Has anyone gotten a motorscooter license while here on a tourist visa? I thought I read somewhere that you need a non-b and proof of residence, but maybe someone out there got around that. I'll be in the 'hood until June, maybe longer, and want to avoid any hassle should I encounter a police officer. Thanks!

Yes, you can get a 1 yr license on a tourist visa. Got my first license on a tourist visa

Your talking about vehicle registration or a drivers license?

I needed a Non Imm a few years ago for vehicle registration but I didn't use a dealer that time.

Could be different regs or enforcement now. I think if you use a dealer they can get it done with a tourist visa.

Pretty sure you still need a residency cert from Immigration.

Go talk to a moto dealer and see what they can get done. One dealer I used a while back said if he couldn't get it done then would give me a refund so not a lot of risk.

I only have a tourist visa; been here years, bought a new motorbike, no problem..they just need the cash, but the for the green ownership document yes you need to get a residency certificate from immigration; again they just need the cash 500bt and 2 mugshots.

from then on, renewing tax disc and insurance; they just need the cash.

can you see the way to make things work for you here?.......they just need the cash

applies to just about anything

Thanks for the feedback. I just want a license to avoid hassles with random police checkpoints, etc. I'll only be here for a few months and don't want to buy a bike yet, right now I'm only renting for work days.

In response to Eyecatcher's comments about his experience of buying a bike on a tourist visa: "bought a new motorbike, no problem..they just need the cash, but for the green ownership document...": please clarify exactly what shows you have bought the bike if it is not a

green ownership document?

In response to Eyecatcher's comments about his experience of buying a bike on a tourist visa: "bought a new motorbike, no problem..they just need the cash, but for the green ownership document...": please clarify exactly what shows you have bought the bike if it is not a

green ownership document?

Perhaps if you read the rest of the sentence you'd realise he has the green book.

Beg to differ: the first part of the sentence states he has only a tourist visa and bought a motorbike with no problem. He then goes on to say, starting with an all-important "but" "but, for the green ownership document yes, you need to get a residency certificate from immigration", implying, as I understand it that a tourist visa does not suffice. Are you certain

you have understood the sentence? As a 1st timer in Thailand, I have no clue about green books/the process of buying a vehicle but his post seems to imply to me that the process of owning a motorbike can have two stages.

In Chiang Mai I bought a new bike from showroom, obtained residency certificate from immigration, gave this to dealer who had the green book (Proof of ownership) for me a week later, on tourist visa. Same same as Demon, Virtual.

In Buriram I got a drivers' license (both motorbike and car) on a tourist visa, health certificate, my DL from Colorado, and a Cert of Res.

Be aware that different offices in different places and at different times with different people working require different things....Thailand!!!

Good luck.

Beg to differ: the first part of the sentence states he has only a tourist visa and bought a motorbike with no problem. He then goes on to say, starting with an all-important "but" "but, for the green ownership document yes, you need to get a residency certificate from immigration", implying, as I understand it that a tourist visa does not suffice. Are you certain

you have understood the sentence? As a 1st timer in Thailand, I have no clue about green books/the process of buying a vehicle but his post seems to imply to me that the process of owning a motorbike can have two stages.

The 2nd part of the sentence implies that the residency certificate is bought at immigration for 500B, it is needed whatever visa you have if you don't have a work permit and aren't on a yellow book.

Edited March 21, 201313 yr by naboo

Beg to differ: the first part of the sentence states he has only a tourist visa and bought a motorbike with no problem. He then goes on to say, starting with an all-important "but" "but, for the green ownership document yes, you need to get a residency certificate from immigration", implying, as I understand it that a tourist visa does not suffice. Are you certain

you have understood the sentence? As a 1st timer in Thailand, I have no clue about green books/the process of buying a vehicle but his post seems to imply to me that the process of owning a motorbike can have two stages.

Yes, you have misread due to my appalling punctuation.....(and the word "but" in this case means except)

to clarify, yes you can own/buy a bike here with toursit visa, but to get the ownwership documents (the green book) you need to get the residency letter from immigration and take it to the transport office.

i think a couple of other posts now clarifying this.

Just to clarify, to get my motocy DRIVER'S LICENSE I need:

Copies of passport pages

Residency letter from immigration (500 baht?)

Medical certificate

Take the tests, etc at Dept. of Transportation (Pay them too? they don't need photos anymore)

And that gets me a year.

I would like to go to the Hang Dong branch as I heard they are nice there. How far past airport plaza are they? Google maps won't find them.

Edited March 22, 201313 yr by demonietto

If you have a full motorbike licence from home country, bring it along for easy time. If not, you need to arrive with a motorbike and helmet and you will go through all tests, all day.

The office is as after Tesco Lotus, before Big C, on the left heading out of the city, entrance just before (or is it after?) a construction of a forgotten type over the highway. Nowhere else issues them in Chang Mai, they are friendly.