Thai Drivers License

[Alpinist]

So this is the problem,

my Hawaii license has expired since i have been living over here in Japan (not driving here) and it is impossible for me to get back to Hawaii to renew my license, at least it is my understanding that it must be in present in Hawaii to have it reissued.

anyways is it possible to get a Thai drivers license in English with a Student Visa? it sounds impossible to me but its a question worth asking to see if anyone has any experience in this. thanks ahead.

[Crossy]

You may get better answers in the motoring forum - mods please.

Anyway.

If you have a non-immigrant visa of some kind (ED) then you should be able to get a Thai licence, you may not even have to do a test (your national licence has expired so a test is more likely to be required).

Driving test is a piece of cake, 'written' test is available in English

Best to take a Thai speaker with you to the licence office.

Edited January 14, 2009 by Crossy

[mrtoad]

So this is the problem,

my Hawaii license has expired since i have been living over here in Japan (not driving here) and it is impossible for me to get back to Hawaii to renew my license, at least it is my understanding that it must be in present in Hawaii to have it reissued.

anyways is it possible to get a Thai drivers license in English with a Student Visa? it sounds impossible to me but its a question worth asking to see if anyone has any experience in this. thanks ahead.

If your license was still valid it is very easy, you just need to go to Mo Chit, fill in paperwork, show a valid visa and a medical certificate and undertake a small test (inside).

I guess, as your license is now invalid you will have to do the full test, which eans driving a car around the "toytown complex" at the ministry of transport.

[Alpinist]

great, thanks for such quick responses.

[Tod Daniels]

Here's the information on renew by mail for Hawaiian Driver's Licenses.

http://hawaii.gov/dot/highways/hwy-v/hidlrqmt.pdf

Not being particularly interested in the minutia, I scanned it briefly, and it says you have a YEAR after it expires to renew it. I am not familiar with the different classes of licenses but you might be able to renew it by mail using a Hawaiin address.

A thai driver's license is not that tough to acquire, and is far more tedious and time consuming than difficult. Due to my location when I applied for a thai driver's license I had to go to Sukhumvit Soi 99. As my license from the US hadn't expired I didn't need to take either a driving test or a written one, just a series of moronic aptitude tests that even the thai who had cataracts so bad his wife led him to the testing area passed.

They test depth perception with a shoe box and two dowel rods; one that is operated via remote control, color blindness by pointing to red, yellow and green circles, reaction time by having you press a gas pedal and then the brake before the speed gets to the red zone on a video game like dealy, and then peripheral vision by having you look into a set of goggles which show lights at the edges. It's a no brainer and even if you can't speak thai, the instructors mime it out, and there are enough people taking the test at one time to figure it out.

You get a one year license initially and after it expires you renew it for 5 years. Unless I am mistaken, you must possess a valid thai drivers license first, to get the thai international one they offer at Mo Chit.

Sadly when I was back in the Unite States I could not rent a car with my old style thai driver's license as it looked like a cheap copy that you could buy on KhaoSan Road, and neither rental company I tried in the US would accept it. That being said, the new style "smart card" license actually looks real, and is printed in both thai and english.

Good luck

[Soutpeel]

You get a one year license initially and after it expires you renew it for 5 years. Unless I am mistaken, you must possess a valid thai drivers license first, to get the thai international one they offer at Mo Chit.

Correct... the 5 year variety...

[OxfordWill]

grab a girlfriend from one of the villages, go and visit the village. While there, take your current recently expired license and a copy plus original of her mooban book for her house (she must have a house or her family must have a house). Say you are married, put bits of string on your wrists to prove this. Say this is now your address. You have to go the dvla, they will give you forms, then you have to bring your wifes ID plus house book plus fill in the forms they gave you, make copies etc and then get your wife to ask how it can be arranged that you get a thai license. The cost will be anywhere between 200 baht to 2500 baht. It is not 100% guaranteed but it worked for me using nothing but a UK provisional driving license. Ive never passed a driving test in my life.

[Alpinist]

grab a girlfriend from one of the villages, go and visit the village. While there, take your current recently expired license and a copy plus original of her mooban book for her house (she must have a house or her family must have a house). Say you are married, put bits of string on your wrists to prove this. Say this is now your address. You have to go the dvla, they will give you forms, then you have to bring your wifes ID plus house book plus fill in the forms they gave you, make copies etc and then get your wife to ask how it can be arranged that you get a thai license. The cost will be anywhere between 200 baht to 2500 baht. It is not 100% guaranteed but it worked for me using nothing but a UK provisional driving license. Ive never passed a driving test in my life.

haha it sounds a bit complicated, my gf is already in bkk and just recently got her first drivers license (comes from a well off family so never needed one) she said it was one of the easiest things shes ever done haha and this is coming from a girl who never drove a car in her life so im not expecting any difficulty.

plus thanks to the chap with the link i think i just might be able to make it on the one year mark for renewing my license in hawaii by mail, if so then it shouldn't be a problem. but its good to know the alternatives.

[kyb789]

I just got mine last year in Bangkok. They required

Copy and evidence of my California license.

Health certificate.

Declaration of my current Thailand address from my Embassy.

Lots of forms to fill out. All were in Thai (bring Thai gf).

A reaction test. Not written, but required me to name the colors on an color wheel, measure how fast I can break, and a peripheral vision eye test. All was in Thai. I only needed to know RED, GREEN, YELLOW colors in Thai. gf helped with the rest. Staff not too friendly.

[noahvail]

I just got mine last year in Bangkok. They required

Copy and evidence of my California license.

Health certificate.

Declaration of my current Thailand address from my Embassy.

Lots of forms to fill out. All were in Thai (bring Thai gf).

A reaction test. Not written, but required me to name the colors on an color wheel, measure how fast I can break, and a peripheral vision eye test. All was in Thai. I only needed to know RED, GREEN, YELLOW colors in Thai. gf helped with the rest. Staff not too friendly.

I got my license in Isan last month. No peripheral vision test. Staff was friendly. Do go to a hospital and have the medical certification done - it involves pulse, bp, and breathing, so not too difficult ;-) But yeah, if you don't have a yellow baan book you'll have to go to immigration to get proof it's you and that you have the right to be here - for whatever reason, your passport isn't enough for the MOT - but do bring the passport. As I recall you need 2 copies of the passport, your "new" d/l from Hawaii, the immigration form or first two pages of the yellow baan book, and the med certificate... but maybe it's only one copy. I'm sure someone here can tell you.

[Lite Beer]

Moved to the Motor Forum.

[grapetable]

Im beginning to understand why Thailand has a very large road death toll...........................

[OxfordWill]

haha

If the driver test guy or girl likes you, they will pass you (so long as you can essentially drive obviously). They will even overlook bad parking or a mistake due to being on the test. But if they dont like you, and the chance is there, they will simply fail you 4 times, and then if you can drive, pass u on the 5th. This according to my thai friends.

Whichever way you go, youll get there eventually.

[TerryLH]

I renewed my 5 yr Thai licence about a month ago in Khon Kaen.

Passport copies

Med certificate

Proof of address (letter from imm, your embassy or a work permit)

The above tests mentioned.

Finally, after some discussion about when the licences should expire, they issued me two 6 year licences.

Yes, 6 years. Valid from mid Dec 08 till Dec 2014.

[kerr17]

I renewed my 5 yr Thai licence about a month ago in Khon Kaen.

Passport copies

Med certificate

Proof of address (letter from imm, your embassy or a work permit)

The above tests mentioned.

Finally, after some discussion about when the licences should expire, they issued me two 6 year licences.

Yes, 6 years. Valid from mid Dec 08 till Dec 2014.

I'm just about to get mine, only one thing:

Is it the new Thai driving licence you do in Mo Chit suppose to be international?

If not how i can get an international driving licence once i get the thai one?

Cheers

[Soutpeel]

I'm just about to get mine, only one thing:

Is it the new Thai driving licence you do in Mo Chit suppose to be international?

If not how i can get an international driving licence once i get the thai one?

Cheers

Which new licence...the credit card type with your photo on ??...No... its not an "international license"..

To get an international license in Thailand you need a Thai 5 year driving license and the IDL is issued against this license....keep in mind all a international DL is, is a legalised translation of a valid DL, no more no less...generally valid only for 12 months and has to be accompanied by a valid,legal DL when driving in another country....

The UN and other licenses advertising 10 year and 20 year validity etc are not legal....

If the Thai license you intend getting is the 1 year one (assuming here) then you cant get a IDL based on your Thai license anyway...you need a 5 year Thai DL

[Pdaz]

Read or understand Thai to obtain a licence ?... Don't think so.. From what I have witnessed on the roads I don't think you even need to be able to drive...

[Soutpeel]

Read or understand Thai to obtain a licence ?... Don't think so.. From what I have witnessed on the roads I don't think you even need to be able to drive...

No....but you will need someone with you who can read Thai to fill in the form for you.....the ability to drive in Thailand with a Thai drivers license is an optional extra....