54 minutes ago, thpitsch said:

You can apply for an extension of your residence permit four weeks before your current residence permit expires. If you want to renew your driver's license during this period, you have more than a year. Will that be enough to get five years?

 

Your driver licence expires on your birthday, and that is when you can renew it

4 minutes ago, CallumWK said:

 

Your driver licence expires on your birthday, and that is when you can renew it

 

Can renew up to 6 months prior to expiration.

8 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

 

Can renew up to 6 months prior to expiration.

 

https://www.motorist.co.th/en/article/4294/how-to-renew-a-5-year-driver-s-license-for-another-5-years-in-2025-requirements-process

Note: Drivers can renew their driving licenses up to 90 days (or 3 months) in advance

16 minutes ago, CallumWK said:

 

Your driver licence expires on your birthday, and that is when you can renew it

A day later and get 6 years......🤗

Just now, transam said:

A day later and get 6 years......🤗

 

Mine's coming up. Exactly a day? I was thinking a week.

8 minutes ago, CallumWK said:

 

https://www.motorist.co.th/en/article/4294/how-to-renew-a-5-year-driver-s-license-for-another-5-years-in-2025-requirements-process

Note: Drivers can renew their driving licenses up to 90 days (or 3 months) in advance

On 7/23/2025 at 1:04 PM, richard_smith237 said:

 

Wow... just wow...   What is it with the mental cases that have to shoe-horn in a 'Trump-comment' into any thread no matter how thin, tenuous or completely unrelated the thread could possibly be..... 

 

The Syndrome ™

backflip ?

 

28 minutes ago, CallumWK said:

 

Your driver licence expires on your birthday, and that is when you can renew it

 

absolutely not true. i just did mine and i am 6 months away from my bday. 

33 minutes ago, CallumWK said:

 

Your driver licence expires on your birthday, and that is when you can renew it

 

 

Not so.

 

The smart move is to renew a day after your birthday, then you get 6 years validity.

16 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

 

Mine's coming up. Exactly a day? I was thinking a week.

u to you as they say... but driving for a week on an expired licence... I like my insurance to be valid !

18 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

This Andy statement is as clear as some barstool talk after the 2nd beer. Why can't he describe what he HAS.

"365 days left on your visa" seems fairly clear to me.

10 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

u to you as they say... but driving for a week on an expired licence... I like my insurance to be valid !

 

 

There is no problem renewing a DL up to 1 year after expiry without taking a test.

 

Mine expired in March, I will get round to renewing it in the next couple of months.

21 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

backflip ?

 

Mot the Bullsh!tter.

This nothing new.  I went through this in January living outside of Korat.  Here they told me I had to have a 90 days left on my Visa to renew a 5 year license.  So I would have to enter Thailand with a non-O and go to the license renewal place first, the same day to get a 5 year which is almost impossible to do.   So I have a 2 year license.  This was my 3rd renewal.

7 pages, so far, on a scare-mongering inaccurate post from an Agent!

On 7/23/2025 at 12:12 PM, scubascuba3 said:

Further evidence

I think it would be prudent to just wait to see how this all shakes out.  O & OA are valid for one year so those people should be ok.  If the "valid for one year" is interpreted as "at the time of application for DL" then the O & OA won't qualify.  The problem is that it doesn't say which.  Too much room for ambiguity (at this point).

Nothing new on the official DLT website. All requirements are still the same if anyone cares to check.

https://www.dlt.go.th/

1 hour ago, VocalNeal said:

 

Mine's coming up. Exactly a day? I was thinking a week.

I do something like that in case there is a 7 day leeway......🤗

1 hour ago, Ralf001 said:

u to you as they say... but driving for a week on an expired licence... I like my insurance to be valid !

Well, stay at home for a day on here, then get 6 years.......

Departement of Land & Transport still have the OLD RULES!!!
https://www.dlt.go.th/en/two-year-license (also 5 year-license)

8 minutes ago, transam said:

Well, stay at home for a day on here, then get 6 years.......

I always renew the next after my birthday.... Ia ok to risk no insurance for a few hours.... but not a week (or more) like some other's

 

whats the go with the <deleted>in emoji's, are you a child ?

12 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

I always renew the next after my birthday.... Ia ok to risk no insurance for a few hours.... but not a week (or more) like some other's

 

whats the go with the <deleted>in emoji's, are you a child ?

Child, at least I check what I have written before I post, mon ami...😉

I think we need to wait until we get more information as I believe what they’re saying is if you have a tourist visa or any other type of visa for that matter which isn’t valid for one year then you only qualify for a 2 year license.

 

However if u have a retirement visa which is valid for one year then you qualify for the 5 year license even if your visa is coming up for renewal as it’s still a one year visa. 

 

Otherwise it would be impossible for anyone on one year extension to get a 5 year license in the future as none will be valid for a year exactly at the time of applying 

 

That seems to make more sense 

 

 

 

44 minutes ago, Skeety65 said:

I think we need to wait until we get more information as I believe what they’re saying is if you have a tourist visa or any other type of visa for that matter which isn’t valid for one year then you only qualify for a 2 year license.

 

However if u have a retirement visa which is valid for one year then you qualify for the 5 year license even if your visa is coming up for renewal as it’s still a one year visa. 

 

Otherwise it would be impossible for anyone on one year extension to get a 5 year license in the future as none will be valid for a year exactly at the time of applying 

 

That seems to make more sense 

 

 

 

Luckily my extensions are 2 yrs !

1 hour ago, kimothai said:

I think it would be prudent to just wait to see how this all shakes out.  O & OA are valid for one year so those people should be ok.  If the "valid for one year" is interpreted as "at the time of application for DL" then the O & OA won't qualify.  The problem is that it doesn't say which.  Too much room for ambiguity (at this point).

We can only wait and see

4 hours ago, steve187 said:

does it matter

Possible not if it's just a poor translation from Thai. But possibly yes if it's not a translation error and they are supposed to be taken seriously as an 'authority' on driving licensing.

3 hours ago, hotandsticky said:

3 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

u to you as they say... but driving for a week on an expired licence... I like my insurance to be valid !

 

 

There is no problem renewing a DL up to 1 year after expiry without taking a test.

 

Mine expired in March, I will get round to renewing it in the next couple of months.

No problem in renewing; however, you will have a problem if you need a payout from the insurance, as Ralf001 pointed out.

2 hours ago, transam said:

Well, stay at home for a day on here, then get 6 years.......

And for riding to DLT there should be alternative transport?

Funny enough: my car and motorcycle license have different due dates. So always an option to choose.

4 hours ago, sandyf said:

"365 days left on your visa" seems fairly clear to me.

Oh yes. So clear that it is worth a 7 page thread here and nationwide uproar at the expat community.

"Left on the visa" is wrong from the beginning. If you enter the country with a single entry visa, there is nothing left on the visa. It's used.

Some will never use correct terms.