How Expired Can The One Year License Be?

[gopbi]

Here's one for the experts out there..

I have both my original one year car Thai license and separate motorbike Thai license.. But they expired back in 2008, Dec 2008 to be exact as that's my birth month.. I left Thailand before they initially expired as I took another foreign base assignment so I never renewed them.. just never thought about it,..

So now I am coming back..

What are my options and expectations? I do have a valid Non-Imm B and will get my work permit about 30 days after I arrive..

In the end, if I can only apply for a completely new 1 year, that's not the end of the world, but it would be nice if I can 'piggy back' on my old licenses to get the 5 year editions..

Anyone??? Advice? counsel? Actual experiences?

My LTO office is the Suk 66 location as my residence was and will again be in the Prakanong area.

[Kwasaki]

I have not been in your position but I would just go to your local office anyway and you will find out exactly what that area requires.

Get along and get the Thai licenses whatever they turn out be, if you are going to drive in Thailand everyone usually knows it's better to have a Thai license.

I think you will be issued a 1 year license again and you will have to have a valid full license from your country, if you haven't got one you will have to go through the the Thai theory & driving tests for both car & motorbike.

Edited April 7, 2011 by Kwasaki

[Spoonman]

My 1 year licence was expired for 2 yrs when I renewed it, I had to do the written test, they told me if it had been under 12 months no test required.

My Ex Boss renewed his after it had been expired for 6yrs, he had an IDP so no test for him.

both of us were issued with 5yr licenses, this was in Au Udom.

[electrozebra]

Renewed mine today. 18 months out of date. Sat the computer test of 30 questions....... and failed with a score of 20/30 !!!

The questions may have been in English but not good English and to my mind there were too many options that did apply but only 1 option was right. No problemo, they sat me on the next terminal, different questions and I passed.

No colour test or brake test this time.

660 Baht (inc 100 Baht tax) and I was given a 5 year licence.

Done in Cha-Am.

Not sure if that helps.

[Spoonman]

Pretty much how it went down for me Electro, I failed the test as well, the answers were just plain dumb....................I re-sat it straight away with a Thai "prompter" to assist with the answers !!!

[electrozebra]

Pretty much how it went down for me Electro, I failed the test as well, the answers were just plain dumb....................I re-sat it straight away with a Thai "prompter" to assist with the answers !!!

I'm glad it wasn't only me. They show some really bad graphics on that terminal I used

To make sure I upped my score i checked the answers I had got wrong and applied that learning to the next terminal. I do not understand why they repeated the same questions in the same test with yet another set of options. Weird

Anyway, I am happy I do not have to go through that 'gobbledegook' again for another 5 years

I only renewed my car licence because I got a tug at a toll booth on my last trip out. 500 Baht or a trip to the police station. Decided now it was time to get a new licence. Cheaper in the long run.

[CRUNCHER]

Renewed mine today. 18 months out of date. Sat the computer test of 30 questions....... and failed with a score of 20/30 !!!

The questions may have been in English but not good English and to my mind there were too many options that did apply but only 1 option was right. No problemo, they sat me on the next terminal, different questions and I passed.

No colour test or brake test this time.

660 Baht (inc 100 Baht tax) and I was given a 5 year licence.

Done in Cha-Am.

Not sure if that helps.

Had the same experience on about the same time frame at Pattaya. Questions were ridiculous. Not so much a question of gettting the right answer as eliminating the least likely.

[maprao]

Whatever hoops you have to jump through you will only get another 1 year lic. Happened to me. I made sure that when that expired I renewed and got the 5 year one.

[Spoonman]

Whatever hoops you have to jump through you will only get another 1 year lic. Happened to me. I made sure that when that expired I renewed and got the 5 year one.

I didnt jump through any hoops, I did what was asked and they gave me a 5yr licence.

[maprao]

Whatever hoops you have to jump through you will only get another 1 year lic. Happened to me. I made sure that when that expired I renewed and got the 5 year one.

I didnt jump through any hoops, I did what was asked and they gave me a 5yr licence.

Hi spoonman if you read the entire thread he is asking what happens if you allow the 1 year to expire to the extent where they will ask you to do another one year lic before they issue the 5 year one. If you are careless and do not renew the 1 year lic when required then you have to get another one year lic before they issue the 5 year one. These are the "hoops" I refer to. Like the poster I was out of the country so I was unable to renew my 1 year lic on time and had to get another 1 year lic before the 5 year was issued. Very simple hoops but never the less hoops ie 1 year followed by another 1 year then finally a 5 year if you renew on time.

Edited April 9, 2011 by maprao

[Spoonman]

Whatever hoops you have to jump through you will only get another 1 year lic. Happened to me. I made sure that when that expired I renewed and got the 5 year one.

I didnt jump through any hoops, I did what was asked and they gave me a 5yr licence.

Hi spoonman if you read the entire thread he is asking what happens if you allow the 1 year to expire to the extent where they will ask you to do another one year lic before they issue the 5 year one. If you are careless and do not renew the 1 year lic when required then you have to get another one year lic before they issue the 5 year one. These are the "hoops" I refer to. Like the poster I was out of the country so I was unable to renew my 1 year lic on time and had to get another 1 year lic before the 5 year was issued. Very simple hoops but never the less hoops ie 1 year followed by another 1 year then finally a 5 year if you renew on time.

Hi Maprao, if you read the thread and my post further up you would notice that I (mine expired for 2 years) and my Boss (his expired for 6 years) renewed our 1 year licences well past the expiry date and we both received a 5yr licence.

[maprao]

Spoonman you are correct sorry. I had lost mine and had a copy with a police report. So that is probably why I had to get a new 1 year one. I stand corrected :jap:

[hillboy]

Thanks guys, I was wondering about mine too, it is already expired for more than 9 months now,

so going to renew it soon.

This thaivisa forum is awesome for Farang like us.

[englishinsiam]

This is good news my 1yr Licences Expire Mid Aug I'll be going to England for 4 months so will be back End of Sept. I was going to get the wife to ring the test centre to see about my licence. Now I don't need to bother, I can have my 5 yr in Sept.

[gopbi]

Hi,

As the OP, I thought I share what happened...

So, I obtained a new health certificate-- not a big deal as I had to get some updates to my immunization schedule anyway.

I got my new Address Certificate from the Embassy-- again, no issues there..

Had copies made of my passport, Non-Immigrant visa, entry stamp, entry card, and US issued valid drivers license..

With all that I headed out..

Got to the office at about 10:30AM..

Got in line and showed them old one-year licenses (car & motorbike)-- that had expired in late 2008...

The assistant filled out the form for me, looked at, arranged, stapled and stamped all kinds of paperwork to the two re-renewal applications..

Got into another line... more signing, stamping and inspections..

Told to go to a room to watch a move..

The movie was a 0:45 long LTO produced safe-driving video.. Very much like what they'd show you in a Driver's Ed class...

Once the move was done all the people in the room-- about 4o-plus people -- were handed back their paperwork.. I was the very, very last one, the 40th.. Unlike everyone else that was told to go to another room for examinations like color blindness testing, I was told to go to the Once Stop Desk..

At the One Stop Desk there was more paperwork review, stamping, signing and arranging.. Once that was done, I was given a number-- 274-- and told to wait until I was called... Waited about :20 or so... not bad..

274 called... I walk up to desk 6-- where I called-- and show all my paperwork.. She reviews it all.. carefully.. Asks to see my original passport again.. Asks to see my US Driver's Licenses again.. She asks me 'Why you not renew in 2008 when expired?"

I explain that I am a pilot and was moved by the airline to a new base outside of Thailand and I show her my airline ID and crew ID.. She makes notes of this and asks for a copy of the ID's..

After about :10 of additional paperwork inspections she begins to do the data entry... Then it's photo time..

She gives me a small mirror if I want to "check" myself-- either she's implying I look bad or I;m vain... I'm not that vain, but I check my hair, reapply some hair wax to the front- a quick comb and I'm ready.. much to the snickering of the nearby office ladies watching this spectacle.

Photos taken.. She shows me the 5 photos she took and asks which one I like best.. We both decide one the best one.. She does more typing and out come some official receipts.. In total I pay B1060 for both licenses.. not sure how they arrived at B1060, but I'm hot and tired and not willing or wanting to get into a detailed cost analysis.. so I pay the B1060..

In a matter of :05 she hands me my two new shiny licenses.. Valid date? FIVE years! Expires 2016.

Interestingly, it shows the "issue date of 2003" on the new 5-year license which is the year in which I got my first one-year license".. but the the expiration date IS in fact 2559 or 2016.

So, it appears that there IS some 'discretion' in the use of a very expired old license.. She reminds me that I can renew THIS 5-year license as early as 90 days BEFORE it expires-- as my birthday is in December, that means September.. and she takes the time to show me a 2016 calendar and points to the earliest date in which I can renew..

I get the "message" that she is telling me that I might not get as lucky if I were to let THIS new 5-year license lapse for 2 years plus.. so don't be late..

I leave with some thank you's and smiles and am out the door at about 12:45PM.. So about 2:15 in total... Not all that bad, all things considered.