Obtain Driving License On Samui

[patthai74]

Does anyone know the address where I can go to get my driving license on Koh Samui (both car and bike)?

Cheers

[goldfish]

No. When I go (will be going again next week for road tax) I simply head towards Nathon, coming from Lamai direction, and take a left turn about 5km from Nathon. Head up there about 3km and if I don't see it on the left (believe it has a sign and a double concrete road with vegetation in-between) then I turn around and try the next turning. Repeat this three of four times and you should find it.

Send me a pm if you don't go before Tuesday and I'll try to give you better directions

[Rooo]

As Goldfish stated, head towards Nathon from Lamai end, turn left at Raja ferry sign, continue straight down towards the sea,road veers to left, past some hotels on your right, the Transport Department sits on your left, well back from the road.

[soundman]

Moved to Samui forum for local expertise.

[PoorSucker]

You need the following:

Copies of passport and Visa (must be Non-O or Non-B )

Medical certificate.

Letter from Immigration with your permanent address, or copy of WP pages 1-6 and page with last stamp.

Copy of International driving license. (if you do not have this then you will need to take the tests)

Can also work with copy of both sides of western license.

If you intend to take license for both MC and car then you will need all of the above in two copies.

You will need to be at motor office 9 AM for color blind test, reaction test and split vision test.

You need to bring your motorbike/car, they do not have any to lend out.

Good luck

[mattias33]

You need the following:

Copies of passport and Visa (must be Non-O or Non-B )

Medical certificate.

Letter from Immigration with your permanent address, or copy of WP pages 1-6 and page with last stamp.

Copy of International driving license. (if you do not have this then you will need to take the tests)

Can also work with copy of both sides of western license.

If you intend to take license for both MC and car then you will need all of the above in two copies.

You will need to be at motor office 9 AM for color blind test, reaction test and split vision test.

You need to bring your motorbike/car, they do not have any to lend out.

Good luck

Yes, Eu-licence works fine. Medical and paper from immigration. That´s all i show. I had non long stay visa at the time. They just copied the eu licence. The medical certificate is just a paper from a clinic. Alot of them on the mainstreet in nathon. They dont check anything at all, just ask you if you feel ok, hahaha.

Remeber to wear a shirt with arms (t-shirt is ok, but no bare shoulders!), otherwise they just tell you to come back later.

[PoorSucker]

And wear a helmet if you're going to do the test.

[NHJ]

and now the few secrets of what happens during the test.

as said previously, wear t-shirt and you're supposed to wear trousers aswell(written on paper in the main hall).

that being said come between 8-9 as the test will start at 9h30 until mostly 10h30, if you have an internationnal driving license this is the end for you... if not read the following :

then the THAI will get a course with a dvd only in thai and you'll be invited to come back at 13h30 to do the test, so be sure to take something to keep you busy until that time.

at 13h30 and as you're a foreigner you'll be grouped with the other foreigners to pass the test when all the thai finished it wich means certainly another 30 to 60 minutes.

once inside you'll be able to appreciate the strange english of the test machine, once the test is finished this starts to be tricky if you failed.

don't tell the girl you failed, just review quickly where you were mistaken and memorize it, first time i told the girl i failed and she pulled out the card from the machine so no way to review my test!

normally you can ask for a copy of your test to be printed, the answer from the big girl will be negative, if you ask to take a paper and pen, the answer will be negative again, she told me this is memory thing---> the entire conversation was done in thai btw.

after my 3rd coming, the big girl started to be more friendly and we even talked! i said i come everyday and she told me tommorow you gonna have it wich was true

i even joked with her if i could smile while she was taking the picture for my driving license

i think now you're are prepared

Edited February 7, 2009 by NHJ

[animatic]

The only thing missing is where do you find the rules of the road the test is based on?

I have a lifetime French license, but not a valid international one anymore.

So I figure I must take the test. I have survived several years here on bikes and cars,

so my feel for driving style and rules is instinctively good, but my worry is that having a practical,

solid, understanding of standard Thai Koh Samui driving practices, is not the same as understanding

the legal rules that the TEST will be based on...

[PoorSucker]

The only thing missing is where do you find the rules of the road the test is based on?

I have a lifetime French license, but not a valid international one anymore.

So I figure I must take the test. I have survived several years here on bikes and cars,

so my feel for driving style and rules is instinctively good, but my worry is that having a practical,

solid, understanding of standard Thai Koh Samui driving practices, is not the same as understanding

the legal rules that the TEST will be based on...

Is your driving licence in French and English?

They accepted copies of my Swedish (with EU logo) license for the car licence.

Did not have the IDP.

I did not have for MC so for that I had to take the test.

[NALAK]

Drivers License office Nathon/Lipa Noi

077 423 308-9

coming from Nathon 2nd set of lights turn right go past big johns sea food and this place http://www.nikkibeach.com/kohsamui/findus.php go to find us on there web site and driving licence place about 1 km past there on left. if you get to sharp left turn to ferry you gone to far.

about time for a dentist question is it not

[KTD]

This is great info, thanks all.

[happyaussie]

Iwent and failed the writen exam, twice. After my first fail they told me I could do it again. Only problem was, the questions were different. I even tried slipping the girl on the desk 500bht. This didn't work either. Keeping in mind I've never quiet known how to slip someone a bribe.

Yes, maybe I'm just stupid.

Since then I got my license in Phuket. Even that was challenging. I needed my Thai mate to stand behind me to identify the dots on the colour blndness test. And no, I'm not a relic who shouldn't be on the road anyway.

[islandguy]

Look for my previous post covering this topic in detail, hope it helps

islandguy

[BigC]

As Goldfish stated, head towards Nathon from Lamai end, turn left at Raja ferry sign, continue straight down towards the sea,road veers to left, past some hotels on your right, the Transport Department sits on your left, well back from the road.

that left turning is easy to miss. if u have an EU liscence. u only have to do the brake test and response test. then they give u a thai liscence while all the others go on to watch a video, do the exam. then driving test. i got a motor bike liscence in england and car so for it was a peice of pizza

[NALAK]

the great thing now is when you go to renew you have to do test again every 5 ears, if you have bike and car thats twice every 5 years. brake test, colour test, perrifial eye test (think that what they call it) and watch the flipin video again. if it was the old rather large lady you were lucky not to get chucked out, although last time i went she was not there.

[BigC]

the great thing now is when you go to renew you have to do test again every 5 ears, if you have bike and car thats twice every 5 years. brake test, colour test, perrifial eye test (think that what they call it) and watch the flipin video again. if it was the old rather large lady you were lucky not to get chucked out, although last time i went she was not there.

i not do video or driving test or exam. but i have both driving and bike. tell u what i got stopped for no helmet the other day. the que was a mile long. then the copper told me i had to join another que because i have thai driving liscence. i had to wait behinde 1 other person paid the 300 baht and was off into the winde looking back at the 45 minute line behinde whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooosh gone !!!!!!!!!!! then i hit a lamp post. only joking

[imola]

the great thing now is when you go to renew you have to do test again every 5 ears, if you have bike and car thats twice every 5 years. brake test, colour test, perrifial eye test (think that what they call it) and watch the flipin video again. if it was the old rather large lady you were lucky not to get chucked out, although last time i went she was not there.

i not do video or driving test or exam. but i have both driving and bike. tell u what i got stopped for no helmet the other day. the que was a mile long. then the copper told me i had to join another que because i have thai driving liscence. i had to wait behinde 1 other person paid the 300 baht and was off into the winde looking back at the 45 minute line behinde whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooosh gone !!!!!!!!!!! then i hit a lamp post. only joking

you should have used that spare 45 minutes you saved and nipped off to buy yourself a new keyboard

[goldfinger]

its not the keyboard......

[BigC]

the great thing now is when you go to renew you have to do test again every 5 ears, if you have bike and car thats twice every 5 years. brake test, colour test, perrifial eye test (think that what they call it) and watch the flipin video again. if it was the old rather large lady you were lucky not to get chucked out, although last time i went she was not there.

i not do video or driving test or exam. but i have both driving and bike. tell u what i got stopped for no helmet the other day. the que was a mile long. then the copper told me i had to join another que because i have thai driving liscence. i had to wait behinde 1 other person paid the 300 baht and was off into the winde looking back at the 45 minute line behinde whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooosh gone !!!!!!!!!!! then i hit a lamp post. only joking

you should have used that spare 45 minutes you saved and nipped off to buy yourself a new keyboard

have been waiting for that comment. i don't know why my keyboard does this. sometimes its fine sometime it takes me about 20 minutes to write 1 line,. i have to hit the button hard to type it has always done it ever since someone bought it out from england. anyway cann't afford a new lap top so i am stuck wiht it. maybe too many programs open. i dunno

[crusty]

and now the few secrets of what happens during the test.

as said previously, wear t-shirt and you're supposed to wear trousers aswell(written on paper in the main hall).

that being said come between 8-9 as the test will start at 9h30 until mostly 10h30, if you have an internationnal driving license this is the end for you... if not read the following :

then the THAI will get a course with a dvd only in thai and you'll be invited to come back at 13h30 to do the test, so be sure to take something to keep you busy until that time.

at 13h30 and as you're a foreigner you'll be grouped with the other foreigners to pass the test when all the thai finished it wich means certainly another 30 to 60 minutes.

once inside you'll be able to appreciate the strange english of the test machine, once the test is finished this starts to be tricky if you failed.

don't tell the girl you failed, just review quickly where you were mistaken and memorize it, first time i told the girl i failed and she pulled out the card from the machine so no way to review my test!

normally you can ask for a copy of your test to be printed, the answer from the big girl will be negative, if you ask to take a paper and pen, the answer will be negative again, she told me this is memory thing---> the entire conversation was done in thai btw.

after my 3rd coming, the big girl started to be more friendly and we even talked! i said i come everyday and she told me tommorow you gonna have it wich was true

i even joked with her if i could smile while she was taking the picture for my driving license

i think now you're are prepared

Yes one of the girls is very naughty. As I keep both large and small photos of myself in my wallet, I asked her " Do you like big ones or small ones" ? She looked me straight in the eye and replied "I like big ones" !

[BigC]

and now the few secrets of what happens during the test.

as said previously, wear t-shirt and you're supposed to wear trousers aswell(written on paper in the main hall).

that being said come between 8-9 as the test will start at 9h30 until mostly 10h30, if you have an internationnal driving license this is the end for you... if not read the following :

then the THAI will get a course with a dvd only in thai and you'll be invited to come back at 13h30 to do the test, so be sure to take something to keep you busy until that time.

at 13h30 and as you're a foreigner you'll be grouped with the other foreigners to pass the test when all the thai finished it wich means certainly another 30 to 60 minutes.

once inside you'll be able to appreciate the strange english of the test machine, once the test is finished this starts to be tricky if you failed.

don't tell the girl you failed, just review quickly where you were mistaken and memorize it, first time i told the girl i failed and she pulled out the card from the machine so no way to review my test!

normally you can ask for a copy of your test to be printed, the answer from the big girl will be negative, if you ask to take a paper and pen, the answer will be negative again, she told me this is memory thing---> the entire conversation was done in thai btw.

after my 3rd coming, the big girl started to be more friendly and we even talked! i said i come everyday and she told me tommorow you gonna have it wich was true

i even joked with her if i could smile while she was taking the picture for my driving license

i think now you're are prepared

Yes one of the girls is very naughty. As I keep both large and small photos of myself in my wallet, I asked her " Do you like big ones or small ones" ? She looked me straight in the eye and replied "I like big ones" !

so thats what a " Driving lisccence is " thats why i must of got mine so easy. i had a very big 1 in my wallet lol

[Master of the court]

I have a thai license for a car but need to get a bike license.

Now I don't have such licence from EU so I need to do the test.

How can I do that when I don't speak thai at all ?

[BigC]

I have a thai license for a car but need to get a bike license.

Now I don't have such licence from EU so I need to do the test.

How can I do that when I don't speak thai at all ?

the exam is in english aswell on a computer thing. it can be done

[NALAK]

I have a thai license for a car but need to get a bike license.

Now I don't have such licence from EU so I need to do the test.

How can I do that when I don't speak thai at all ?

the video has English subtitles, the books they give you to read are in English, as long as you know how to drive in fog, what to do at railway crossing and what police hand signals mean you will be ok. all of these you will see on a daily basis on samui so no probs. My practical involed riding araound the car park once whilst the women watched me from the window.

[itishothere]

as long as you know how to drive in fog, what to do at railway crossing and what police hand signals mean you will be ok. all of these you will see on a daily basis on samui so no probs.

[PoorSucker]

the video has English subtitles, the books they give you to read are in English, as long as you know how to drive in fog, what to do at railway crossing and what police hand signals mean you will be ok. all of these you will see on a daily basis on samui so no probs. My practical involed riding araound the car park once whilst the women watched me from the window.

Never seen the railway on Samui, maybe it's because of the fog.

Edited March 7, 2010 by PoorSucker

[MattCinderey]

If you already hold a 5 year thai driving license for a car, do you still have to do the exams for the bike license?

or do you just have to do the practical test?

I need to get my bike license very soon.

Matt.

[PoorSucker]

If you already hold a 5 year thai driving license for a car, do you still have to do the exams for the bike license?

or do you just have to do the practical test?

I need to get my bike license very soon.

Matt.

Different exam for bikes, so yes you must take the test.

[BigC]

the video has English subtitles, the books they give you to read are in English, as long as you know how to drive in fog, what to do at railway crossing and what police hand signals mean you will be ok. all of these you will see on a daily basis on samui so no probs. My practical involed riding araound the car park once whilst the women watched me from the window.

Never seen the railway on Samui, maybe it's because of the fog.

what about when its raining cats and frogs. are i need a drink !!!