Driving License Renewal

[Jai Dee]

Today I went to the Driving License centre in Pattaya to renew my license which is due to expire on the 28th of this month. I thought I'd be smart and not wait until it expired. I had been told that I could get a 5 year license this time, because I'd had a normal license with no record of infringements for a whole year now.

Anyway, I arrive clutching my little fistful of paperwork... passport, work permit, photographs etc and present myself to the forms counter to get the correct form for license renewal.

After duly filling out the form, and getting a Thai acquaintance from work to check the forms for me to verify that I had filled it in correctly and not overlooked anything, after a bit of a wait in the queue, I presented myself to the counter for new license issues, renewals, and payments. I should add at this point that I had changed addresses in the pasy year... the address on my license was not my current address that I put on the renewal form.

It all went wrong from there...

Firstly, I was informed that I had to fill out another form for change of address and if I apply for license renewal under the new address I would only be able to have a 1 year renewal.

Secondly, I was told that I could go to the Immigration Office with a representative of my employer, and request a letter from them validating my residency status, together with a small fee of 500 THB, then I could be issued with a 5 year license.

Third, I was told that I couldn't get my new license today anyway because my photographs were no good. Apparently the high gloss surface on the photos were too glossy to allow the ink from the official stamp to adhere. When I showed them my current license with a copy of exactly the same photograph... complete with stamp, there was a bit of "humming and hawing" (in Thai of course) and then I was politley informed that the photos were still no good as they had to be a recent one... taken within the past few weeks.

Then it was suggested to me that if I return on the 30th, the first business day after my license expires, and don't change my address, provided I could provide them with new photographs, I could be issued with a 5 year license... no problems at all, but if I apply for renewal before the 30th, I would only get a 1 year license.

Draw your own conclusions...

[Dragonman]

Jai Dee. You haven't been reading our recent posts on this subject have you?

If you have the immigration letter that gives you your change of address, so no need to fill in form. Don't know about employer, just requested my house details in immigration. But who knows, they'll probably change the rules again today.

[RDN]

Jai Dee. You haven't been reading our recent posts on this subject have you?

....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

EVERYBODY knows you've got to go the day AFTER the license has expired in order to get a 5 year license. Some people! :D

[Jai Dee]

Thanks guys...

I did read somewhere that sympathy is somewhere between sh1t & syphillis in the dictionary...

Edited May 20, 2005 by Jai Dee

[ozzydom]

Thanks guys... 

I did read somewhere that sympathy is somewhere between sh1t & syphillis in the dictionary...

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Jai Dee..> like all government dept,s in LoS ,if you cop someone having a bad hair day they can make life pretty miserable,but then you can strike it lucky.

I applied for my 5 year licenses here in C/M 2 weeks early because my bike insurance was due and thought ,ok kill 2 birds with one stone. In and out with insurance and 2 licenses in 20 minutes and I also had changed adress ,plus the girl on the counter filled in the paperwork.(I just pleaded ignorance...not hard to do in my case )

same at immigration, was 23 days late for my 90 day residential notification owing to having visitors from oz and just plain slipped my mind,explained to the guy that I,d been giving the turps a bit of a nudge and forgot. He just rolled the date stamp back and said ,"see, you only 6 days late,no probalem" I wont make a habit of being late but it shows there are nice people in these dept,s and showing them a bit of the old oz humility goes a long way.

[goodguy]

Hey Down in Pattaya they are really trying to pull your plonker. I had a year license expire and changed my address. I was informed that an Embassy letter was adequate for proof of address. Though a lot more than the free letter from Room 401 which can take up to month for the process including a vist from the local police.

I used the letter from the embassy, I waited about a month with a cover note and the old license, I then collected my first 5 year license.

Pattaya must be full of strange idiots working for the government.

Edited May 27, 2005 by goodguy

[Brew]

and you need an actual passport photo, not older than 3 months. if you show up with the same picture than last year, it is rejected, by sure

[RDN]

...if you show up with the same picture than last year, it is rejected, by sure

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It worked on my visa extension

[aletta]

if you show up with the same picture than last year, it is rejected

Years ago had a big pile of identical photos printed off and just use the same photo each year for visa/licence etc.

[Jai Dee]

Thanks for rejuvenating this thread guys.

I'd forgotten all about it...

Now my license has expired I'd better do something about it... I'll keep you posted!

[tuky]

then I was politley informed that the photos were still no good as they had to be a recent one... taken within the past few weeks.

Nat was saying the other night you had put on weight, but I didn't think it was that much

That Beer Chang certainly does age a bloke eh J?

[Jai Dee]

Nat was saying the other night you had put on weight, but I didn't think it was that much   

That Beer Chang certainly does age a bloke eh J?

 

Nah... you got it wrong... she was saying that she's put on weight...

From 45 kg to 46 kg...

[Gary A]

Last week I went to Pattaya immigration and told them I wanted the paperwork for a five year license. I had to provide a copy of my condo chanote as well as a health check paper from the doctor. I was then told to return in two hours to pick up the papers. That was on the day my license expired. It was too late to drive the 20 kilometers to the driver's license office so I did that the next morning. I studied the windows and chose one that said renewals. I stood in line for 20 minutes only to be told to go to the first window for an application. I stand in line again and get the application. I go fill it out then stand back in the renewal line again. I gave the lady all the paperwork and she told me the photo was too old and to go get a new photo. It was the same photo that was on my one year license. I went across the road, got a new photo and stood in line AGAIN. After she examined the papers, collected 505 baht, she told me to come back on Tuesday to pick up my license. Yesterday I picked up my five year license and all is well again. It was not a pleasant way to spend two days plus a trip back to pick up the license.

Today I went to the Driving License centre in Pattaya to renew my license which is due to expire on the 28th of this month.  I thought I'd be smart and not wait until it expired. I had been told that I could get a 5 year license this time, because I'd had a normal license with no record of infringements for a whole year now.

Anyway, I arrive clutching my little fistful of paperwork... passport, work permit, photographs etc and present myself to the forms counter to get the correct form for license renewal.

After duly filling out the form, and getting a Thai acquaintance from work to check the forms for me to verify that I had filled it in correctly and not overlooked anything, after a bit of a wait in the queue, I presented myself to the counter for new license issues, renewals, and payments.  I should add at this point that I had changed addresses in the pasy year... the address on my license was not my current address that I put on the renewal form.

It all went wrong from there... 

Firstly, I was informed that I had to fill out another form for change of address and if I apply for license renewal under the new address I would only be able to have a 1 year renewal. 

Secondly, I was told that I could go to the Immigration Office with a representative of my employer, and request a letter from them validating my residency status, together with a small fee of 500 THB, then I could be issued with a 5 year license. 

Third, I was told that I couldn't get my new license today anyway because my photographs were no good.  Apparently the high gloss surface on the photos were too glossy to allow the ink from the official stamp to adhere.  When I showed them my current license with a copy of exactly the same photograph... complete with stamp, there was a bit of "humming and hawing" (in Thai of course) and then I was politley informed that the photos were still no good as they had to be a recent one... taken within the past few weeks.

Then it was suggested to me that if I return on the 30th, the first business day after my license expires, and don't change my address, provided I could provide them with new photographs, I could be issued with a 5 year license... no problems at all, but if I apply for renewal before the 30th, I would only get a 1 year license.

Draw your own conclusions... 

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