I never had reason to learn to drive until now. I'm a 38 yr old British man and I've lived in Bangkok ten years, I never learned to drive in the UK and would certainly never want to here in Thailand, however I would like to be able to drive in the US when I next go there on holiday.

Can I learn how to drive here or would I need to do it in the UK?

Nothing to stop you learning to drive in Thailand and gaining a Thai licence.

Your first licence will be valid for one year and upon renewal you will be given a 'full' five year licence.

However, you will not be able to get an international driving permit until you have the five year licence.

Moving to motoring.

A friend of mine learnt to drive out here but arranged his test back in UK to coincide with a holiday.

He passed, stop sniggering

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However, you will not be able to get an international driving permit until you have the five year licence.

Interesting, so when i have a 5 year driving license, i can make international dl ?

How do i go about it ?

However, you will not be able to get an international driving permit until you have the five year licence.

Interesting, so when i have a 5 year driving license, i can make international dl ?

How do i go about it ?

Take your 5 year licence in to the Transport dept., same place that issues a regular licence.

Wow !!

If i had known this, thanks.

dont go getting ideas of the Thai licence having any international validity in the US. the UK will not allow you to drive on a Thai licence

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an international driving permit from the uk can be applied for by post and the form downloaded from the site.

google it.

my only recollection of any bother in paying the fee is that it may have to be done by using a cheque drawn from a uk account - when i applied i was at work offshore and a colleague wrote a cheque for me and i paid him the cost of it. might have changed now to allow debit cards not sure.

also my understanding of the regulations regarding driving on a thai licence in the uk are that a thai moving to the uk,( a wife of a uk resident for example) has a period of grace of one year in which she may use her thai licence during which she must obtain a uk licence. after one year the thai licence is no longer usable.

In my case, the only place to use the international dl is Cambodia until i got a cambodian dl,

but now i have no time but to buy yet another year visa in thailand

dont go getting ideas of the Thai licence having any international validity in the US. the UK will not allow you to drive on a Thai licence

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It's pantomime season so come on kids.... Oh yes you can!

dont go getting ideas of the Thai licence having any international validity in the US. the UK will not allow you to drive on a Thai licence

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Thaivisa Connect App

It's pantomime season so come on kids.... Oh yes you can!

Yes, of course the UK will allow you to drive on a Thai license. If you move back though after a while (sorry, don't know the exact priod) you'll need a Thai license, but until that time a Thai DL is fine. You don't even need an IDP.