Ubon Driving Licence Office

[SuperGers]

I intend to apply for the 1 year ( temporary )Thai driving licence at the Ubon office shortly.

I have read the Driving Licence section on here ( all 29 pages of it ! ) and am pretty clear what is required.

However there seem to be 2 main areas where local offices have discretion as to what documents are needed.

1) Proof of Thai residency by letter from immigration office OR letter from UK embassy.

2) National driving licence ( in my case UK ) OR international driving permit.

Anyone have any experience what documents the UBON office will accept ?

Obviously i dont want the hassle of having to take the practical and theory tests if possible.

Cheers in advance. :jap:

[Jerrytheyoung]

Driving with the international Driving Licence in Thailand has a lot of advantages for small things: when stopped by a Policeman, he cannot read your licence it is a big embarassment for him so he generally prefer to let you go....

[onionluke]

I got mine down the road at Det Udom ,

I needed

My british drivering liscence ( it was in very poor nick , a bit of pink washed out paper ).

The proof of address , the one with your photo on it , I got that at Phibun ( I was given another proof of adress thingy and had to make a second trip to Phibun to get the right one the next day ).

A medical from a local doctor .

My passport , with non O visa 2 years back to back . They did want proof of 3 years residence and weren't very comfortable with me not being retired .

Some passport photos.

I didn't do any tests and the lady was very friendly the second time around.

Good luck out on the road .

Edit ; Det Udom is about the same distance from Ubon as Glasgow is from Kilmarnock .

Edited November 29, 2011 by onionluke

[SuperGers]

I got mine down the road at Det Udom ,

I needed

My british drivering liscence ( it was in very poor nick , a bit of pink washed out paper ).

The proof of address , the one with your photo on it , I got that at Phibun ( I was given another proof of adress thingy and had to make a second trip to Phibun to get the right one the next day ).

A medical from a local doctor .

My passport , with non O visa 2 years back to back . They did want proof of 3 years residence and weren't very comfortable with me not being retired .

Some passport photos.

I didn't do any tests and the lady was very friendly the second time around.

Good luck out on the road .

Edit ; Det Udom is about the same distance from Ubon as Glasgow is from Kilmarnock .

Ouch- Please don't mention Kilmarnock !!

What's at Det Udom ? I thought the office to make licence in Ubon was just off ring road ( near all the car showrooms ) ?

I've got the newer credit card style UK licence - hopefully thats going to be ok.

Thanks for the warning about the proof of address. :jap:

Cheers, SG

[onionluke]

I got mine down the road at Det Udom ,

I needed

My british drivering liscence ( it was in very poor nick , a bit of pink washed out paper ).

The proof of address , the one with your photo on it , I got that at Phibun ( I was given another proof of adress thingy and had to make a second trip to Phibun to get the right one the next day ).

A medical from a local doctor .

My passport , with non O visa 2 years back to back . They did want proof of 3 years residence and weren't very comfortable with me not being retired .

Some passport photos.

I didn't do any tests and the lady was very friendly the second time around.

Good luck out on the road .

Edit ; Det Udom is about the same distance from Ubon as Glasgow is from Kilmarnock .

Ouch- Please don't mention Kilmarnock !!

What's at Det Udom ? I thought the office to make licence in Ubon was just off ring road ( near all the car showrooms ) ?

I've got the newer credit card style UK licence - hopefully thats going to be ok.

Thanks for the warning about the proof of address. :jap:

Cheers, SG

Aye , Det Udom has a liscence office . It is on the 24 opposite the new court just before it dog legs . The lads at TC kitchen in Ubon were debating wether Ubon or Det was easier . At least you can get a second try .

[onionluke]

Driving with the international Driving Licence in Thailand has a lot of advantages for small things: when stopped by a Policeman, he cannot read your licence it is a big embarassment for him so he generally prefer to let you go....

That goes for Toys'R'us cards too .

[mike123ca]

Getting the Thai driver licences wasn't difficult.

I went to licence bureau and brought my Canadian and korean driver licenses. The Canadian was expired so I couldn't use it. They were willing to accept the korean licence except they wanted it translated from Korean To Thai language. So, I decided just to take the test.

Since I wanted both the scooter and car licence it was required to take 2 separate exams. In the morning at the bureau I had two take 2 computer exams for car and bike. It wasn't that difficult, pass both exams on the first attempt.

In the afternoon was the driving test. The first test was for scooters. There was me and about 50 high school kids. I've only had about 10 hours of real driving practice on a scooter. But I did manage do it.

Later in the afternoon, I did the car test which was only adults. I've been driving cars for 25 years now. Today I will take the test driving a truck with a stick shift. It was my very first time to drive from the right hand side.

I've always driven in Canada and Korea which is on the left side. It did feel very strange, but I was able to pass the test. It took a full day to get both drivers licenses and was a bit stressful, but it can be done.

[SuperGers]

Getting the Thai driver licences wasn't difficult.

I went to licence bureau and brought my Canadian and korean driver licenses. The Canadian was expired so I couldn't use it. They were willing to accept the korean licence except they wanted it translated from Korean To Thai language. So, I decided just to take the test.

Since I wanted both the scooter and car licence it was required to take 2 separate exams. In the morning at the bureau I had two take 2 computer exams for car and bike. It wasn't that difficult, pass both exams on the first attempt.

In the afternoon was the driving test. The first test was for scooters. There was me and about 50 high school kids. I've only had about 10 hours of real driving practice on a scooter. But I did manage do it.

Later in the afternoon, I did the car test which was only adults. I've been driving cars for 25 years now. Today I will take the test driving a truck with a stick shift. It was my very first time to drive from the right hand side.

I've always driven in Canada and Korea which is on the left side. It did feel very strange, but I was able to pass the test. It took a full day to get both drivers licenses and was a bit stressful, but it can be done.

Thanks Mike, it seems the test is not too difficult but i'd rather avoid the hassle and waiting around if poss. Did you have to watch the 1 hour video about road safety ?

Think i'll pop into the office next time i'm passing to find out exactly what's needed.

Many thanks, SG

[bergen]

I got my license(s) in Det Udom.

Put my papers and Norwegian license on the counter, waited for about 50 minutes, and got licenses for both car and motorcycle, without any tests.

The lady behind the counter told my wife that it was the first time she had seen a foreign driving license that she could understand and approve...

[mike123ca]

Getting the Thai driver licences wasn't difficult.

I went to licence bureau and brought my Canadian and korean driver licenses. The Canadian was expired so I couldn't use it. They were willing to accept the korean licence except they wanted it translated from Korean To Thai language. So, I decided just to take the test.

Since I wanted both the scooter and car licence it was required to take 2 separate exams. In the morning at the bureau I had two take 2 computer exams for car and bike. It wasn't that difficult, pass both exams on the first attempt.

In the afternoon was the driving test. The first test was for scooters. There was me and about 50 high school kids. I've only had about 10 hours of real driving practice on a scooter. But I did manage do it.

Later in the afternoon, I did the car test which was only adults. I've been driving cars for 25 years now. Today I will take the test driving a truck with a stick shift. It was my very first time to drive from the right hand side.

I've always driven in Canada and Korea which is on the left side. It did feel very strange, but I was able to pass the test. It took a full day to get both drivers licenses and was a bit stressful, but it can be done.

Thanks Mike, it seems the test is not too difficult but i'd rather avoid the hassle and waiting around if poss. Did you have to watch the 1 hour video about road safety ?

Think i'll pop into the office next time i'm passing to find out exactly what's needed.

Many thanks, SG

They gave me a pass on the video, it was only in Thai. They gave me a book on driving regulations. At least that was in English.

[SuperGers]

Quick update for anyone interested :-

Documents required to obtain 1 year ( temporary ) driving licence at UBON RATCHATANI office are as follows :-

1) Original passport + 1 copy of photo page + 1 copy O-A stamp + 1 copy departure card.

2) Proof of residence from Phibun immigration office. * CAREFUL ! - make sure you get the version with your photograph on it ( you need to supply 2 x passport photos ).

3) Original driving licence from your home country + 1 copy.

4) "Doctors" letter stating you are healthy - available from shop near 7-11 on ring road ( approx 100m from licence office ). I very much doubt this guy is a doctor but his form is accepted by licence office without question. Charge TB 60 but get your wife to approach and ask price BEFORE you appear or you will pay "farang rates" i.e - considerably more !

At the licence office I was asked to take a colour blindness test, then they take your photo and you pay TB200 and that's it !

10 mins later and you leave with your new Thai licence.

Lovely lady behind counter made the process easy and fun. No boring videos to watch or trips to Embassy in Bangkok required.

If you want both car and motorbike licences TWO copies of all documents and two fees are required.

Please note this is for UBON office - other offices MAY insist on International Driving Permits and letter from Embassy as proof of Thai address.

Safe driving one and all. :jap:

[jamescollister]

I'll just throw this in, seems ASEAN nations have signed a driving license agreement. No need for international drivers license. We were told this by the Det Udon license people when we we going to Australia last Xmas. Wife's thai license was OK, they are now in English as well as Thai. Jim

[SantiSuk]

Quick update for anyone interested :-

Documents required to obtain 1 year ( temporary ) driving licence at UBON RATCHATANI office are as follows :-

.....

I wonder what they do if they discover you are colour blind or partially colour blind. I am the latter and don't remember being checked at amphur Kantaralak in SiSaket province last December. Otherwise requirements were much the same, though I don't remember the residence letter requiring to have a photograph attached.

How much did Pibun charge for the letter out of interest? I think it was THB 500 at Pusing. I tried them out with an old (one year old) residence certificate form the british embassy but no dice - needed to be dated within the last 6 months (might have been 3 - can't remeber precisely)

[SuperGers]

Quick update for anyone interested :-

Documents required to obtain 1 year ( temporary ) driving licence at UBON RATCHATANI office are as follows :-

.....

I wonder what they do if they discover you are colour blind or partially colour blind. I am the latter and don't remember being checked at amphur Kantaralak in SiSaket province last December. Otherwise requirements were much the same, though I don't remember the residence letter requiring to have a photograph attached.

How much did Pibun charge for the letter out of interest? I think it was THB 500 at Pusing. I tried them out with an old (one year old) residence certificate form the british embassy but no dice - needed to be dated within the last 6 months (might have been 3 - can't remeber precisely)

Yes SS forgot to mention - letter from Phibun immigration was THB300.

The colour test was pretty basic - lots of dots either red, yellow or green. She points - you answer. 6 correct and it's a pass.

[LivNon2396]

Quick update for anyone interested :-

Documents required to obtain 1 year ( temporary ) driving licence at UBON RATCHATANI office are as follows :-

1) Original passport + 1 copy of photo page + 1 copy O-A stamp + 1 copy departure card.

2) Proof of residence from Phibun immigration office. * CAREFUL ! - make sure you get the version with your photograph on it ( you need to supply 2 x passport photos ).

3) Original driving licence from your home country + 1 copy.

4) "Doctors" letter stating you are healthy - available from shop near 7-11 on ring road ( approx 100m from licence office ). I very much doubt this guy is a doctor but his form is accepted by licence office without question. Charge TB 60 but get your wife to approach and ask price BEFORE you appear or you will pay "farang rates" i.e - considerably more !

At the licence office I was asked to take a colour blindness test, then they take your photo and you pay TB200 and that's it !

10 mins later and you leave with your new Thai licence.

Lovely lady behind counter made the process easy and fun. No boring videos to watch or trips to Embassy in Bangkok required.

If you want both car and motorbike licences TWO copies of all documents and two fees are required.

Please note this is for UBON office - other offices MAY insist on International Driving Permits and letter from Embassy as proof of Thai address.

Safe driving one and all. :jap:

Any idea if you are able to obtain a Thai License on a Tourist Visa in Ubon?

[SuperGers]

Quick update for anyone interested :-

Documents required to obtain 1 year ( temporary ) driving licence at UBON RATCHATANI office are as follows :-

1) Original passport + 1 copy of photo page + 1 copy O-A stamp + 1 copy departure card.

2) Proof of residence from Phibun immigration office. * CAREFUL ! - make sure you get the version with your photograph on it ( you need to supply 2 x passport photos ).

3) Original driving licence from your home country + 1 copy.

4) "Doctors" letter stating you are healthy - available from shop near 7-11 on ring road ( approx 100m from licence office ). I very much doubt this guy is a doctor but his form is accepted by licence office without question. Charge TB 60 but get your wife to approach and ask price BEFORE you appear or you will pay "farang rates" i.e - considerably more !

At the licence office I was asked to take a colour blindness test, then they take your photo and you pay TB200 and that's it !

10 mins later and you leave with your new Thai licence.

Lovely lady behind counter made the process easy and fun. No boring videos to watch or trips to Embassy in Bangkok required.

If you want both car and motorbike licences TWO copies of all documents and two fees are required.

Please note this is for UBON office - other offices MAY insist on International Driving Permits and letter from Embassy as proof of Thai address.

Safe driving one and all. :jap:

Any idea if you are able to obtain a Thai License on a Tourist Visa in Ubon?

Don't think it's possible. Lady at Phibun immigration said you need a Retirement Visa to get the confirmation of residency letter.

No letter = No licence i think.

[onionluke]

Quick update for anyone interested :-

Documents required to obtain 1 year ( temporary ) driving licence at UBON RATCHATANI office are as follows :-

1) Original passport + 1 copy of photo page + 1 copy O-A stamp + 1 copy departure card.

2) Proof of residence from Phibun immigration office. * CAREFUL ! - make sure you get the version with your photograph on it ( you need to supply 2 x passport photos ).

3) Original driving licence from your home country + 1 copy.

4) "Doctors" letter stating you are healthy - available from shop near 7-11 on ring road ( approx 100m from licence office ). I very much doubt this guy is a doctor but his form is accepted by licence office without question. Charge TB 60 but get your wife to approach and ask price BEFORE you appear or you will pay "farang rates" i.e - considerably more !

At the licence office I was asked to take a colour blindness test, then they take your photo and you pay TB200 and that's it !

10 mins later and you leave with your new Thai licence.

Lovely lady behind counter made the process easy and fun. No boring videos to watch or trips to Embassy in Bangkok required.

If you want both car and motorbike licences TWO copies of all documents and two fees are required.

Please note this is for UBON office - other offices MAY insist on International Driving Permits and letter from Embassy as proof of Thai address.

Safe driving one and all. :jap:

Any idea if you are able to obtain a Thai License on a Tourist Visa in Ubon?

Don't think it's possible. Lady at Phibun immigration said you need a Retirement Visa to get the confirmation of residency letter.

No letter = No licence i think.

A non O marriage is ok at Det Udom , I payed 500 twice at Phibun returning the next day to apply for the photo graph proof of residence .

[SantiSuk]

Any idea if you are able to obtain a Thai License on a Tourist Visa in Ubon?

Don't think it's possible. Lady at Phibun immigration said you need a Retirement Visa to get the confirmation of residency letter.

No letter = No licence i think.

A non O marriage is ok at Det Udom , I payed 500 twice at Phibun returning the next day to apply for the photo graph proof of residence .

I think that any non O visa will usually get you a residence letter from immigration in Thailand (or an embassy letter if you want to use that potentially more expensive route) and will usually therefore get you a driver's license. A non-O on marriage grounds certainly got me one at Sisaket's Phusing office. You don't have to be on extensions either - i.e. it might be your first direct contact with an immigration office in Thailand but they still seem to be able to certify that you live where you say you live in Thailand! Same as the embassy (in the case of UK at least) - unverified certification just to justify bureaucracy and a bit of dosh for the coffers! On reflection the letter of confirmation from the embassy (in respect of the UK at least) doesn't claim any such thing as verification; it effectively states 'this bloke has told us he lives here and we know f-all to say otherwise'; probably the Thai immigration one is not so direct

Edited December 2, 2011 by SantiSuk

[PEP]

I have a Yellow Tabien Bahn. [Married to a Thai] Any ideas if this is acceptable as proof of residence?

[elwood]

I have a Yellow Tabien Bahn. [Married to a Thai] Any ideas if this is acceptable as proof of residence?

It worked for me when I used it at Ubon office a couple of years ago.

[PEP]

Thanks ELWOOD; My 5 year license not due until April. I will post my experience after then.

[puchooay]

A Non B is OK too. If you are working here you can also use your work permit as proof of address.

As a side note.Anybody wishing to get a licence in Buriram need not go to Immigration or Embassy for residence letter. One can be obtained from Buriram Police station. Free(except for a cuppa for the officer).

[ubonrthai]

Ubon immigration won't give my friend with a non "O" a proof of residence doc until he's been here 3 months. I guess it's off to BKK embassy. Just FYI.

[DreamRider]

Ubon immigration won't give my friend with a non "O" a proof of residence doc until he's been here 3 months. I guess it's off to BKK embassy. Just FYI.

Same old question guys, and I apologise, but the 3 month grace period for renewing a 5 year driving license, is it 3 months before or 3 months after the expiry date??

It's a bit of a non-sense question but I know that in the past in Phuket one could not renew until the date of expiry.

Can't make head or tail of my GF's interpretation either!!!

Thanks,

Chris

[sezzo]

Ubon immigration won't give my friend with a non "O" a proof of residence doc until he's been here 3 months. I guess it's off to BKK embassy. Just FYI.

Same old question guys, and I apologise, but the 3 month grace period for renewing a 5 year driving license, is it 3 months before or 3 months after the expiry date??

It's a bit of a non-sense question but I know that in the past in Phuket one could not renew until the date of expiry.

Can't make head or tail of my GF's interpretation either!!!

Thanks,

Chris

I renewed my 5 year licence in May which was 1 month before my due date. I was told at the Ubon office that you can renew the licence up to 3 months prior to the due date and it will be valid from the due date. PEP who posted before in this thread also renewed his 5 year licence about 2 weeks after the due date. Reason for late renewal was because he was overseas. No probs renewing it.

[Yasathony]

Ubon immigration won't give my friend with a non "O" a proof of residence doc until he's been here 3 months. I guess it's off to BKK embassy. Just FYI.

Same old question guys, and I apologise, but the 3 month grace period for renewing a 5 year driving license, is it 3 months before or 3 months after the expiry date??

It's a bit of a non-sense question but I know that in the past in Phuket one could not renew until the date of expiry.

Can't make head or tail of my GF's interpretation either!!!

Thanks,

Chris

I renewed my 5 year licence in May which was 1 month before my due date. I was told at the Ubon office that you can renew the licence up to 3 months prior to the due date and it will be valid from the due date. PEP who posted before in this thread also renewed his 5 year licence about 2 weeks after the due date. Reason for late renewal was because he was overseas. No probs renewing it.

Edited October 2, 2012 by Yasathony

[bunnydrops]

I just got mine last week--was easy. The woman behind the desk could not figure out what country my license is from (American). The big problem came from the endorsements on the card. One for motorcycle, she thought the license was for motorcycle only. Took about 5 minutes to convince her the license was for car AND also motorcycle. Then the second "organ donor". Ha--try to explain that one. Luckily she gave up. I got both the car and motorcycle Licence but not one to drive Organ donors.

[ubonrthai]

I just got mine last week--was easy. The woman behind the desk could not figure out what country my license is from (American). The big problem came from the endorsements on the card. One for motorcycle, she thought the license was for motorcycle only. Took about 5 minutes to convince her the license was for car AND also motorcycle. Then the second "organ donor". Ha--try to explain that one. Luckily she gave up. I got both the car and motorcycle Licence but not one to drive Organ donors.

What document did you use for proof of residence?

[bunnydrops]

I just got mine last week--was easy. The woman behind the desk could not figure out what country my license is from (American). The big problem came from the endorsements on the card. One for motorcycle, she thought the license was for motorcycle only. Took about 5 minutes to convince her the license was for car AND also motorcycle. Then the second "organ donor". Ha--try to explain that one. Luckily she gave up. I got both the car and motorcycle Licence but not one to drive Organ donors.

What document did you use for proof of residence?

Had both form from Embassy (waste of money, as it says on the form, it is not proof that what you put on it is true). Got letter from Imm. I am married with a house.

[ubonrthai]

In Chiang Mai you can get a letter from your landlord stating your residence but Ubon says they won't take that. Immigration wants him to wait 3 months. Embassy doc is the only option.