Thai Drivers License

[Guest kjun12]

Gaybutton, at one time you had an article on how to obtain a drivers license in Thailand. I cannot find it on this site. Do you still have it?

[Gaybutton]

Gaybutton, at one time you had an article on how to obtain a drivers license in Thailand. I cannot find it on this site. Do you still have it?

I haven't revised the article in quite some time and there have been several changes since the last revision.

 

In a nutshell, you need a medical certificate, which you can get at any hospital or street clinic. If you're moving and breathing, you just passed the physical and you'll be issued the medical certificate.

 

You need a Residence Certificate. You get that at the immigration office. You need a passport photo and something to substantiate where you live in order to get it. Your visa must be a non-immigrant visa. You can't get the license with a tourist visa.

 

You do not need any photos when you go to apply for the license. You used to, but now it's all done with computers and a web cam.

 

It's best if you have an International Driving Permit and your "regular" driving license from back home. With those, you'll be in and out usually in less than an hour, license in hand. You'll take a color blindness test and a reaction time test, possibly along with one or two other absurd tests, but you won't have any trouble passing them.

 

If you don't have those, then you're going to have to sit through the 2-hour movie, all in Thai, and take the written test. Then you'll have to come back in the afternoon and do the driving test on their little obstacle course. If you're going to need to do that, contact me. I'll go out there with you and let you use my car to do the test if you don't have access to another car.

 

If you want a motorcycle license, just offer one of the Thais doing the test (and there will be plenty of them) one or two hundred baht and you won't have any problem finding someone who will let you use his motorcycle to take the test on the very same obstacle course used for the car test.

 

If you want both a car license and a motorcycle license, they're done separately. You can do them on the same day, but you'll need two copies of everything and if I recall correctly, you'll need two residence certificates.

 

If they require copies of anything in addition to what you brought with you, right across the street there are several mom-and-pop shops where you can have copies made.

 

It's all done at the Eastern Verification Center, if you're getting your license in Pattaya. T

To get to the Eastern Verification Center you go north on Sukhumvit Highway, as if you are headed to Bangkok. When you reach the junction of Highway 3 and Route 36, 8 kilometers from Central Road, take Route 36, toward Rayong. You'll see a sign that says "Rayong," with a right-pointing arrow. That's the road you take. 5 kilometers up the road you'll come to a sign that points Bangkok to the left and Rayong to the right. Go to the right. Almost immediately you'll see a large, rather new looking school, The Regent's Academy. Directly in front of the school make a U-turn. Once you pass the school again, take the first left you come to, and just follow the road around.

 

You'll see a large white building on the right side of the road. That's where you are trying to go. You need to go to the second floor.

 

The trick is to get there early. If I were you, I'd plan to be out there no later than 7:15am. Earlier than that is even better. Later than that, you're going to be on a line behind a hell of a lot of applicants. Also, seating for the movie, if you have to sit through it, is limited, which is still another reason to get out there early.

 

If you are going to have to do the practical test, you're either going to have to wait for hours or come back later. They start the practical test at 1:00pm. They take the Thais first and the farangs last.

 

Fortunately, the license is very inexpensive. I don't remember the exact price, but it's about 200 baht.

 

Your first license is good for one year. When you go to renew, your next license and subsequent licenses are good for five years.

 

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

[Guest jtrack33]

I obtained my first "temporary" Thai driving license last year using GB's guidelines. But I did it at Mochit, Bangkok, which is the head office for all such matters. I showed up at about 10:30am(having been refused at my designated residential area office on Rama 2 due to no district shown on my embassy address letter...at Mochit, it is no problem). At Mochit they have a special desk for non-Thai speakers and no queues or waits.

The tests I was required to do was a color blind test(It is helpful if you learn the Thai for Green, Red and Yellow[but Orange, "som", is easier to learn/say] and peripheral vision test which involves looking straight ahead and identifying colors at the side of you. This test can be difficult if you are tall because it requires you to sit on a chair and put your nose against a stop. If you are tall, your eyes are further ahead than they would be for a short person who's head would be more vertical. If your eyes are ahead, then seeing the colored lights at the edge of your perception can be more difficult. If I had to do it again, I would kneel on the floor and hold my head well back and keep my nose back a little from the stop.

If you have an UK or US or any license in English, they do not require the International license. I had one but the lady didn't even look at it nor keep the photo copy I gave her. She was only interested in my UK license.

 

But I have one question for GB: When you change the temporary license for the full/5-year one after the first year, do you need an embassy or immigration address certificate and medical certificate?

[Guest kotter]

I have a question.

I lost my wallet with both Motorcyc and car licence in it. I reported it to the police and have a letter showing what was in the wallet including the two Thai licences. They still have 3 years to run

I want to go and get replacement ones but not sure if they will want me to go through the whole process again. Does anyone have any idea?

[Gaybutton]

But I have one question for GB: When you change the temporary license for the full/5-year one after the first year, do you need an embassy or immigration address certificate and medical certificate?

Yes to both. They want to see that you still are a resident and that you are still fit to drive.

 

I want to go and get replacement ones but not sure if they will want me to go through the whole process again. Does anyone have any idea?

This is a guess on my part, but I believe if you show up with a police report, they'll re-issue your license. They do have your information on computer, so I know of no reason why they would make you repeat the process. Of course, being that this is Thailand, you won't know for sure until you try. Once you find out, please let us know. This is the first time that question has come up.

[Gaybutton]

I would kneel on the floor and hold my head well back and keep my nose back a little

I can also think of other things you can do from that position . . .

[Guest GaySacGuy]

I have a question.

Does anyone have any idea?

I had this very experience about a year ago....wallet stolen/lost. To get the license replaced, you will need the original copy you have of the police report, pay a small fee (100-150 baht..don't remember) and get the new license....but be sure you have the police report!!

[Gaybutton]

I was at the Thai driver's license office just this morning, helping a friend obtain both the car and the motorcycle licenses. The question was asked above whether you need two medical certificates and two residence certificates. The answer is you only need one original or both documents. They do accept a photocopy for the second license. Total cost for both licenses was 360 baht (180 baht if you're getting only one license).

 

It used to be that you went upstairs to a desk on the second floor to have your documents checked and be issued a number to wait your turn to be called. That's changed. Now that desk is right at the entrance door to the building. Once they are satisfied with your documents and give you your number, now you go upstairs and wait to be called. Make sure you have at least two copies each of your passport page, your visa page, your medical certificate, your residence certificate, and your home driving license.

 

I do still urge you to get there early. Although they don't officially open until 8:30am, they start checking documents and issuing the numbers at 8:00am. We arrived at 7:30am. My friend was number 8. 15 minutes later the line extended all the way down the front of the building and was circling around to the back.

 

Despite the fact that my friend was number 8, the whole process still took time. They started taking people at 8:30am. He was issued his licenses at 10:40am. He had all his documents, including a valid International Driving Permit and valid license from his home state, but he still had to take a depth perception test and reaction time test. Other than that it was all hurry up and wait . . . in that miserable heat!

 

 

 

 

[Guest kjun12]

This is my report on a successful adventure for a drivers license in Bangkok. Went to Bangkok Christian Hospital to get a medical certificate. The next day I got to the US embassy at 7 AM. They start to work at 7:30 and close at 2 PM (the lazy bastards). The affidavit of residency cost $30 (outrageous). Then on to the Thai Transportation office. Stood in line 6 minutes to get a number to speak to an agent. As a farang this was quick because they send all of us to the same agent who speaks English. She is easy to work with and very fast. I had to provide copies of my US drivers license, the residency certificate, medical certificate, and my passport. Then on to take the three tests, one for depth perception, reaction time and the third to check peripheral vision. Neither was difficult. Many people were in line to take these tests so it took about 40 minutes. No actual driving test was required. Then back to the agent who issued the drivers license. Actually two of them. One for driving a car and one for a motorbike. Total cost here was 360 baht.

 

The procedure at the Transportation office is much easier if you have someone with you who speaks Thai.

[2lz2p]

The next day I got to the US embassy at 7 AM. They start to work at 7:30 and close at 2 PM (the lazy bastards). The affidavit of residency cost $30 (outrageous).

 

Residency certificate from Pattaya Immigration 200 Baht - provide evidence of residence (house book, rental agreement). copy of passport main page (don't recall if I had to have copies of pages with pertinent stamps) and 200 Baht (first time). To renew one year license to 5 year license, showed current driver license and provided same documentation to Immigration, no charge for the residency letter -- that was about 4 years ago, so don't know if still free for renewal or if fee has gone up for initial (but latest mention of it I have seen, it is still 200 Baht.

[Guest kcampb49]

Thanks to Gaybutton's help, I was able to get my Thai Driver's license last December. At the time I had an International Driver's License, but it didn't have a motorbike endorsement because I had never gotten one in the USA. There was a time (many years ago, no doubt) when California did not require a separate motorbike license for driving a motorcycle under 150cc. That has since changed so I couldn't go back (as I had hoped) to the place that issued my International Driver's License and get a small motorbike endorsement when I returned to California in late January.

 

I don't know how essential it is, but I would also like to get a Thai Motorbike license since I do rent a 115cc bike. I can get psyched for the wait and watching a 2-hour video that I probably won't understand, although I would probably wait until it is not quite so hot, so early, but I'm wondering what to do about the written exam. I assume there is only a Thai version but is there a way for a farang with no Thai language proficiency, who can drive a motorbike, to take this exam? I know that is asking a lot of the Thai government, but still, TIT, so has anyone done this?

[Gaybutton]

is there a way for a farang with no Thai language proficiency, who can drive a motorbike, to take this exam?

I'm not certain about that, but I do know that most farang who have sat through the movie had no trouble passing the test.

 

Don't forget, on the strength of your Thai car license you might not have to sit through the movie anyway.

[Guest kjun12]

Don't forget, on the strength of your Thai car license you might not have to sit through the movie anyway.

I did not have a motorcycle endorsement on my US driver's license but was issued both an auto and motorcycle license on just showing my US driver's license. No test required.