"Digital Age!": No longer necessary to have a Thai driving license with you from January

[Neeranam]

5 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

"No longer necessary to have a Thai driving license with you from January"

And again an article wrong by ThaiVisa 

This will be true only for those who have a very recent DL with a QR Code on the back.

Mine is less than 3 years old and doesn't have this code...

Mine has the code on the back, and I'll continue to carry it.

[KhunBENQ]

Just now, Neeranam said:

Mine has the code on the back, and I'll continue to carry it.

So do I.

This smartphone stuff is just another flash of wit by some bored swivel chair occupant.

[kannot]

No Thanks dont have a phone I carry with me, opted out of digital age of everyone knowing everything about me thru my phone

[jabis]

1 hour ago, GarryP said:

When I was fined recently, I was fined the same amount as Thais. No racism at all. Everyone was friendly. Perhaps what you claim is racism is a misperception brought about by a difficulty to communicate - a language barrier so to speak. 

I got fined for no tax sticker, literally curving off of the DLT (in chiang mai) going across the road for vehicle inspection xD Granted it was the last day of month, but come on Later same day missus got a ticket for not having the tax sticker on vehicle, as it was in my scanner - got it recanted, for same offence during same day 

13 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

My DL renewed last year has a QR code.

I scanned it and get some text that contains no recognizable stuff.

Must be "coded".

Most "free" scanners just read the "free text" key-value pairs, tho there is a lot more that you can encode to a QR-code than regular barcode ????

 

[dave moir]

5 hours ago, wgdanson said:

So the Thai police/government assume that EVERY driver has a phone with permanent internet connection and carries it with them 24/7. As do the banks.

 

And is carrying your phone easier than a card in your wallet?

They all carry phones! You see them using them all the time while driving! ????

[Artisi]

5 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

"No longer necessary to have a Thai driving license with you from January"

And again an article wrong by ThaiVisa 

This will be true only for those who have a very recent DL with a QR Code on the back.

Mine is less than 3 years old and doesn't have this code...

 wrong - anything new? 

[Morty T]

Congratulations to the DLT. I would think that a successful launch of this program will help other departments to venture forward with their own agendas. 

[Tongjaw]

21 minutes ago, observer90210 said:

Nice PR stunt for  the digital age...but try as a (awful????) farang going through the maze of red tape to get a Thai driving licence and the paperwor and hassles, will be more similar to the dark prehistoric ages..

What an absolute load of rubbish. My first licence was for 2 years and I’m now on my 3rd 5 year licence. Had no issue getting it or had any issue renewing it even in a different province. My American and Ozzy friends just got their first Thai bike and car licence a couple of months back in Korat and neither of them had any problem. No maze of red tape no hassles. Paperwork, Oh, you mean a couple of photo copies that you can get in the transport office if needed. Sounds like you just needed to get your daily moan out. 

[hobobo]

On 12/17/2018 at 10:27 AM, DM07 said:

"Digital Age!": No longer necessary to have a Thai driving license with you from January"

"Digital Age!": No longer necessary to have a Thai driving license with you from January 2029 

Edited January 15, 2019 by blackcab
Removed oversized font

[Artisi]

1 hour ago, Jonah Tenner said:

One thing I wonder at: No Thai I know leaves their phone unlocked, how will anyone be able to unlock the phone with the pin code while the owner is unconscious and bleeding on the road/in his/her vehicle.... 

Please don't highlight these difficulties, you will give the brain-trust a complex of inadequacy... 

[Ctkong]

4 hours ago, neeray said:

What's the advantage? Seems to me like this is just a way for the government to have more of your personal information.

A licence takes less pocket space to carry than a phone.

And. Road safety and carnage reduction should rate much higher than this nonsense !

This is typical Thailand government behavior. More flash and bang than actually being useful to reduce road carnage.. must be seen to embrace all things modern technology can offer in order to move ahead.

[MekkOne]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

From mid-January motorists in Thailand will no longer have to have a physical driving license with them. 

because before was strictly necessary to have a driving license to drive in Thailand?

[smedly]

5 hours ago, Vacuum said:

Presumably you're are not using a 'smartphone'.

I do use a smartphone and before you lecture me on what you think that means I have degree level education in IT

[balo]

Sorry I am not handing my smart phone over to a suspicious looking traffic cop. I am happy with my Thai license in 100% plastic. 

[Shiver]

Does anyone see a security flaw in this? (identity theft leanings).

Will they put it on a blockchain, password or other?

I had a laptop stolen a couple of days ago, (2nd time, plus a phone a couple of years earlier).  7 police came to take pictures, video, interview, finger point photo opp.  They said I had to go to the station to give finger prints since my passport was left outside, and they wanted to remove my prints from any other prints that might be on it.  I said you already have them, look at your records.  But we need to take them again.  Why?  If they've changed then that implies that finger prints are not a good security model, and you can't prove I didn't steal my own laptop.

So for a licence ... Why would QR code prove what blood type the phone holder has?  It's not rocket surgery, but I'm not so sure that brain science isn't a factor.

[smedly]

2 hours ago, dutchweller said:

So Now you have to unlock your phone and hand it to police ?

Yea I wont be installing this app

 

As of now I don't believe this will be an app on your phone - the police will have the app to scan a photo of the QR code which you can take from your licence

[khunpa]

How do the police unlock the phone after an accident?

[Raymonddiaz]

Not a good news for those with outstanding traffic tickets.... ????

[smedly]

13 minutes ago, khunpa said:

How do the police unlock the phone after an accident?

you can add a photo on the lockscreen - that photo could be the QR code from your licence

[JAG]

1 hour ago, observer90210 said:

Nice PR stunt for  the digital age...but try as a (awful????) farang going through the maze of red tape to get a Thai driving licence and the paperwor and hassles, will be more similar to the dark prehistoric ages..

When I got my licence a couple of years ago, and renewed it last month, neither event took more than an hour and a half. The only hassle was getting a medical certificate ( 5 minutes and 80 Baht, and getting a residency certificate from Immigration. That took about 10 minutes. The staff at the DLT were very pleasant and efficient.

[Tchooptip]

6 hours ago, wgdanson said:

So the Thai police/government assume that EVERY driver has a phone with permanent internet connection and carries it with them 24/7. As do the banks.

 

And is carrying your phone easier than a card in your wallet?

2

"And is carrying your phone easier than a card in your wallet?"

Who told you that it was forbidden to have a driver's licence with you? 

...I think I forgot  that on TV we supposed to criticize everything ???? I'm so stupid with my comments sometimes 

[JAG]

1 hour ago, observer90210 said:

Nice PR stunt for  the digital age...but try as a (awful????) farang going through the maze of red tape to get a Thai driving licence and the paperwor and hassles, will be more similar to the dark prehistoric ages..

When I got my licence a couple of years ago, and renewed it last month, neither event took more than an hour and a half. The only hassle was getting a medical certificate ( 5 minutes and 80 Baht, and getting a residency certificate from Immigration. That took about 10 minutes. The staff at the DLT were very pleasant and efficient.

[thailand49]

6 hours ago, crickets said:

always a barrage of negativity from the farang know it alls. 

And always one who has their head in the sand as nothing is wrong!????

[DJ54]

I rarely carry my phone but have my wallet with DL and passport card (not valid outside US,Canada an Mexico) But has all information as passport 

[wgdanson]

43 minutes ago, khunpa said:

How do the police unlock the phone after an accident?

Put your (dead) finger on the reader !

[Benmart]

7 hours ago, wgdanson said:

So the Thai police/government assume that EVERY driver has a phone with permanent internet connection and carries it with them 24/7. As do the banks.

 

And is carrying your phone easier than a card in your wallet?

 

7 hours ago, crickets said:

always a barrage of negativity from the farang know it alls. 

I agree. I wonder how many these nattering nabobs of negativism live in Thailand, drive, say anything positive or are sober?

[Lupatria]

8 hours ago, darksidedog said:

A fairly large percentage of them don't carry one now.

Whoever spent a week here knows: a Thai drivers licence is not worth the ink used to print it!

[Thaifish]

How many Thais know what a QR Code is...or does...anyway... The clan I live with have no idea who Trump is, Hitler, Elvis second world war or even the first world war. Stop press.. asked the missus and 12 year old about it as i have the QR code on my license... They agreed... That's so police can talk to you on line and be your friend..????  

[bkk75]

9 hours ago, wgdanson said:

So the Thai police/government assume that EVERY driver has a phone with permanent internet connection and carries it with them 24/7. As do the banks.

 

And is carrying your phone easier than a card in your wallet?

Lol oh the expats come out in drove to mock every advancement.  I suspect it's an app that's linked to digital ID so persistent connection is not necessary.

 

Is like my digital WP....Cached.

[edwinchester]

9 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

"No longer necessary to have a Thai driving license with you from January"

And again an article wrong by ThaiVisa 

This will be true only for those who have a very recent DL with a QR Code on the back.

Mine is less than 3 years old and doesn't have this code...

Thanks for the info. I got my new 5 year licences last week and wondered what the QR code on the back was for.....now I know.