Requirements To Renew 5 Year Car And Bike Licences Please

[RubbaJohnny]

Appreciate advice by anyone recently through the procedures.

I note my current licences expire this year in September.

Will be they be valid on the final day?

What I d like to be able to do is

Drive the 200km to Immigration get a letter then another 160km to driving office yes there is no alternative they tell me

I will of course have my exisiting licences and wife as back up driver if they cannot issue that day.

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Opposite Thoeng Office there is a copy and foto shop of course

I will take

Cash fees last time was around 600 bahts the brace.

Current fee level be handy as I doubt a government office will have such a thing as change and its located 5km out of town aqnd we had to gop back there to get change last time .

I will have a differet passport to last time.

Old licences

Some fotos (how many and what size I recall last time they had to be smaller than passport)

Copy of last entry stamp/TM 47 arrival card.

Is there anything else and is there any chance of getting the immigration letter from Chiang Mai Immigration where I will be a few days before expiry.I reside in C RAi province but our local Office will not deal with the letter and wave me off to Mae Sai.

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How long will this my third licence last please?

[JohnC]

Could you not get a yellow house book and save yourself the hassle of residency

Here in Pattaya photos longer required as they do them at the office, you will need copy of passport main page and current extension , you might need a medical certificate but offices differ on this.

Licence is 605 baht and valid for five years from your next birthday.

[jvs]

You can now go earlier also,before it had to be past the date but they eased that .

If your license is expired by a few days or even weeks does not mean you don't have a license,you will not loose your ability to drive just because the piece of paper is not up to date.

It is best if you can just contact the office before you go and ask them what you will need to bring.

Your next license will be valid for 5 years.

I know for a fact at least for Thai people they can now go to any office they want to extend their license or even go anywhere and get their first time license.

Here in Cha-am a lot of people from Bangkok are doing it.

[RubbaJohnny]

Could you not get a yellow house book and save yourself the hassle of residency

Here in Pattaya photos longer required as they do them at the office, you will need copy of passport main page and current extension , you might need a medical certificate but offices differ on this.

Licence is 605 baht and valid for five years from your next birthday.

Do you mean the Yelolow Tabien Ban replaces the immigration letter as proof of addres?

Ironically of course I have aThai government issued driving licence with my address on issued by them !

Is it 605 bahts each for car and motorcycle please?

Thanks for prompt reply

[RubbaJohnny]

You can now go earlier also,before it had to be past the date but they eased that .

If your license is expired by a few days or even weeks does not mean you don't have a license,you will not loose your ability to drive just because the piece of paper is not up to date.

It is best if you can just contact the office before you go and ask them what you will need to bring.

Your next license will be valid for 5 years.

I know for a fact at least for Thai people they can now go to any office they want to extend their license or even go anywhere and get their first time license.

Here in Cha-am a lot of people from Bangkok are doing it.

Thank you

[lomatopo]

I did this recently. I pretty much had to bring all the same documentation as the first time including:

new proof of residency

new medical certificate

copies of everything including passport/visa

photos

original 1 year licenses - I have both: car and motorcycle

To speed up the final wait - I had to wait close to 4 hours at Bang Chak - I did see some people offering 1,000 baht for a soon to be called number. I guess they walk around looking at the numbers until they find someone who is about to be called, then offer them 1,000 baht to switch.

(The fee to bypass the road- test is 3,000 baht.)

[bunta71]

Same same but different category...I went a couple days ago for my first Thai Bike license since my California license just expired. I have had a Thai car license for several years but was too lazy to get the bike license since I already had one from america. The shocking part of this ordeal is that it took 7 hours to accomplish. 4 hours of film explaining what stop signs look like,etc. Finally took the written test which was the same test for the car license...redundant. The guy administering the driving part made me go around twice because he said I went too fast crossing the narrow board... Now I finally have my Thai motorcycle license to add to my collection. No big deal except for the time involved...

[Soutpeel]

I did this recently. I pretty much had to bring all the same documentation as the first time including:

new proof of residency

new medical certificate

copies of everything including passport/visa

photos

original 1 year licenses - I have both: car and motorcycle

To speed up the final wait - I had to wait close to 4 hours at Bang Chak - I did see some people offering 1,000 baht for a soon to be called number. I guess they walk around looking at the numbers until they find someone who is about to be called, then offer them 1,000 baht to switch.

(The fee to bypass the road- test is 3,000 baht.)

The OP is renewing a 5 year license not the temporary 1 year one..the last I did my 5 year renewal in Rayong, all I needed was my passport, old 5 year license, my work permit....THB 500 odd, two quick eye tests, and a road safety video (this was the longest part) and done and dusted....

[samran]

Soutpeel's experience reflects mine. As said, get on a yellow tabieen baan if you can.

They take the photo's and you have to watch a video for an hour. For your renewal, no medical cert is needed.

[sunholidaysun1]

I have recently renewed my 5 year car licence in Chiang Rai . Along with all the paperwork you have to submit , I also gave them my yellow Tabian Ban book . That wasnt good enough , they wanted the Blue one . As the blue one was not available to me , the Ex has it , I had to get the letter from Immigration . Once that was all in order, I had to then sit through the 1 hour video , all in Thai but with English subtitles . Sitting in the heat watching that and reading ( without my glasses ) as I was not informed this was going to happen , you soon feel drowsy and sleepy.

Prior to watching the video , I had the colour chart to read and get right , followed by the brake test .

When all of the above was completed I then has to sit at a computer and answer 30 mulitple choice questions .I failed the test 2 times and had to return the next day after studying the highway code book again . The first test I got 21 questions right and failed. The 2nd test I got 22 and failed .

The next day I took the computer test again and got 23 questions right and PASSED.

The highway code book is not the problem , I got all of those correct but the other questions such as : When do you use your headlights (a) In thick Fog ( in heavy rain © in the day time (d) ???

I answered ( in heavy rain. The corrct answer is (A) which to all of us drivers is totally wrong . Using your headlights in thick Fog makes it even worse and only the small near to the groung fog lights should be used .

There are many questions like this that in anyone elses right mind the answers YOU give are correct , but here in the land of ignorance, they dont want to listen to thick farangs .

When I passed the test I then said about my motorbike , as I had submitted 2 applications forms . I was then told I had to repeat everything I had done for the car test , plus 4 hours driver training on a motorcycle . I have had a full motorcycle licence from the UK for many years and my last big bike was a YZF1R Thunderace, 1000cc . So I think I will pass on the motorcycle test here and use my Ignorance when I produce my full UK Bike licence if I am ever asked , or maybe show my Thai driving licence.

I asked WHY I had to go through all of that after already having my Thai car licence for over 6 years and they said , its to cut out the corruption . Now everything has to be computerised , as if that is a fail safe against corruption , hahahahaha. Oh well !!

[thaibeachlovers]

I have recently renewed my 5 year car licence in Chiang Rai . Along with all the paperwork you have to submit , I also gave them my yellow Tabian Ban book . That wasnt good enough , they wanted the Blue one . As the blue one was not available to me , the Ex has it , I had to get the letter from Immigration . Once that was all in order, I had to then sit through the 1 hour video , all in Thai but with English subtitles . Sitting in the heat watching that and reading ( without my glasses ) as I was not informed this was going to happen , you soon feel drowsy and sleepy.

Prior to watching the video , I had the colour chart to read and get right , followed by the brake test .

When all of the above was completed I then has to sit at a computer and answer 30 mulitple choice questions .I failed the test 2 times and had to return the next day after studying the highway code book again . The first test I got 21 questions right and failed. The 2nd test I got 22 and failed .

The next day I took the computer test again and got 23 questions right and PASSED.

The highway code book is not the problem , I got all of those correct but the other questions such as : When do you use your headlights (a) In thick Fog ( in heavy rain © in the day time (d) ???

I answered ( in heavy rain. The corrct answer is (A) which to all of us drivers is totally wrong . Using your headlights in thick Fog makes it even worse and only the small near to the groung fog lights should be used .

There are many questions like this that in anyone elses right mind the answers YOU give are correct , but here in the land of ignorance, they dont want to listen to thick farangs .

When I passed the test I then said about my motorbike , as I had submitted 2 applications forms . I was then told I had to repeat everything I had done for the car test , plus 4 hours driver training on a motorcycle . I have had a full motorcycle licence from the UK for many years and my last big bike was a YZF1R Thunderace, 1000cc . So I think I will pass on the motorcycle test here and use my Ignorance when I produce my full UK Bike licence if I am ever asked , or maybe show my Thai driving licence.

I asked WHY I had to go through all of that after already having my Thai car licence for over 6 years and they said , its to cut out the corruption . Now everything has to be computerised , as if that is a fail safe against corruption , hahahahaha. Oh well !!

If you have your UK bike licence here, you don't need to do anything other than the medical, residence cert, and the brake test, distance test and pay money. I just got mine recently.