Expats, Do You Have A Valid Thai Driver'S License?

[bubba]

Yes. I have one for car and one for motorbike.

Why would anyone not have one?

Easy. If you don't drive in Thailand. Duh.

As mentioned above, for general ID at clubs, domestic flight check-in, etc. Duh.

Did you know you can use any government-issued photo ID for domestic flight security in Thailand? (duh) I use my home drivers licence all the time for that.

[draggons]

Car and bike. as mentioned before usefull for lots of things.

[katasyd]

I got a good one.

I was driving from Bkk to Pattaya when at a set of lights i was sideswiped by a early 90's mercedes, not bad damage but unsightly

I kept my cool because i knew i was in for the inevitable blame game with the Thai driver and his wife.

They were saying i should pay them 20,000 baht or the police will do this and that, just idle threats that were expected anyway.

I said nothing besides "Call the police" and i waited for about 20 mins before 2 bib's arrived.

That's when i pulled out my trump card, My 5 year license and I asked to see his license for insurance purposes, all this right in front of the police.

His face told me he did not have one and he started rummaging around in his car for about 20 mins, even in the trunk but all to no avail, just a stall tactic.

Police sided with me and i paid the man nothing.

A small but wonderful victory thanks to the license.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Yes. I have one for car and one for motorbike.

Why would anyone not have one?

Easy. If you don't drive in Thailand. Duh.

It's you who made it an overly simplified poll, Duh.

Clearly it will differ by region also; if you live far up country then you are likely to drive. If you live in Pattaya and use the motor boys, you may not need one. Another typical case of you projecting your own lifestyle on to the whole of Thailand.

Anyway it's also good to have when ID is required, such as when flying somewhere. And a 5 year Thai driver's license tends to shut police up pretty quickly when they stop you for a random check. The smart ones anyway.

Edited September 22, 2010 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Konini]

Hope someone can give me a bit of advise - we've recently arrived here on non immigration 'O' visa's which I believe means we can apply for Thai licence. My husband has an international licence but I didn't bother getting one this year. Is that necessary, or will my Australian licence be sufficient? Also, when we moved from UK to Aus, we had to sit a written test and eyesight test only. Would we have to do an actual driving test here? We don't have a bike yet which could cause a problem.

Thanks in advance for any help

[beechguy]

Hope someone can give me a bit of advise - we've recently arrived here on non immigration 'O' visa's which I believe means we can apply for Thai licence. My husband has an international licence but I didn't bother getting one this year. Is that necessary, or will my Australian licence be sufficient? Also, when we moved from UK to Aus, we had to sit a written test and eyesight test only. Would we have to do an actual driving test here? We don't have a bike yet which could cause a problem.

Thanks in advance for any help

Here is a link to a pinned topic in the Motoring Forum. http://www.thaivisa....iving-licences/

Some of the process depends on where you are applying, but you don't need an International License, your Australian License will be fine. A motorcycle license is separate from the car license, and you probably would not have to do a written or actual driving test, just a couple of eye tests and a simple reaction test.

Edited September 22, 2010 by beechguy

[Konini]

Here is a link to a pinned topic in the Motoring Forum. http://www.thaivisa....iving-licences/

Some of the process depends on where you are applying, but you don't need an International License, your Australian License will be fine. A motorcycle license is separate from the car license, and you probably would not have to do a written or actual driving test, just a couple of eye tests and a simple reaction test.

Thanks for the info and the link