11 minutes ago, Mavideol said:

on the paper they gave him, for Renewal,  no mention of anything other than the passport, old license and tabian ban and the QR from the test

Like I said different in places

6 hours ago, problemfarang said:

well as even you can understand, the topic is about thai DL. 

and yes, you have the right to drive with that visa type with your DL. International would be better. Imagine that a tourist come to thailand and rent a car... cannot? with your logic cannot. reality is, yes can

In your post above you literally said "You dont need a DL at all".

On 9/13/2022 at 9:01 PM, FriendlyFarang said:

The first Thai license is always for two years.

When you go to extend it after these two years and hold a non-immigrant visa you will get a 5 years license, without a non-immigrant visa you will get another 2 years license.

this was the answer i was looking for. thank you FriendlyFarang. i wasn't aware of getting another 2 years. this is pretty rad. unfortunately, i don't think one can get a Thai IDP with the 2 year license (on paper, i think). Still a super dope option!

 

btw, Dr. Jack, the certificate of residence actually is as easy as handing over baht, just to the immigration office (personally done at Chiang Mai, Ayyuthaya). the duration is tied to visa expiration.

 

yes, sorry to be vague: i typically live in a nearby country where getting a driver's license is only possible if you have residence card, which expires when that resident card expires, which itself is kinda tied to a proper visa. between those times, it's a problem.

 

ive actually never rode a motorcycle in the US, and i'd imagine it would be strange riding there; I've never rode on a highway except when there's no other choice (my hometown is all highways). i'm used to the Asian way, lol, country-side driving. Once i'm back in the States, i'll try to get one.

 

Thus, getting a license + IDP in a nearby country is interesting to me. The license reciprocation document accepts most nearby countries. Im for sure certain it's easier to obtain than in the US, but i believe the US license lasts much longer than 2 years (at least cars do).

 

anyway, thanks for the info. i got ill driving to and back that provincial land transport office. it was a hot day. ugh. i'll go at it again tho. a good ride.

3 minutes ago, rahil627 said:

this was the answer i was looking for. thank you FriendlyFarang

I said that page 1. 

 

If you have a tourist visa you only get a temporary driver's license. 

Even if you had a 5 year license prior. 

 

I went from a 5 year driver's license back to a 1 year because I entered Thailand on a tourist visa. 

ah yes, your post was valuable too, sorry. im doing this from an old phone, hard to reply to a pageful.

 

your situation is indeed similar to mine. thanks for the input!