mumin999

Certificate of residence: You will need to have a TM30 filed - ask your landlord (or wife in my case) https://tm30.immigration.go.th/ Once filed, get the PDF printout Get copies of the owners house book and Thai ID (helps if they also come with you with the originals) Copies of your VISA (DTV in my case) Passport picture and DTV entry stamps Passport pictures (in Rayong you can pay 100 baht for the pictures) It took us an hour in total, quite an easy process and only one desk to deal with. Try to get there early morning if possible so you don't overlap the lunch break if there are lots of people ahead of you.

I got my license in the end, here's the full details. First, if you're a Thai / British citizen and had a previous Thai driving licence (even over 17 years ago) as in the case with my wife - you HAVE to go via the Thai driving test route which involves going to a driving school, getting at least 5 hours worth of lessons, then doing the practical, online theory test and the 4 mini tests - that's what we were told by the admin staff at Klaeng DLT - my wife will call them to confirm this. So unfortunately she was unable to convert her UK / IDP to a Thai license. In my case, I went to Rayong DLT first at 7:30am when the office opens, I was 4th in the walk in queue but Rayong doesn't allow new license issues for walk-ins (unless you pre-arrange with an agent and pay a higher "fast-track" fee). The next new license booking was in October and the lady advised I go to Klaeng DLT as they allow walk-ins. So we went to Klaeng a week later, only a 45 minute drive from Rayong where we're based. Office opens at 8:30am but when we got there we found 6 people already waiting in the queue. At our turn the guy mentioned my wife may have a problem with the conversion route but we wanted to try anyway so he gave us both a ticket to come back at 10:30 for walk-ins. There are a limited number of places available for walk-ins so either get there early or try to pre-book if you are able to plan this in advance. They required 2 copies of the following as well as the originals: * IDP book (we used the 1949 ones), front page and the page with your name and picture - they don't like double-sided copies! So had to get them re-printed at the print counter inside the building * Certificate of residence (see post below for details on this) * Passport - picture page as well as the VISA stamp page (for me it was the DTV entry stamp) * Your long-term VISA (DTV for me) * Medical certificate (any local clinic will do, paid 80 baht each) ** I had copies of my UK license, front and back, they didn't seem interested in those but I had them anyway ** I also had the QR code for the DLT smart app training completion for foreigners - they didn't ask for it but it may be a good idea to do it anyway Ay 10:30 they started processing the walk-ins - I was asked to sit in the queue for the 4 mini-tests. I saw a couple of foreigners, one was from US and I got chatting to him. He came down all the way from Pattaya as he said his agent advised him to avoid both local and Rayong branches. He did the tests "outside" - I didn't ask what he meant by that but he paid 8,000 baht to an agent for these tests and didn't have to do the mini-tests at the DLT. Mini-tests: I'm sure most of you know what these are but I'll give a brief run-down. 1) Traffic lights - just call out the colour you see. They dont know the word amber, so say yellow when you see that. 2) Peripheral test - press the right or left button when you see a white light in your peripheral vision area. 3) Reflex test - press the "gas" pedal, and as soon as you see the red light then slam on the brakes. 4) Depth perception - this is probably the hardest test due to the controls. I had to trial it a couple of times to get the gist of it. Basically you have a game-pad type controller in your hands. In front of you (3m away) there are 2 pegs. Right side is fixed and the left moves up or down. When it stops moving, you have to press the up or down buttons on the pad, to align the 2 pegs horizontally then press the confirm button. One young lady failed this test 10 times until she passed and was awarded a license - so dont worry if you get it wrong! Next I paid the admin fee of 300 baht then joined the queue for the license photo and within 5 minutes, the licenses were ready! I say licenses because unknown to me, my UK licence allows both cars and motorcyles and the IDP reflected that - so that was a nice surprise! Hope this helps anyone in the same position. Next step is to get the missus licensed up...

guess that's what I'll be doing then to pass the time if the process takes too long! will try and film the antics...

Missus did the e-learning Thai safety videos online last night - there were two separate videos. One is for standard renewal and one is for renewal after 1 year of expiry - got her to do both just in case (she wasn't happy but got the QR codes!) Then I did mine also, registered as a foreigner, completed the 1hr video, answered 4 very simple questions and got the QR code. I'm planning for us both to try and do the conversion from UK to Thai license route in order to avoid the 50 question and practical tests, just don't want to waste half a day or more at the DLT if possible. Next step is to get the 1949 IDPs - apparently 1968s are acceptable by car hire firms which is what we use and has a 3 year validity, but read that the 1949 ones are more "official". It may be overkill, but it's only approx £8 per IDP and we can get them in half an hour from the nearest provider so no harm in getting them. Will update on how this goes next month in Thailand.

that's brilliant thanks, will look at this route when we're back in Thailand next month

also I read that you can simply convert an international license e.g. UK to a Thai one without taking the online and practical tests - is that still correct? Anyone have any experience of this?

found this, sadly she has to go through the new license process Cessation of Lifetime Licenses: The Motor Vehicle Act of 2003 formally ended the issuance of lifetime driving licenses. Existing lifetime licenses issued before October 2003 remain valid unless revoked, but no new ones have been issued since then 1110. This change aimed to improve road safety by ensuring periodic checks on drivers' fitness and adherence to updated regulations. Transition to Time-Limited Licenses: Since 2003, Thailand has adopted a tiered validity system: Temporary licenses: Valid for 2 years (for new drivers). Private licenses: Valid for 5 years after renewal 7. Public/commercial licenses: Valid for 3 years 7.

not sure, she has lost her license so can't even check the expiry dates (doh!) probably best to just go through the new license route.

@dddave Would you mind listing the steps involved please? My wife's friend advises that there is a private company in Rayong that you can do the video training and test with, they are an approved Government test centre (will try and find the name of this company and do my own research). They charge between 3500 - 4000 for this. It looks like it bypasses the lengthy waiting times at the Govt office for the tests and fast tracks you to the collect driving license stage. Waiting for more details from her friend, don't fully trust what they say as there's always something that has been missed!

Thanks both, found this post also (from 2016) so will read through it carefully and see how much of this is still relevant

I'm very interested in this topic also, my wife had a driving license which expired over 10 years ago and wants to get a new one. Way too late to renew unfortunately!

Amazing Briggsy, it's easy when people like you have gone through the steps and share your experiences! Much respect!! I'm relieved now, my concerns have been addressed and I look forward to my first trip in July (can't wait)!

Success - my DTV was approved last night, got the PDF visa via email. I have a few questions which I can't seem to find on the Thai Embassy website, does anyone know if there is an official website that details all the rules and regulations AFTER you get the DTV? I'll email the UK embassy and also the Ministry of Foreign Affairs now but my questions are: 1) Do I need to get the VISA stamped on my passport, there was no mention of this on the approval email or PDF copy of the VISA? 2) Or I just print the VISA and staple to my passport? 3) My passport expires next year, how do I get the VISA "attached" to new passport? 4) Do I need to do 90 day reporting and if so, can it be done online? 5) When I enter Thailand, do I need to show departure flight? Given that I can stay up to 180 days at a time, it may be difficult to plan this far ahead. Thank you

Thank you both, appreciate your help.

Hi everyone, hope someone here can provide some assistance and direction on my DTV (remote worker) application. The Thai Embassy in London has asked for additional documents to support my visa application, a company registration document and company HR letter which I can arrange. However I'm not sure how to respond to this request below: * Other request documents: - Please upload a confirmation letter (addressed to the Royal Thai Embassy, London) introduce yourself , your working position and work role as remotely work and will not be concern to local Thai laws regarding working in Thailand or meeting Thai client. It seems straightforward but I don't want to make any assumptions and wanted to know if they are looking for a detailed response with a CV or a simple one page letter addressing all of the points? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you