Thought i post this up for friends living in Chiang Rai as well...

Did my 5 years renewal for the first time yesterday, i found out from my neighbour that to avoid the morning crowd and long waiting time, the best time to go into the land transport department was right after lunch break, true enough there's only a handful of applicants.

The documents needed were :

- The expired driving licence (just the expired licence, no application form needed)

- Letter of residency (got it from Mae Sai Immigration for 100 THB)

- Medical certificate from the local hospital (got it from Overbrook Hospital for 80 THB, went in during lunch break, cleared this stage within 30 min)

- Photocopy of passport bio-detail page and permission of stay extension page (only this 2 pages is required, no need to copy date stamp and disembarkation card)

Payment for licence :

- 505 THB for application

- 100 THB for the licence

- 5 THB for the plastic protective envelope thingy (optional, but i bought it because it was as if she was signalling me to buy it like she needed a tip or something)

That's it, exit the building with my brand new 5 years and 1 month (till my next birthday) driving licence, all within a record time of 8 min.

It doesn't cost that much more for the hard plastic version, like a credit card. Holds up much better than the paper one with the plastic thingy. Looks better too.

the 1st year and 5 year type i had are the hard plastic credit card type, i think the paper in laminated film are scrap already, haven't seen them around for years...

I didn't want the soft plastic cover either, but the way she pointed and hinted at the tray of plastic covers she's selling, is like as if she want to make some extra money...Oh well, what the hack....how much? 5 Baht?...ok ...here....

The hard plastic Credit Card License is also a very useful piece of ID when you are out and about.

I often use mine to get into places like National parks and as I am over 60 now they let me in for free. Try it and let us all know how you get on. It works ok for me.

Cheers AjarnP

I want to thank RedBullHorn, I followed his instructions and was able to complete the renewal process in one day before 2 PM here in the Rai with no glitches. By having all the papers in order sure makes it quick and painless when one knows what is really required. It is a pleasure to read the THAI VISA Forum and get real time experiences and recommendations. It makes my life easier here in the LOS. (Plug) In addition, the Mae Sai Immigration office is a pleasure to work with. Cheers