Renewing a five year driving licence in Hua Hin

[Lancelot01]

I realise that this subject has been raised several times but on checking, it seems most of the information is outdated. 

My licence expired last August and the time has arrived when I need to renew it.

Has any member recently renewed their licence at Pranburi?

What documents are required and what is the cost? 

[JOC]

Did it 3 weeks ago. Papers needed: copy of passport main page, copy of visa, copy of old drivers licence (both sides), confirmation of address (yellow book copy or immigration confirmation original) + old licence........No medical needed for a 5 year renewal.

Arrive early (8.30), hand over your papers and they will give you a form in Thai, but you just have to fill in your name and phone number. Wait a while and you will be called to the test room. (Colorblind test, Reaction test and Perception test). Then you will have to watch the safety video for one hour...compulsory.....After that they will call your name, have your picture taken and pay at the cashier. Another minute and you will have your new shiny drivers licence....I arrived around 8.30 and left at around 11.00..

Total cost for 2 licenses (car and motorbike) 760 baht.

[YorkshireTyke]

JOC, was that in Pranburi or Cha Am ?

[JOC]

30 minutes ago, YorkshireTyke said:

JOC, was that in Pranburi or Cha Am ?

Pranburi.

 

[patekatek]

Pretty much the same when I got a new 5 year license a month ago in Phetchaburi.  It did help having my wife along due to the fact that I don't speak or understand Thai.  I think it took about 2-3 hours with the video viewing.

[nofarang]

Go to Pranburi. People there are very nice. Avoid Cha Am. The lady doing the colour test points quite quick to the coloured points at the board so you easily make mistakes (which is intended?). After three false replies you failed and are refused a new driving licence. Above all she is not at all friendly.

[NoshowJones]

53 minutes ago, nofarang said:

Go to Pranburi. People there are very nice. Avoid Cha Am. The lady doing the colour test points quite quick to the coloured points at the board so you easily make mistakes (which is intended?). After three false replies you failed and are refused a new driving licence. Above all she is not at all friendly.

Good post. Is Thailand the only country which has this stupid lining up of the two bars?

The UK doesn't have it, surely that proves it is not necessary. they are always bringing out ways of making the driving test harder. I was waiting to take that test at my local test centre, there were lots of people in front of me and many of them were getting turned away. When I saw that I just walked out. I have done that test successfully every time I have done it.

Edited February 12, 2018 by possum1931

[HHTel]

19 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

they are always bringing out ways of making the driving test harder.

Testing your ability on real roads wouldn't be acceptable to you then!

I can't believe an expat is complaining about the driving test becoming harder.  Which country are you from?

 

[NoshowJones]

15 minutes ago, HHTel said:

Testing your ability on real roads wouldn't be acceptable to you then!

I can't believe an expat is complaining about the driving test becoming harder.  Which country are you from?

 

In the UK, the motorists are used as a cash cow for the government, that is why they are always making everything harder for them, Tax, fuel, MOTs, driving tests, speed cameras etc, always changing so as to gather more revenue, I am not against these things, they are mostly necessary, but the government go over the score with motorists as they are an easy target.

[mikosan]

On 2/10/2018 at 7:59 PM, JOC said:

Did it 3 weeks ago. Papers needed: copy of passport main page, copy of visa, copy of old drivers licence (both sides), confirmation of address (yellow book copy or immigration confirmation original) + old licence........No medical needed for a 5 year renewal.

Arrive early (8.30), hand over your papers and they will give you a form in Thai, but you just have to fill in your name and phone number. Wait a while and you will be called to the test room. (Colorblind test, Reaction test and Perception test). Then you will have to watch the safety video for one hour...compulsory.....After that they will call your name, have your picture taken and pay at the cashier. Another minute and you will have your new shiny drivers licence....I arrived around 8.30 and left at around 11.00..

Total cost for 2 licenses (car and motorbike) 760 baht.

Thanks for that very helpful.  A quick point.  If renewing both licences I assume you need 2 of everything listed above, including proof of address and do you have any idea of how much that is now.  I seem to recall it was 500 baht a throw, if so that puts the cost of renewal on 1000 baht before anything else.  Also, a friend renewed at Cha Am last week and had to have a medical certificate, not an issue, but he did have to have one, but he didn't have to watch the safety video.  Oh for consistency..........  Mind you, I recently renewed my Australian (Queensland) licence for 5 years and that was AUD 176, so Thailand seems cheap in comparison.

Edited February 12, 2018 by mikosan
Addition

[JOC]

5 minutes ago, mikosan said:

Thanks for that very helpful.  A quick point.  If renewing both licences I assume you need 2 of everything listed above, including proof of address and do you have any idea of how much that is now.  I seem to recall it was 500 baht a throw, if so that puts the cost of renewal on 1000 baht before anything else.  Also, a friend renewed at Cha Am last week and had to have a medical certificate, not an issue, but he did have to have one, but he didn't have to watch the safety video.  Oh for consistency..........  

Yes you need a set of papers for each licence...!! As for the proof of address....I don't know...since I used my yellow book..

As for the medical....I think you need it when you change from a 2 years to a 5 years licence...but not when you change from 5 years to 5 years...But as we all know it might differ from office to office.....from officer to officer...from Monday to Tuesday

[mikosan]

Just now, JOC said:

Yes you need a set of papers for each licence...!! As for the proof of address....I don't know...since I used my yellow book..

As for the medical....I think you need it when you change from a 2 years to a 5 years licence...but not when you change from 5 years to 5 years...But as we all know it might differ from office to office.....from officer to officer...from Monday to Tuesday

Yes, of course, different officer, different office etc. etc.  You are right, he changed from 2 year to 5 year, so needed a medical.  Thank you again.

[Lancelot01]

On 10/02/2018 at 7:59 PM, JOC said:

Did it 3 weeks ago. Papers needed: copy of passport main page, copy of visa, copy of old drivers licence (both sides), confirmation of address (yellow book copy or immigration confirmation original) + old licence........No medical needed for a 5 year renewal.

Arrive early (8.30), hand over your papers and they will give you a form in Thai, but you just have to fill in your name and phone number. Wait a while and you will be called to the test room. (Colorblind test, Reaction test and Perception test). Then you will have to watch the safety video for one hour...compulsory.....After that they will call your name, have your picture taken and pay at the cashier. Another minute and you will have your new shiny drivers licence....I arrived around 8.30 and left at around 11.00..

Total cost for 2 licenses (car and motorbike) 760 baht.

Many thanks JOC, this is very helpful,  I'll be going to Pranburi tomorrow. 

[HHTel]

4 hours ago, possum1931 said:

Good post. Is Thailand the only country which has this stupid lining up of the two bars?

The UK doesn't have it, surely that proves it is not necessary. they are always bringing out ways of making the driving test harder. I was waiting to take that test at my local test centre, there were lots of people in front of me and many of them were getting turned away. When I saw that I just walked out. I have done that test successfully every time I have done it.

Sorry if I read it wrong.  It appeared that you were complaining that the Thai test was getting harder.  As a test is not done on roads with real traffic, the perception test is needed (sort of).  In the UK by doing a test on the roads, your perception is tested to the extreme therefore not required to be done in a 'classroom'.

[NoshowJones]

15 minutes ago, HHTel said:

Sorry if I read it wrong.  It appeared that you were complaining that the Thai test was getting harder.  As a test is not done on roads with real traffic, the perception test is needed (sort of).  In the UK by doing a test on the roads, your perception is tested to the extreme therefore not required to be done in a 'classroom'.

The Thai driving test needs to he harder, and out on the road, my complaint is with this lining up of two bars, what does that prove. I would go as far as to say that the only people really qualified to test anyones eyes properly, are opticians, and this applies to any country.

No optician is going to be bribed to write on a form that a persons eyesight is fine for driving if it isn't, not even in Thailand, as a person driving with defective eyesight will soon be found out, and so will any optician who has taken a bribe.

[HHTel]

9 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

The Thai driving test needs to he harder, and out on the road, my complaint is with this lining up of two bars, what does that prove. I would go as far as to say that the only people really qualified to test anyones eyes properly, are opticians, and this applies to any country.

No optician is going to be bribed to write on a form that a persons eyesight is fine for driving if it isn't, not even in Thailand, as a person driving with defective eyesight will soon be found out, and so will any optician who has taken a bribe.

It proves visual perception, a test that you wont get routinely at an optician's. It allows the individual to translate light in the surroundings for the brain to assimilate distances between objects.  Quite important driving behind other cars, and being able to judge distances is crucial when driving. (although locals will get as close to the car in front as possible - maybe their visual perception is flawed).

[NoshowJones]

11 minutes ago, HHTel said:

It proves visual perception, a test that you wont get routinely at an optician's. It allows the individual to translate light in the surroundings for the brain to assimilate distances between objects.  Quite important driving behind other cars, and being able to judge distances is crucial when driving. (although locals will get as close to the car in front as possible - maybe their visual perception is flawed).

If you get an eye test routinely at an opticians he will know if your eyesight is OK for driving, anyone with good eyesight, corrected or not, and can read a UK size number plate at 20 mts is fine for driving, there is no other fancy way of putting it. If it wasn't, the UK and probably other 1st world countries, would have found out years ago, and in the UKs case would have found a way of making money out of it.

Edited February 12, 2018 by possum1931

[Presto]

Reviving this topic. At Pranburi, do you need a medical certificate for renewal from 5 years to 5 years? Tia!

[HHTel]

No.

[wgdanson]

On 2/12/2018 at 12:26 PM, possum1931 said:

In the UK, the motorists are used as a cash cow for the government, that is why they are always making everything harder for them, Tax, fuel, MOTs, driving tests, speed cameras etc, always changing so as to gather more revenue, I am not against these things, they are mostly necessary, but the government go over the score with motorists as they are an easy target.

And the ratio between the number of drivers and fatal accidents in UK compared to Thailand?   Make the test difficult enough to eliminate bad drivers.

[PETERTHEEATER]

Does the Immigration Office in BluPort issue confirmation of address letters?

[Aquaman2016]

No. You’ve got to go to the main Immigration building and submit the paperwork to the admin office (3rd or 4th door on the left plastic where you do the 90 day reports tech).


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