Citeria for Thai Driving License

[Vandanny1]

Hey guys!  I was just wondering what citeria need to be satisfied when applying for a Thai driving licence.  Im half Thai but I suppose that means nothing without the Thai nationality and ID card.  Previously, I just carried by UK/ European Drivers Licence when driving around on my cousin's bike.  And also, is the Thai licence even worth it, or am I better off just applying for an International one? 

 

                                              Thanks, 

                                                            Dan

[MunkyBoogar]

To drive in Thailand you need to possess either a Thai drivers license or an international drivers license(IDL). IDL can only be used for the first year.

[jackdd]

The law is not 100% clear if an IDP is required, but to be on the safe side we better assume it is. So if you have only UK citizenship you either need a Thai driving license or your UK license plus an International Driving Permit. If you have Thai citizenship you need a Thai driving license.

 

When applying for a Thai driving license you should also present an IDP, then you don't have to do the exams.

If you are here on a tourist visa it can be a problem getting the certificate of residence from the immigration, in for example Bangkok they won't issue you one, so it depends on where you are if it's possible. Other then that it should be similar to this:

 

Edited July 1, 2018 by jackdd

[roath]

6 hours ago, MunkyBoogar said:

To drive in Thailand you need to possess either a Thai drivers license or an international drivers license(IDL). IDL can only be used for the first year.

If you are here longer than 3 months (i.e. not here as a tourist) then you should get a Thai DL as the IDP may not be valid for insurance purposes if used long term, as it is not intended for a resident of a country to use with a foreign licence. The police are unlikely to do more than a cursory check however, but if you have an accident, then the insurance may check your length of stay as well as everything else. A definite tick in the box for getting a Thai DL then if you are here regularly and/or staying here long term (e.g. on a 1 year family visit extension if you have Thai family). 

 

It's also worth having a Thai DL for other reasons such as using as photo ID and getting (sometimes) Thai or local prices at various attractions or national parks. You can also book into hotels etc. without having to use (or carry around) your passport. 

 

Thai nationality is largely irrelevant for whether you can obtain a DL or not. The only difference is that as a foreigner (which you would be without any form of Thai ID), you will need a resident's certificate and copies of passport and visa etc.  

[ebonykap]

I just got my Thai licence. Showed my passport, copies etc and my Australian licence. 10 minutes later, had Thai licence in my hand. No IDP required at DLP Chatuchak and no tests (theory or practical) to take.

[Crossy]

3 minutes ago, ebonykap said:

I just got my Thai licence. Showed my passport, copies etc and my Australian licence. 10 minutes later, had Thai licence in my hand. No IDP required at DLP Chatuchak and no tests (theory or practical) to take.

One assumes they wanted a medical certificate, no reaction or line up the lights tests?

 

[ebonykap]

4 minutes ago, Crossy said:

One assumes they wanted a medical certificate, no reaction or line up the lights tests?

 

Yes, sorry. Med. Cert. required also (no more than 30 days old). No tests whatsoever. Naturally, O/S licence must be current. Certificate of Residence also required (30 days also)

Edited July 1, 2018 by ebonykap
Addition

[Fruit Trader]

34 minutes ago, ebonykap said:

I just got my Thai licence. Showed my passport, copies etc and my Australian licence. 10 minutes later, had Thai licence in my hand. No IDP required at DLP Chatuchak and no tests (theory or practical) to take.

10 minutes from start of document process to printed licence is a Chatuchak LTO miracle they must have rehearsed for hours. 

[ebonykap]

3 minutes ago, Fruit Trader said:

10 minutes from start of document process to printed licence is a Chatuchak LTO miracle they must have rehearsed for hours. 

See how you go next time. 

[Lokie]

Phuket for me was:

UK licence + IDP, Med cert (100 Baht) and certificate of res (free but IMO 500 baht processing charge lol) - had to just do reaction test and colour test, processed through a few different station desks (they are numbered 1- whatever where they take your docs then send you to next desk number where you will sit about a bit sometimes waiting, they will take your pic also) and done. I got there early (2nd in line) was on way out with my Thai 2 yr Temp licence an hour and half later (I was on a SETV - Single Entry Tourist Visa when I done mine) Got both my car and bike at same time as friends and TVF posts said you save a bit of baht as only need one med cert and COR for both which was true.

 

If you only here for a month at a time then you may as well just get the IDP to go with your licence as you are totally legal then but if you stay longer then yes tis the way to go

[The Deerhunter]

5 hours ago, roath said:

If you are here longer than 3 months (i.e. not here as a tourist) then you should get a Thai DL as the IDP may not be valid for insurance purposes if used long term, as it is not intended for a resident of a country to use with a foreign licence. The police are unlikely to do more than a cursory check however, but if you have an accident, then the insurance may check your length of stay as well as everything else. A definite tick in the box for getting a Thai DL then if you are here regularly and/or staying here long term (e.g. on a 1 year family visit extension if you have Thai family). 

 

It's also worth having a Thai DL for other reasons such as using as photo ID and getting (sometimes) Thai or local prices at various attractions or national parks. You can also book into hotels etc. without having to use (or carry around) your passport. 

 

Thai nationality is largely irrelevant for whether you can obtain a DL or not. The only difference is that as a foreigner (which you would be without any form of Thai ID), you will need a resident's certificate and copies of passport and visa etc.  

This applies to The Ministry of Transport/Department of Motor Vehicles place in Chiang Wattana, Bangkok. Other places may be different. (This is Thailand.)

I took my home country Driving Licence, my Passport, and a Statutory declaration from my Embassy written by hand that said:

 "I, XXX declare that my permanent residential address in Thailand is;  XXX XXX XXX XXX".

No photos required to bring with you.  They take the digital pic in an interview booth just before they print the licence.

 I also had it translated but am sure this was an un-necessary step as they already say that your home driving licence must be translated into Thai or English, which means that English is an acceptable language for them to work with, if your licences is already in English.

 Each category of licence requires a separate application so I had two of everything, for car (includes Ute, pick-up truck) and for me, also Motorcycle.  

 Photocopy services are available very cheap. in several places in the Driving licence building in Chiang Wattana area near Mo Chit end of BTS (too far to walk in the heat.  Take a taxi from Mo Chit BTS if you go by sky train.)

 The first stage is to confirm that all your required documents and copies are correct.  After they accept your forms as correct, at the main counter on level 2, you are given a little thermal docket with a 4 digit number beginning with "3" & sent to wait in a huge waiting room full of LCD monitors.  There  are over 20 booths with "examiners” in them but only 2 or 3 are for you.  They do licence conversions and as your number comes up it is announced in Thai AND English.  That 3xxx series number is only for you guys converting an existing overseas licence.

 Then go to level 3.  These are "physical tests" to test your vision & reaction times.  Instructions are written in the wall in English but some of them only understand Thai.

Suggestion:  Learn the Thai words for Red, Green & Yellow.

 The first one is colourblindness test.  You have to say which colour you see.  I found this very easy for me to do.

The second one is a depth perception test.  Hard to explain but you have 2 buttons to adjust a white rod (pole) in a tunnel to the same position (depth) as the control rod. Easy for me.  

3 is reaction.  How quick can you move your R foot from the accelerator to brake when the lights change.  Easy for me after 50 years driving.

4. was difficult to me.  You hold your face against a thing and must only look directly ahead.  Then tiny LEDs (R, G, Y, ) start appearing in the peripheral vision area on each side.  You have to say which colour is appearing & point to L or R  where you see it.  I found Red & Yellow were easy but green took me a bit of spotting as it seemed very faint as if there was a problem with the machine.  But I passed when I realized what I was looking (or not looking) for.  Remember, you have to look forward as it is a test of your peripheral vision & the colours appear out at the sides.

 Then you get another thermal number docket 3xxx etc & wait in the big room on level 2 for your number.   Pay the examiner & get licence after your photo is taken & printed all in a few minutes of the "interview."

 Valid for two years & repeat.  Then every 5 years.

 

Edited July 1, 2018 by The Deerhunter

[sometimewoodworker]

13 hours ago, MunkyBoogar said:

To drive in Thailand you need to possess either a Thai drivers license or an international drivers license(IDL). IDL can only be used for the first year.

Sorry no. The IDP ( there is no IDL) is only valid for use for 90 days from your date of entry, that is independent of the validity of the IDP itself (some IDP's are for 3 years).

 

If you have a serious accident you will probably quickly find that out, as your insurance requirement is that you need a Thai licence if you have been in Thailand more than 90 days.

 

Don't believe that just because you were able to rent a car without a Thai licence that the insurance is any different.

Don't believe that just because you bought insurance or renewed your insurance that it is valid if you don't have a Thai licence and you've been in Thailand more than 90 days.

 

Please do not find out the hard way

Edited July 1, 2018 by sometimewoodworker

[FaFaHead]

3 hours ago, The Deerhunter said:

This applies to The Ministry of Transport/Department of Motor Vehicles place in Chiang Wattana, Bangkok. Other places may be different. (This is Thailand.)

I took my home country Driving Licence, my Passport, and a Statutory declaration from my Embassy written by hand that said:

 "I, XXX declare that my permanent residential address in Thailand is;  XXX XXX XXX XXX".

No photos required to bring with you.  They take the digital pic in an interview booth just before they print the licence.

 I also had it translated but am sure this was an un-necessary step as they already say that your home driving licence must be translated into Thai or English, which means that English is an acceptable language for them to work with, if your licences is already in English.

 Each category of licence requires a separate application so I had two of everything, for car (includes Ute, pick-up truck) and for me, also Motorcycle.  

 Photocopy services are available very cheap. in several places in the Driving licence building in Chiang Wattana area near Mo Chit end of BTS (too far to walk in the heat.  Take a taxi from Mo Chit BTS if you go by sky train.)

 The first stage is to confirm that all your required documents and copies are correct.  After they accept your forms as correct, at the main counter on level 2, you are given a little thermal docket with a 4 digit number beginning with "3" & sent to wait in a huge waiting room full of LCD monitors.  There  are over 20 booths with "examiners” in them but only 2 or 3 are for you.  They do licence conversions and as your number comes up it is announced in Thai AND English.  That 3xxx series number is only for you guys converting an existing overseas licence.

 Then go to level 3.  These are "physical tests" to test your vision & reaction times.  Instructions are written in the wall in English but some of them only understand Thai.

Suggestion:  Learn the Thai words for Red, Green & Yellow.

 The first one is colourblindness test.  You have to say which colour you see.  I found this very easy for me to do.

The second one is a depth perception test.  Hard to explain but you have 2 buttons to adjust a white rod (pole) in a tunnel to the same position (depth) as the control rod. Easy for me.  

3 is reaction.  How quick can you move your R foot from the accelerator to brake when the lights change.  Easy for me after 50 years driving.

4. was difficult to me.  You hold your face against a thing and must only look directly ahead.  Then tiny LEDs (R, G, Y, ) start appearing in the peripheral vision area on each side.  You have to say which colour is appearing & point to L or R  where you see it.  I found Red & Yellow were easy but green took me a bit of spotting as it seemed very faint as if there was a problem with the machine.  But I passed when I realized what I was looking (or not looking) for.  Remember, you have to look forward as it is a test of your peripheral vision & the colours appear out at the sides.

 Then you get another thermal number docket 3xxx etc & wait in the big room on level 2 for your number.   Pay the examiner & get licence after your photo is taken & printed all in a few minutes of the "interview."

 Valid for two years & repeat.  Then every 5 years.

 

Great information! Moving to Chiang Mai in November. 

[jackdd]

2 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Sorry no. The IDP ( there is no IDL) is only valid for use for 90 days from your date of entry, that is independent of the validity of the IDP itself (some IDP's are for 3 years).

This is wrong

 

2 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

 as your insurance requirement is that you need a Thai licence if you have been in Thailand more than 90 days. 

This could theoretically be, but i doubt that it's a common thing, having a look in the insurance policy will clarify it

Edited July 1, 2018 by jackdd

[sometimewoodworker]

3 hours ago, jackdd said:

This is wrong

 

This could theoretically be, but i doubt that it's a common thing, having a look in the insurance policy will clarify it

The first is correct the second is common and a standard clause in vehicle insurance in Thailand. You will need to be able to read Thai to check it.

[jackdd]

6 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

The first is correct

It's not. If you think it's correct provide an official source for it.

[sometimewoodworker]

26 minutes ago, jackdd said:

It's not. If you think it's correct provide an official source for it.

To driver legally you need insurance. 

To have valid insurance if you have been in Thailand more than 90 days you need a Thai licence (it is a condition of every insurance I have had it is written in Thai)

QED.

 

However if you would like to provide a link to an official site to a RTP, LTO, or other site that shows that I am incorrect I will happily apologise.

Edited July 2, 2018 by sometimewoodworker

[jackdd]

58 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

To driver legally you need insurance. 

To have valid insurance if you have been in Thailand more than 90 days you need a Thai licence (it is a condition of every insurance I have had it is written in Thai)

QED.

 

However if you would like to provide a link to an official site to a RTP, LTO, or other site that shows that I am incorrect I will happily apologise.

First you said an IDP is valid for use for only 90 days, now you are talking about insurance. In general i can't prove that something does not exist. You said a general 90 day limit exists, so provide a source for it if you think you are correct

 

What you just said is also not correct. The only insurance that is required in Thailand to drive legally is the compulsary insurance and to be covered by this insurance you don't even need a driving license at all, so it also doesn't matter how long you have been in the country http://www.rvp.co.th/ (Click on "How to make a claim" and you see that you only need to provide ID card or passport, no driving license)

 

Edited July 2, 2018 by jackdd

[roath]

22 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Sorry no. The IDP ( there is no IDL) is only valid for use for 90 days from your date of entry, that is independent of the validity of the IDP itself (some IDP's are for 3 years).

 

If you have a serious accident you will probably quickly find that out, as your insurance requirement is that you need a Thai licence if you have been in Thailand more than 90 days.

 

Don't believe that just because you were able to rent a car without a Thai licence that the insurance is any different.

Don't believe that just because you bought insurance or renewed your insurance that it is valid if you don't have a Thai licence and you've been in Thailand more than 90 days.

 

Please do not find out the hard way

No IDP is valid for longer than 12 months. The ones that have longer expiry dates are usually offered as a credit card type document, and are not legal. They might work at a roadside check, but may not pass muster with an insurance company in the event of a claim. 

[roath]

7 hours ago, jackdd said:

First you said an IDP is valid for use for only 90 days, now you are talking about insurance. In general i can't prove that something does not exist. You said a general 90 day limit exists, so provide a source for it if you think you are correct

 

What you just said is also not correct. The only insurance that is required in Thailand to drive legally is the compulsary insurance and to be covered by this insurance you don't even need a driving license at all, so it also doesn't matter how long you have been in the country http://www.rvp.co.th/ (Click on "How to make a claim" and you see that you only need to provide ID card or passport, no driving license)

 

Third party compulsory cover is very limited. 80k maximum for injury and 300k maximum for death. 

 

 

[roath]

7 hours ago, jackdd said:

First you said an IDP is valid for use for only 90 days, now you are talking about insurance. In general i can't prove that something does not exist. You said a general 90 day limit exists, so provide a source for it if you think you are correct

 

What you just said is also not correct. The only insurance that is required in Thailand to drive legally is the compulsary insurance and to be covered by this insurance you don't even need a driving license at all, so it also doesn't matter how long you have been in the country http://www.rvp.co.th/ (Click on "How to make a claim" and you see that you only need to provide ID card or passport, no driving license)

 

If you don't have a licence (or a valid licence), then you aren't driving legally, which is a different issue from not being insured (as would be the case in Western countries for example).  However, even if you can claim against compulsory the third party insurance, that insurance is, as I mentioned in my previous post, extremely limited in scope. The poster is, as you point out, confusing two different issues, but that doesn't mean to say that they don't have a point.

 

Making a claim against First or Second class insurance is the one that counts for anything apart from a minor accident, and the insurance companies can (not always) be a stickler for having a proper licence in order to make a claim. Of course, the fact that the law in Thailand with regarding to foreign licences is somewhat vague isn't helpful, but generally, if you are here as a tourist on a tourist visa then a valid IDP will be accepted, whereas if you are here as an expat on a non-immigrant visa (for example), then you would be expected to have a Thai licence.

 

It's a grey area for sure, but as a rule of thumb, if you are here longer than 90 days, it makes a lot of sense to get a Thai licence (for which there are numerous other benefits to having anyway) which just avoids the issue completely

[sometimewoodworker]

15 hours ago, roath said:

No IDP is valid for longer than 12 months. The ones that have longer expiry dates are usually offered as a credit card type document, and are not legal. 

You are showing your lack of knowledge again. The French IDP is valid for more than 12 months and is a true valid IDP. 

[The Deerhunter]

On 7/1/2018 at 5:35 PM, sometimewoodworker said:

Sorry no. The IDP ( there is no IDL) is only valid for use for 90 days from your date of entry, that is independent of the validity of the IDP itself (some IDP's are for 3 years).

 

If you have a serious accident you will probably quickly find that out, as your insurance requirement is that you need a Thai licence if you have been in Thailand more than 90 days.

 

Don't believe that just because you were able to rent a car without a Thai licence that the insurance is any different.

Don't believe that just because you bought insurance or renewed your insurance that it is valid if you don't have a Thai licence and you've been in Thailand more than 90 days.

 

Please do not find out the hard way

Other countries may issue IDPS as valid for one year but everything I have ever seen is that in Thailand they are only valid for a maximum of the first 90 days.  Yes I know people driving on expired IDP'S for over 10 years.  It is called wrong and stupid.The simple but hardest way to find out is have an injury accident.  It doesn't even have to be your fault, but will probably create a world of problems for you.

[jackdd]

6 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

You are showing your lack of knowledge again. The French IDP is valid for more than 12 months and is a true valid IDP. 

If it's valid more than 1 year it means that the IDP is based on the 1968 convention, which is not valid in Thailand at all. Of course in countries which signed and ratified the treaty this IDP would be valid, but not in Thailand. An IDP based on the 1949 convention which is valid in Thailand has a maximum validity of 1 year. France signed and ratified both treaties, so when you apply for an IDP to use in Thailand you should tell them that you want the one based on the 1949 convention.

 

6 minutes ago, The Deerhunter said:

only valid for a maximum of the first 90 days

As i wrote before already, this is wrong. An IDP based on the 1949 convention can be used for up to 1 year

Edited July 3, 2018 by jackdd

[sometimewoodworker]

4 hours ago, jackdd said:

An IDP based on the 1949 convention can be used for up to 1 year

Please show where this information is listed on an official Thai website.

 

There are other countries that limit the use of an IDP 

[The Deerhunter]

If you have ever lived here you will know that Thailand likes to make it's own rules.  Even different branches of the same government department use different rule books.  Immigration is a good example of this.  Unless someone can show Thai documentation that they will conform to the expiry date on an IDP written by another country, then I strongly recommend you go with the wisdom of the many who have been told ( like me at the Department of Motor Vehicles on Chiang Wattana) that it is only valid here for the first 90 days!!!  Or take the risk (and consequences) that you think you know better.

Edited July 3, 2018 by The Deerhunter

[jackdd]

1 hour ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Please show where this information is listed on an official Thai website.

 

There are other countries that limit the use of an IDP 

See my thread which i linked before:

The 1949 treaty says an IDP is valid for a year, i couldn't find any limit to 90 days

The Thai law doesn't make any limitations to it (other than stating that only aliens with a temporary stay permit can use an IDP), again i couldn't find any mentioning of 90 days.

 

Nobody could ever provide an official source which states there is a 90 day limit, so by now i'm quite sure there is none.

You are of course free to read the sources which i provided (or other laws or ministerial orders which you might find) by yourself and if you find a limitation to 90 days in them i have no problem to change my opinion