Driver's License Procedures Chiang Mai

[chiang mai]

Nope, charts only.

[sharktooth]

I noticed two people obtained their licences today, the color blindness test was completed with the chart and lights

Did you have a choice

No choice, but the again I didn't bother asking. I got the lights in Hang Dong office and was out the door in half an hour.

[HullyGully]

Interesting Chiang Mai got the chart

[chiang mai]

Interesting Chiang Mai got the chart

The Mae Tang office barely has electricity let alone any automated testing for colour blindness, charts is their only option.

[CMKiwi]

I was surprised by the amount of Thai Yai's getting their licences via Mae Tang. But good on them...and it saves them giving out baht at checkpoints.

Good setup at Mae Tang too.

[jmd8800]

I will be applying for a Thai driver license soon. I just obtained my certificate of residency. However I also found a nice place to rent and will move next week. Will this create problem?

[sharktooth]

I will be applying for a Thai driver license soon. I just obtained my certificate of residency. However I also found a nice place to rent and will move next week. Will this create problem?

Unless you want to get a new cert of residence, just use the address listed on the original.

[ItDontMeanAThing]

A friend sent me these directions to the testing facility. They worked, but some directions are easier to follow than others.

1. Left side of Hang Dong Road about 3 KM south of Airport Plaza.

2. Located just before Big C, which is at just before the intersection of the first ring-road.

3. Look for a long white fence with purple iron.

I've replaced #3 with:

3. Entrance is 30 meters before a pedestrian overpass.

YMMV

[Tywais]

A friend sent me these directions to the testing facility. They worked, but some directions are easier to follow than others.

1. Left side of Hang Dong Road about 3 KM south of Airport Plaza.

2. Located just before Big C, which is at just before the intersection of the first ring-road.

3. Look for a long white fence with purple iron.

I've replaced #3 with:

3. Entrance is 30 meters before a pedestrian overpass.

YMMV

Or Google Street View. Looking at the entrance.

[saspurs]

I went to Promenada today and submitted the necessary paperwork to obtain a Certificate of Residence. Everything was accepted and I was given a sticker with the current date and one month's from today date. She told me to come back and pick it up in March--one month from today. I was told there was no fee when I asked to pay. This is different from what I've read here. Something I don't know?

[chiang mai]

I went to Promenada today and submitted the necessary paperwork to obtain a Certificate of Residence. Everything was accepted and I was given a sticker with the current date and one month's from today date. She told me to come back and pick it up in March--one month from today. I was told there was no fee when I asked to pay. This is different from what I've read here. Something I don't know?

That's the way it works, unless you want to pay 500 baht in which case you can pick it up tomorrow. If you do want it sooner I suggest you go back and tell the lady you really can't wait until March, is there any way to get it sooner.

Edited February 3, 2016 by chiang mai

[MadMac]

Another example of how corrupt this office is.

[kilt]

I need to get my 5 year license. I just obtained the YELLOW BOOK for my condo with my name in it. Will this suffice as proof of residence?

[HullyGully]

Yes

[kilt]

Went for drivers license renewal from 1 year to 5 year today. Brought copies of passport pages, yellow book (proof of residence), medical certificate.... did the color test (mini stop light), paid the fee and received my new 5 year license all in about an hour. No movie to watch and no other "tests".

[HullyGully]

What time did you go

[kilt]

About 10:30 am. It was a quiet day.

[MaeJoMTB]

Went to the building opposite Promonada to get my Certificate of Residence.

Told they don't do them any more ...... now over the road at Promonada.

Went to Immigration at Promonada, about 50 people queuing for the info desk .........

Walked into the G4 office, 20 second wait, can you get my CofR for me?, certainly sir 500bht, come back tomorrow afternoon.

[MadMac]

500B is half a ticket to BKK. If they wont do it with my BKK tabien baan in CNX, which I don't know yet, I'm happy to fly down instead of throwing it into the mouth of some greedy clowns.

[NancyL]

500B is half a ticket to BKK. If they wont do it with my BKK tabien baan in CNX, which I don't know yet, I'm happy to fly down instead of throwing it into the mouth of some greedy clowns.

U.S. citizens can get a Cert. of Res. from their consulate -- that's what I'm doing today for my DL renewal. I'd rather give Uncle Sam $50 than have to go out to Imm. Prom. twice and pay G4T 500 baht.

[CMKiwi]

Paying G4T the 500 baht is the least hassle in my book. So I had to go to Promenada twice.... nice outing and I do like the Rimping there.

Whats US$50 equate to in baht? 1770 approx. Hmmm Ill stick with G4T for future CoRs.

Edited February 9, 2016 by CMKiwi

[MaeJoMTB]

Collected my CofR from G4T at 1pm, went to d/l centre ....

Lights test straight away, then made me do the 1 hour video (on PC with headphones).

Another hour for sitting and waiting for my number.

1040bht for renewing M/c and car license.

[NancyL]

Paying G4T the 500 baht is the least hassle in my book. So I had to go to Promenada twice.... nice outing and I do like the Rimping there.

Whats US$50 equate to in baht? 1770 approx. Hmmm Ill stick with G4T for future CoRs.

Oh I like Promenada well enough, but I don't like the idea of supporting G4T. It was nice to see the good people at the U.S. Consulate today and to be in-and-out with the Cert of Res in 15 minutes.

One thing I really like about them is that when Congress has their periodic stupid attacks and shuts down the U.S. gov't due to failure to pass a budget, the U.S. Consulate Chiang Mai still keeps their U.S. Citizens Services doors open. How do they fund it? By not send those $50 notary fees to Washington and using the money to pay their bills here in Chiang Mai. They keep on working while the rest of the U.S. gov't in the U.S. stops. That deserves support.

[CMKiwi]

That maybe ok and aĺl well and good for you Nancy and other fellow Americans but for the rest of the known world.... we probably dont have a lot of time for the US consulate no matter how much of a good job they do.

Many posts have mentioned how the Certificate is suppose to be free (And it is if you want to wait) But I and many others a willing to pay the 500 baht to get it the next day.

If you're happy to pay the extra 1200 odd baht to support staff at your consulate then thats your perogative.

By the same token Im happy to support the immigration staff of Chiang Mai via G4T (Which most believe is whats happening). Perhaps if govt workers had a decent wage then this wouldnt occur....or to a lesser degree.

Edited February 9, 2016 by CMKiwi

[padlin]

my driver's license expires 6 April.

How long before this date can I get it renewed? I don't want to wait until last days in case something turns up and I am not here. I am 72. Is there an age limit?

Thank you in advance for replies.

[Tywais]

my driver's license expires 6 April.

How long before this date can I get it renewed? I don't want to wait until last days in case something turns up and I am not here. I am 72. Is there an age limit?

Thank you in advance for replies.

The last I saw was up to 45 days in advance. No age limit.

[roo860]

Went for drivers license renewal from 1 year to 5 year today. Brought copies of passport pages, yellow book (proof of residence), medical certificate.... did the color test (mini stop light), paid the fee and received my new 5 year license all in about an hour. No movie to watch and no other "tests".

Went this morning, arrived at 10am, supplied the same as you, traffic light test at the desk, was given ticket number 104, done and dusted in about 1hr. Edited February 10, 2016 by roo860

[NancyL]

Went yesterday to the office near Hang Dong for my second 5 year. Brought Cert of Res from U.S. Consulate (I'd rather support them than G4T), copies of photo page and retirement extension, passport, no medical cert.

Arrived at 9:30 to find the car park full, parking in the driveway and a mass of people waiting in the second floor DL area. Given number 168 and told to wait. The queue board was in the low 100s and moving rather slowly. Turns out that queue board wasn't for me anyway. Around 10:10 I went to the toilet and when I returned, it was in the middle of a P.A. announcement in Thai and everyone with the same kind of queue card as me (about 50 people) were getting up to go behind the counter for the color blindness test and braking reaction test. We were suppose to turn in the blue queue cards but I'd lost mine in the depths of my handbag but they still motioned me thru. We formed two queues for the color blindness test, where the guy pointed to colored dots on a chart. He never pointed to a white or black area, only the three colors. Anyone who truly had red/green color blindness could have passed because they see red as black. Never did check distance vision and the chart was close enough that people would have to be nearly blind not to see it.

Then onto the braking reaction test, four queues behind a mechanical device where you sit in a contraption that simulates a drivers seat and car foot pedals. You push on the accelerator pedal, watch the lights and when it goes to red, you're suppose to hit the brake. Took me three tries. They laughed and said it was probably because I didn't understand the instructions in Thai. I understood; I'm just that bad a driver. Fortunately, I have never driven in Thailand, I just use the DL for an I.D.

Then the herd moved into a classroom with a large TV monitor and a serious looking, boss-type guy sat at a table in the front and spoke in Thai (there were only two non-Thais in the room). He spoke rapidly, but I think he said something about how serious it is for people to drive safely and how busy the DL offices are and in some parts of Thailand people have to wait three months to get their DL renewed. Everyone looked very serious and had stopped playing with their phones. Then he left and an underling started up the video and he left too. At first everyone sat very erect, paying attention (like they thought they were being watched) but after a while people started to use their phone under the tables. I took this opportunity to do a complete search of my handbag and found their blue queue card. Happy day! That was the high point of the video for me.

With nothing more to do, I decided to pay attention to the video and practice my Thai listening skills. It was animated, showing only cars, roads, trees. The narrator spoke slow, perfect Thai and the vocabulary was limited to words like "dangerous", "intersection", "left turn", "right turn", "in the case of", "vehicle", etc, so I had no problem in following the video. It seems there are five driving practices we're not suppose to do. Let's see if I can remember. One is not to drive too fast, esp. watch for situations where the posted speed is lowered around curves. Second, don't follow too closely. They actually taught the "three second rule". Who knew that they'd ever heard of this in Thailand? Third was something about passing safely. Fourth was about blind spots. They spent a long time on this. Then fifth was how you shouldn't drive when you're tired or under the influence of alcohol. They were showing a driver looking very drowsy which was inspiring me to close my eyes. About this time one of the DL guys came in and put us out of our misery. It was 11:20 am.

We were congratulated on passing the tests and watching the video (drat, we'll never know how its ends, does that drowsy guy get ofted?) and told to get new paper queue numbers to pay for our licenses and then photos and production of the new licenses. I got number 168 and they started processing at about no. 100. There were three counters working but they weren't above 128 when 12.00 arrived. But instead of everyone leaving for lunch, one counter stayed open and slowly continued to process customers during lunch. Unfortunately, that meant I didn't feel like I could leave to find something to eat. I did a quick trot around the building and found their coffee bar severely lacking. That's one nice thing about Immigration Promenada. Great food choices.

At the stroke of 1 pm, they reopened the other two cashier counters and even added another and really steamed thru the backlog. I paid for my new DL about 1:20 pm and then went behind the counter to get another queue ticket for the final stage, photo and actual production of the license. They had three ladies doing this and I hoped I'd get the lady in area No. 1. She was smiling and look several photos, letting the customer select the best. But instead I got lady No. 3 who must have been on loan from the women's prison that day. She told me to take off my glass -- what, so my wrinkles and bags would be more visible? Didn't have to remove my glasses before! I have to wear them when I drive. Took one photo of my squinting at the camera and then instructed me to move to a stool next to her to wait while the license was processed so she could humiliate the next punter with his photo. Then she asked me for 10 baht. <deleted>? There was 100 baht stapled to the paperwork I gave her, put there by the cashier for the photo. I didn't want to get into a discussion of the purpose of the 10 baht, but just dug it out of my newly organized handbag and left with my new license with the ugly photo of me.

It was 2 pm and I was starving.

[Tywais]

Nice report Nancy and pretty much mirrors my experience as I posted in the OP. I do explain the 10 Baht in there I believe.

//edit - believe I remember now. Did you get a little plastic protective pouch to put the DL in, that is the 10 Baht.

[Tywais]

BTW, did you look at the expiration date? It should show 6 years minus 3+weeks.