Motorcycle license

[richard_smith237]

2 minutes ago, DHut said:

Sorry for not providing enough details, it's more complication than I thought ???? I am on Tourist Visa and will be staying in Chiang Mai for 30 days. Planning to take the motorbike driving license in Chiang Mai right after my sandbox in Phuket. 

 

Thank you Sir.

Being in Chiang Mai may play to your favour. 

 

The key document in securing your Motorcycle Licence is the ‘Letter of Address’.... 

 

You may need a lease agreement, or a document / contract with your Name and the Address - this could be a sticking point as you are planning to stay in a hotel or a AirBnB - that said - receipts of booking may be sufficient, it depends who is handling you on the day you go to Immigration to get the Letter of Residence. 

 

Another option which may better suit your situation is to use a driving (riding) school based in Chiang Mai - Someone else on the forum may be able to help with this. 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

8 minutes ago, papa al said:

On visa exempt, hotel address good for Res Cert.

Thats good info and can help - Was proof of hotel address required, or just your word ?

 

 

8 minutes ago, papa al said:

Dealer debt with "DLT"

Nonsensical - Dealer debt ? dealt ? - the dealer got your Driving Licence ? - 

 

8 minutes ago, papa al said:

Sorry for shortcomings..

No worries... 

 

 

8 minutes ago, papa al said:

Richard: please elucidate those idiocyracies.

Clarification already provided  - there are different requirements for the same document in different offices throughout Thailand, often different requirements from the same office depending on the officer handling your query or based on your visa status.

 

Consistency is most certainly not a strong suit of Thai bureaucracy which is the primary reason for many of the debates on this forum regarding how to ‘get X done’.

 

 

[Kwasaki]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

 

Other issues prevent obtaining a Driving licence on a Tourist Visa (or Visa exempt). 

 

Proof of Address / Affirmation of Address is required - Some Embassies (i.e. British Embassy) will not issue an Affirmation of Residence letter unless the applicant is holding a Non-Immigrant or resident Visa. The do not issue the Affirmation of Residence letter to those who entered Thailand under a Tourist Visas or Visa Exempt.

 

‘Most’ Immigration Offices will only issue a Proof of Address letter if the applicant has submitted a 90 day report, thus someone on a Tourist Visa / or visa exempt has not stayed in country longer than 90 days, although Covid extensions may have altered that. 

Additionally, there have been reports that Immigration at Chiang Mai will issue a letter of Residence even if the applicant has not been in country 90 days (mileage varies - they will not at Chaeng Wattana / Impact in Bangkok). 

 

 

Thus: papa al.... the over simplified response of ‘did it before’  doesn’t quite capture the idiosyncrasies of varying regulations held to different requirements of different Embassies, Immigrations offices and DLT offices. 

Thanks the informative knowledge of certain things here nowadays.

I only give info from what happened to me some 17 years ago, so maybe it's best I shut up. ????

[eisfeld]

3 hours ago, DHut said:

Can I get the proof of residence if I am staying at a hotel or airbnb?

In theory yes. Some immigration offices might make it difficult but where there is a will there is a way. I know of one foreigner that got a residency cert three months or so ago with a guest house address but the owner was friendly enough to help.

[eisfeld]

2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Proof of Address / Affirmation of Address is required - Some Embassies (i.e. British Embassy) will not issue an Affirmation of Residence letter unless the applicant is holding a Non-Immigrant or resident Visa. The do not issue the Affirmation of Residence letter to those who entered Thailand under a Tourist Visas or Visa Exempt.

No need for any embassy to get involved. Just the letter from Immigration and then DLT. OP mentioned he will go through the Phuket sandbox. I suggest to get the residency cert and the driving license right there because I know for a fact it is possible. Just need to make sure the owner of the hotel helps out with registering him at that place with immigration - greasing that wheel goes a long way. And hey, if it doesn't work for whatever reason then he can try again in CNX.

[richard_smith237]

21 minutes ago, eisfeld said:

No need for any embassy to get involved. Just the letter from Immigration and then DLT.

Not necessarily so...  As I travel too much for work, I have only ever needed file a 90 day report twice (in over 20 years). In Bangkok, I am unable to get a letter of Address (certificate of Address) from Immigration because I had not filed a 90 day report (on that entry). 

The only option I had for many years (before I got the Yellow house book and Pink ID) was to get the Affirmation of Residence letter from the Embassy. 

More recently the British Embassy would not issue this for those on Visa Exempt entries or Tourist Visa’s. 

Meanwhile the Yellow House Book / Pink ID does not suffice as proof of address at DLT in Pattaya and Chon Buri.

 

The interpretation of the requirements vary from province to province. Easy of acquiring necessary documents also varies from province to province and nationality to nationality 

 

 

I have read on tis forum that options are better in Chiang Mai and Immigration will allow people to apply for their Letter of Residence (certificate of residence) without having submitted a 90 day report - this does indeed avoid any need to get a letter from the Embassy. 

 

For this reason, I asked for greater details from the DHut (location / visa status) so we could better advise him. 

 

For example - He is unlikely to get any Letter of Address from Immigration at Chaeng Wattana if he is in Bangkok because he would not have submitted a 90 day report. 

Additionally, IF he is British, he would also struggled to get the Affirmation of Residence from the British Embassy if he arrived Visa Exempt or on a Tourist Visa. 

 

 

Quote

OP mentioned he will go through the Phuket sandbox. I suggest to get the residency cert and the driving license right there because I know for a fact it is possible. Just need to make sure the owner of the hotel helps out with registering him at that place with immigration - greasing that wheel goes a long way. And hey, if it doesn't work for whatever reason then he can try again in CNX.

Excellent idea, no harm in giving it a try as soon as he gets to Phuket. 

Edited September 30, 2021 by richard_smith237

[DHut]

35 minutes ago, eisfeld said:

No need for any embassy to get involved. Just the letter from Immigration and then DLT. OP mentioned he will go through the Phuket sandbox. I suggest to get the residency cert and the driving license right there because I know for a fact it is possible. Just need to make sure the owner of the hotel helps out with registering him at that place with immigration - greasing that wheel goes a long way. And hey, if it doesn't work for whatever reason then he can try again in CNX.

 

16 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Not necessarily so...  As I travel too much for work, I have only ever needed file a 90 day report twice (in over 20 years). In Bangkok, I am unable to get a letter of Address (certificate of Address) from Immigration because I had not filed a 90 day report (on that entry). 

The only option I had for many years (before I got the Yellow house book and Pink ID) was to get the Affirmation of Residence letter from the Embassy. 

More recently the British Embassy would not issue this for those on Visa Exempt entries or Tourist Visa’s. 

Meanwhile the Yellow House Book / Pink ID does not suffice as proof of address at DLT in Pattaya and Chon Buri.

 

The interpretation of the requirements vary from province to province. Easy of acquiring necessary documents also varies from province to province and nationality to nationality 

 

 

I have read on tis forum that options are better in Chiang Mai and Immigration will allow people to apply for their Letter of Residence (certificate of residence) without having submitted a 90 day report - this does indeed avoid any need to get a letter from the Embassy. 

 

For this reason, I asked for greater details from the DHut (location / visa status) so we could better advise him. 

 

For example - He is unlikely to get any Letter of Address from Immigration at Chaeng Wattana if he is in Bangkok because he would not have submitted a 90 day report. 

Additionally, IF he is British, he would also struggled to get the Affirmation of Residence from the British Embassy if he arrived Visa Exempt or on a Tourist Visa. 

 

 

Excellent idea, no harm in giving it a try as soon as he gets to Phuket. 

Thanks both, I will to do it in Phuket first and if I can't, I will try it again in Chiang Mai. Much appreciated for the advice. 

[sead]

On 9/29/2021 at 6:19 AM, Kwasaki said:

Why do people like you say things like that it's not true.

If your going to ride a hire bike make sure it has a up to date road disc and CTPL.

What isn't true? You dont need a drivers licence to rent a bike and it is as it is. Perhaps you think were talking about Europe or USA. But in Thailand you dont need a license to rent a bike. Some may ask but for most they wont. 

[Kwasaki]

5 minutes ago, sead said:

What isn't true? You dont need a drivers licence to rent a bike and it is as it is. Perhaps you think were talking about Europe or USA. But in Thailand you dont need a license to rent a bike. Some may ask but for most they wont. 

As usual no one reads the thread only one post. ????

 

 

Edited October 3, 2021 by Kwasaki

[Zyte]

Thankyou all for your help on this , my plans have evolved a bit now and I am thinking of a bike trip starting in Phuket and taking in krabi and khao sok in surrathani.
I will get a international driving permit but I am unsure about insurance for a rented bike. I am mostly concerned about riding a bike off of the island on the mainland.

Apologies for taking so long to reply It took me a while to find the little icon indicating replies.

[seedy]

Rental bikes will have the bare Gov't insurance.

You wreck it - you buy it.

You damage it - you fix it.

You hit someone else - or damage their car or bike past a preset very low limit - get your suit pressed for your day in court.

Ensure your health care coverage from home covers riding motorcycles, or you will pay for that.