Thai 1 And 5 Year Driver's License

[Chainat1]

Hi all

I was told in March 05 when I renewed my licence that farrangs can no longer have 5 year licenses. Only one year's can now be issued. Does anybody know if this is true?

[RDN]

I'll be going for a 5-year on Friday or Saturday - I'll let you know!

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Some offices do and some offices don't. T i T

[corkscrew]

Hi all

I was told in March 05 when I renewed my licence that farrangs can no longer have 5 year licenses. Only one year's can now be issued. Does anybody know if this is true?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The Bangkok office will issue farangs holding a NonImm visa a 5 year license after the one year license expires.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Hi all

I was told in March 05 when I renewed my licence that farrangs can no longer have 5 year licenses. Only one year's can now be issued. Does anybody know if this is true?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The Bangkok office will issue farangs holding a NonImm visa a 5 year license after the one year license expires.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I Agree.

[Chainat1]

Hi all

I was told in March 05 when I renewed my licence that farrangs can no longer have 5 year licenses. Only one year's can now be issued. Does anybody know if this is true?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The Bangkok office will issue farangs holding a NonImm visa a 5 year license after the one year license expires.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I Agree.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Does it make a difference if its a 3 month non-immigrant rather than a 1 year non immigrant?

Do you have to be resident in the province where you apply?

[RDN]

I'll be going for a 5-year on Friday or Saturday - I'll let you know!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Wooo hooo! Got both my 5 year licences!

I've pinned the basic details here in case you don't want to read this "short" story:

OK - here's what happened at Phuket.

I got to the Land Transport Office at 8:30am and grabbed a ticket from the pile near window number 3. Number 162 .

The TV screen burst into life at about 9 o'clock. By 10 o'clock the number displayed had rocketed to 10 .

I went shopping at Robinson's - got something to eat as I hadn't had breakfast. When I got back I parked the pick-up where I could see the TV, and next to a car with a farang in it reading a book. The TV showed "20".

I thought about ripping the "1" from my ticket so it looked like "62". But didn't.

Then I saw my mate who used to live next door to me in Rawai. He was there with another farang and Thai girl. I went to speak to him. He said he was trying to get a 5 year licence but he didn't have a 1 year one. So I explained what the rules are, and he said his Thai girl "knows some people" and can get it done - with a bit of tea money. I got a little pissed off at this, because I was doing it by the book and had to wait hours. So he went upstairs to do the colour blindness test and get it sorted, while I sat like a plonker downstairs. About ten minutes later he came down having a heated discussion with his mate and the Thai girl - they had failed. I was internally laughing my head off, but externally very sympathetic. Som nam na!

I went for a walk and came back to find the book-reading farang sitting on a bench under a tree so I thought I'd try to make conversation. Turns out he was Norwegian and his girl friend was taking the driving test. He promised she could drive his car if she passed! .

We had a great chat - he was at Kao Lak when the tsunami came and lost his wife. He nearly died too - was under water for more than a minute. His girlfriend worked as a supervisor in the hotel he was in - the Merlin - and she had already been befriended by him and his wife before the tsunami, and she took care of him while he recovered in hospital. Now they may get married.

At 12 o'clock the number on the TV was about 35, and his g/f was having a food break after the written test so we decided to go get some food too. Back to Robinson and KFC, and then Swensen's for a coffee.

Whilst people-watching at KFC a pick-up backed out of an alley into the main road and two girls on a bike smashed into him. Girls on the ground, bike in bits, lots of people gathering round, no serious injuries because the girls were travelling slowly. Stupid driver, he deserved locking up. After a long time he drove off. I hope they made him pay up.

Back to the Transport Office. Anticipation as to what the number will be. Now it's 1:30 and the number is.... 55.

So we go to watch people driving around the test track and parking their cars - proper parking, reversing into a space. Something I think you only ever see a Thai do during the test . The guy's g/f is a very good-looking Muslim Thai girl. It was now her turn for the test and we didn't watch, as she requested, because she would be more nervous.

So we waited at the back of the office where I heard another farang say "Norway" to a Thai lady. I told my new friend ("Norway1") and they start gabbling away at 19 to the dozen in what seems a hilarious parody of a language - a bit like Monty Python's Swedish chef. It turns out that this second Norwegian is doing the same as me - 2 x 5-year licences. His ticket is number 225.

Norway1's g/f turns up, overcome with happiness and joy! She had passed her test!

After we said our goodbyes and they left, Norway2 and I talked to the Thai lady. She had ticket 116. I half-jokingly asked her to swap tickets for 100 baht. Then 200, then 300, but she wouldn't! She'd already gone for a sleep twice while waiting and didn't want to lose her place. She had arrived there at 7:30am to get her number 116. So there must've been one h3ll of a crowd waiting for the doors to open to grab those low-numbered tickets!

Norway2 told me they shut at 3:30 and I was beginning to wonder what would happen. But the numbers started to count up quicker and quicker. Clearly, a lot of people had given up and gone to do something more important. So my number came up at 4:05 pm. Only 8 hours wait .

I gave the girl all the documents, my passport and old licences, had to sign a couple of photocopies that I'd forgotten to sign (the address certificate copies), and was given back the Medical Certificate (not required) and handed over the dosh. Then... disappointment. "Please come back tomorrow, same time".

So, today, 4 pm, I was there again. Showed my passport and was given the licences. As I was about to drive off, I saw Norway2 leaving the office. So we chat - he had to come back today because the photos he submitted yesterday (at 4:45) were "too big - only showed his face". Needed to show all of head, and neck, and top of shoulders."

After more goodbyes, I went to the photo shop and got the paper licences laminated (10 baht each).

The dates the licences expire is in May B.E. 2554 (2011) - about 5 years 10 months from now - because my birthday was two months ago and you get 5 years PLUS the part of a year up to your next birthday.

All in all, an interesting couple of days, but not something I'd want to do again for at least... oooh... 5 years, 10 months.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Great report RDN and congratulations

[Firefan]

Thanks for the report RDN - sounds like I have a couple of days of fun ahead of me there! Cheers!

[Captain Chaos]

This morning I renewed my DL & "motocy" licences at On Nut (Suk 63) Nothing like as much fun as RDN had and not much to add except that they gave me 5 year licences without any problems. Seems it can be done, in BKK (parts of, at least) as well as Phuket.

The place was very sparsely populated at 08.30 when I arrived. Guess a rainy mid-week early morning is the time to go!

[RDN]

This morning I renewed my DL & "motocy" licences at On Nut (Suk 63) Nothing like as much fun as RDN had  and not much to add except that they gave me 5 year licences without any problems. Seems it can be done, in BKK (parts of, at least) as well as Phuket.

The place was very sparsely populated at 08.30 when I arrived. Guess a rainy mid-week early morning is the time to go!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well done, CC. I think Phuket has too many motocy's per capita and too few licensing offices. (Just the one, I think)

The other problem was I went two days after 1. a weekend, 2. two Buddha holidays and 3. the previous last day they were open, their computer crashed.

So I think there was a huge backlog of people waiting.

Having said that, whenever I drive by, the place is always packed. I think it'll implode soon.