at all, but keep in mind most travel insurance providers will not pay out if you are in an accident while driving illegally. 

 

For me, I was here for 40 days and had a bike rented, I figured it was worth spending some daylight hours getting it done in order to avoid tickets and ensure Accident coverage if the worst happened. Getting it the first time was a little bit of a hassle but once its done it feels great having it.

 

And FWIW here is a link to the location of the LTO.

[Chubzilla]

I was really counting on the 5 year extension and if that is not possible on a tourist visa I am not sure it is worth the trouble!

 

Yes, definitely not possible, I tried it two weeks ago... my 1 year licence expired and was hoping to get a 5 year, but with only a tourist 30 day stamp they said no and I had to settle for another 1 year licence. 

From my personal experience, you must have a long term visa to get the 5 year, in Pattaya anyway, I'm not sure about anywhere else.