Convert international driving license into a Thai driving license

[ukrules]

59 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

And I got my Thai licence with just my UK one, without any International PERMIT. 

I do not believe that the authorities did not look at your actual Licence.

Same here, I've never had one of those 'international permits', they're just a translation of the real license.

 

I had to show the full UK license to get a Thai license with a minimum of fuss.

[JackGats]

1 hour ago, JustAnotherHun said:

Did you need the translation with or without having the IDL?

Without.

[TheBrewer]

4 hours ago, matteo73 said:

Thanks for this.
It does not seem straight farward at all then.
I am sorry, when I am reading health check at the hospital and watch 2 hours videos etc .., it did remind me of a Stanley Kubrick movie the Clock Orange.
By the way, how was the whole process for you, how long did it took all together?

Thanks once again

DLT 3 times about 4h inc. video.

Translation and cert. at german consulate in Chiang Mai during a sightseeing trip. Same with consular affairs in Bangkok. All over a time of 3 weeks.

DLTs act different, maybe depending of what country you come from (english or not)

Just wanted to share my experience to be helpful, all the nitpicking doesn't help anyone except maybe some egos ????

[Fab5BKK]

My own experience (Bangkok, Chatuchak DLT).

 

I have several Driving Licenses.

 

To get the Thai Licenses (Car + Motorbike) I used the British one. No need of certified translation, IDP, etc. 

 

[TheBrewer]

and for the nitpickers:

the internationa driving licence must be based on the 1949 convention, not the one from 1968 because Thailand is not part of it.

see DLT website: https://www.dlt.go.th/en/renew-license/

[Smokin Joe]

3 hours ago, TheBrewer said:

and for the nitpickers:

the internationa driving licence must be based on the 1949 convention, not the one from 1968 because Thailand is not part of it.

see DLT website: https://www.dlt.go.th/en/renew-license/

Thailand signed the 1968 Treaty on 1 May 2020. Not surprised that the DLT website has not been updated.

 

The UK also signed the 1968 Treaty fairly recently on 28 Mar 2018.

 

https://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetailsIII.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XI-B-19&chapter=11&Temp=mtdsg3&clang=_en#EndDec

[JustAnotherHun]

3 hours ago, TheBrewer said:

and for the nitpickers:

the internationa driving licence must be based on the 1949 convention, not the one from 1968 because Thailand is not part of it.

see DLT website: https://www.dlt.go.th/en/renew-license/

This info is not up to date.

Since May 01/2021 you need the IDL from 1968. The one from 1926 is not accepted anymore.

Edited December 19, 2021 by JustAnotherHun

[Cletus]

4 hours ago, JustAnotherHun said:

This info is not up to date.

Since May 01/2021 you need the IDL from 1968. The one from 1926 is not accepted anymore.

Is it now possible to drive/ride in Thailand with the IDL 1968 (Vienna convention)?

Can someone please confirm? I'm finding some opposite opinion on Google.

In the past the Geneve 1949 was required.

 

Thanks

[JustAnotherHun]

1 hour ago, Cletus said:

Is it now possible to drive/ride in Thailand with the IDL 1968 (Vienna convention)?

Can someone please confirm? I'm finding some opposite opinion on Google.

In the past the Geneve 1949 was required.

 

Thanks

Yes. You can drive 3 months with the IDL from 1968, but you need your national DL aswell.

[mvdf]

18 hours ago, KannikaP said:

There is no such thing as qn International Driving Licence.

Yes, you are 100% correct. Thank you. Many simply have an embarrassingly elementary knowledge about the IDL.

 

There is NO such thing as an international driving licence. The IDL is simply a translation of your government-issued licence. It is not a licence. Your IDL lets you drive legally in foreign countries when accompanied by your valid driver's licence.

 

[KannikaP]

11 minutes ago, mvdf said:

Yes, you are 100% correct. Thank you. Many simply have an embarrassingly elementary knowledge about the IDL.

 

There is NO such thing as an international driving licence. The IDL is simply a translation of your government-issued licence. It is not a licence. Your IDL lets you drive legally in foreign countries when accompanied by your valid driver's licence.

 

Wonder why this even mentions the LICENSE if it does not exist.

[ab design]

I would go to the test Centre and ask because every Centre in thailand have different rules as do all other offices here

some say never mind this is ok and some want a letter from god, that’s how it is

do your self a favor and fill out 2 forms, one for car and one for motorbike,. As once you have the tests they will issue both for an extra 150 baht

if you don’t and you want it on the future you have to actually take the full test unless you have a foreign bike licence

[CFCol]

In order to drive legally in thailand on your national driving licence you must also have an international driving permit, (I believe it is the 1929 version). In the UK it is available from any post office for around 6 pounds. If you do not have an international driving permit to accompany your national driving licence,you are driving illegally.

If you wish to convert/obtain a Thai licence,(motorcycle or car), you need to take 1. National driving licence, 2. IDP, 3. Certificate of residence,(one for each car and motorcycle licence required),from immigration, and medical certificate from a hospital. If you have everything then you do not need to do the written,(computer test), or the actual practical driving test,(ccars only).  If you do not have the IDP then you must do the whole test procedure.

For renewal you only require the Cert. Of Residence, the medical and your expiring Thai Licence. Those are the rules. No ifs or buts.

 

 

[tingtongfarang]

Took a friend of mine together with his idl to get a thai licence he speaks reads and writes perfect thai so i left it to him and only took him as he did,nt know where to go, while he was going from window to window with his forms i noticed one girl was asking him questions, (i thought oh no he forgot something) when i asked he told she asked why he did,nt get his motorcycle licence at the same time ( brit licence has a pic of a moped which i believe allows us to ride upto 50cc) later at home drinking a beer he showed me the motorcycle licence and asked...what does this allow me to do?

I said it means you can got out and buy a 1000cc sawakaki and ride legally to which he replied... but i never even sat on a scooter before!

Edited December 20, 2021 by tingtongfarang

[sandyf]

23 hours ago, jackdd said:

No, there is only one document in Germany

Exactly, and that document is an international driving permit.

https://internationaldrivingpermit.org/country/germany/

[Tropposurfer]

On 12/19/2021 at 5:26 PM, KannikaP said:

There is no such thing as qn International Driving Licence.

Correct Kann... IT IS AN INTERNATIONAL PERMIT and must be replaced by a Thai license (I think its 60 days after arriving in country?. My memory is failing from too many head shots and drugs in my youth so plz excuse) if you have a license from your home country and your country is considered by Thai MOT as being a country that teaches its drivers adequately then gaining a Thai drivers license is relatively simple. Some simple paperwork to collect and present along with your original foreign license (copies), passport photos with white background, copy of your lease or yellow book, copies of your landlords ID card etc, a reflex test and eyesight test of you wear glasses and they'll process you in an hour or so at most MOT sights.

[sandyf]

On 12/19/2021 at 2:33 PM, KannikaP said:

I do not believe that the authorities did not look at your actual Licence.

My original response to that comment was deleted, the suggestion is out of order and should be withdrawn.

Before going to the DLT my wife had rung and asked what was required but when we got there and the IDP & copy were handed over the woman said she would also require a translation of the IDP. My wife asked to see the manager, the woman made a call and we were taken through to the managers office. The manager asked what was the problem and my wife told him she had checked and nothing had been said about a translation and why was it required. The manager asked to see the IDP and looked at it. He said to my wife 'it wasn't' and said to the woman that a translation is not required when there is English text on the document.

We went back to the front desk and the application was processed, there was no reference to the national licence whatsoever.

 

My words were 'they were were  only interested in the IDP' , and that was certainly the case. It was some years ago now and at that time an IDP was listed as a requirement and it appeared to me they were using the IDP as a way of making life difficult for foreigners.

Of course you are free to believe what you want.

 

[jackdd]

39 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Exactly, and that document is an international driving permit.

https://internationaldrivingpermit.org/country/germany/

And in German it's titled International driving license.

[skatewash]

On 12/19/2021 at 2:23 PM, sandyf said:

I think not just his office. I am sure I have seen it somewhere that people that have a national licence that is not in the English language, such as German, would require a certified translation.

An international driver's permit (IDP) acquired in Germany would serve the purpose very well as it would translate the German license into English and interpret the endorsements (motorcycle, for example) correctly.  With an IDP no need to get a translation done in Thailand.

[ourdon]

On 12/19/2021 at 1:35 PM, matteo73 said:

I think there is and it is called:
[FR] permis international de conduire
[IT] patente di guida internazionale
[EN] international drining license

And actually I know Thai police recongnise it, sure 100% 

Unfortunately matteo you are 100% wrong.

An IDL is a certificate handed out by your local Auto club, registry or whomever is authorised for a small fee.  No testing is done.  The certificate puts specific information into the same place no matter where your licence is from.  The constabulary in the hundred and some odd countries that use the IDL format know they only have to check a specific section of the IDL to find out if you are authorised to drive a motorcycle for example.

The auto club just copies the information from your driver licence into the IDL and charges you a fee for doing so.

If stopped you still need your original drivers permit.  You are supposed to provide that permit along with the IDL  .....  Few do.

[skatewash]

On 12/19/2021 at 2:29 PM, jackdd said:

Why such nit picking? Everybody here knows what is being talked about.

By the way, you are not even correct, for example the German document (same for Switzerland and Austria) is indeed titled "International driving license" if you translate the German into English.

No, I have to disagree it's not nitpicking anymore than it's nitpicking for people to know whether they are in Thailand on a visa or an extension of stay.  There are differences that are significant.

An international driver's permit (IDP) is obtained in your home country (the country that issued your license to you) from the government or a driving association.  It is only good with a valid driver's license.  It allows people all over the world  (even Thailand!) to understand exactly what kind of license you have, what you are legally allowed to drive translated to international standards.

An international driver's license implies that it is a standalone license accepted all on its own.  Someone may actually accept an international driver's license in much the same way as you can buy the Brooklyn Bridge, become a Scottish Lord, or have a star named after you, all done online.  But it has no official status, it is not governed by any of the conventions that govern IDPs.  It is not accepted by countries in the same way that IDPs are through the adoption of conventions.

https://www.everquote.com/blog/car-insurance/international-drivers-license/

[JustAnotherHun]

2 hours ago, CFCol said:

In order to drive legally in thailand on your national driving licence you must also have an international driving permit, (I believe it is the 1929 version).

As I wrote already, since May 2021 you need the one from 1968. Other won't be accepted.

[skatewash]

9 minutes ago, JustAnotherHun said:

As I wrote already, since May 2021 you need the one from 1968. Other won't be accepted.

This indicates that Thailand accepts both the 1949 and the 1968 conventions, but not the 1929.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Driving_Permit#Countries_and_jurisdictions_that_recognize_IDP

And yes I would believe a Wikipedia entry over a Thai government website that gets updated every few years, if then. ???? 

[JustAnotherHun]

According to the German Embassy in BKK the only one accepted is 1968. Same info I got from my DL office in Germany. 

Edited December 20, 2021 by JustAnotherHun

[tingtongfarang]

No matter what its called i could'nt be bothered to fly back to the uk to get one so said f.... it and just did the whole licence from start to finish, no big deal as i had both car and motorcycle in 1 day, 

No idea why you guys would even argue what its called.

[tingtongfarang]

2 minutes ago, tingtongfarang said:

No matter what its called i could'nt be bothered to fly back to the uk to get one so said f.... it and just did the whole licence from start to finish, no big deal as i had both car and motorcycle in 1 day, 

No idea why you guys would even argue what its called.

On another note i paid 5500bht for my gf to got to a driving school and get her car licence, after 10 days she got her licence and still cant drive, its scary they let people out on the roads like that!

[Eff1n2ret]

3 hours ago, CFCol said:

medical certificate from a hospital. If you have everything then you do not need to do the written,(computer test),

not so in the case of Rayong, where the OP will be applying. When I did my renewal there two months ago I took a med cert from the local doctor in our town. All he did was take my blood pressure and pulse. No need to go to a hospital.

The online computer training is a must-have. Sit through the nearly 1-hour video, answer 3 simple multiple-choice questions, and print out the certificate at the end. If you don't have that you will have to attend the same video training on designated days/times before they will process your application.

[KannikaP]

2 hours ago, ourdon said:

Unfortunately matteo you are 100% wrong.

An IDL is a certificate handed out by your local Auto club, registry or whomever is authorised for a small fee.  No testing is done.  The certificate puts specific information into the same place no matter where your licence is from.  The constabulary in the hundred and some odd countries that use the IDL format know they only have to check a specific section of the IDL to find out if you are authorised to drive a motorcycle for example.

The auto club just copies the information from your driver licence into the IDL and charges you a fee for doing so.

If stopped you still need your original drivers permit.  You are supposed to provide that permit along with the IDL  .....  Few do.

You are getting your IDL & IDL mixed up. IDP is issued by auto club, post office etc, simply to translate your original driver's LICENCE into various languages. There is NO SUCH THING as an IDL.

[DJ54]

OP in my case current US drivers license and IDL/IDL both were required OR take written (computerized) Test and Driving Test  and Movie at rural office Udon Thani province. This

was for initial 2 years and I’ve 5 year now. 

 

- Medical at local clinic 

- Certificate of residence at Immigration office. Ask for two if you’re applying for Car and Motorcycle ( 2 seperate license whereas US Car/Moto 1 license)

- Passport 

- US license ..

and whatever additional they need currently. brake stop test, color test.. etc.

 

Easy once you’ve prepared everything... 

 

Best of luck .. enjoy the day!

 

[Cletus]

18 hours ago, JustAnotherHun said:

Yes. You can drive 3 months with the IDL from 1968, but you need your national DL aswell.

You mean 3 years...