Thai wife coming to USA; Should she get Thai and intl license in Thailand?

[rideswings]

Hopefully some time this year my Thai wife will be coming to the USA. She has never driven a car before. Im wondering whether it would be better for her to learn to drive in Thailand before she comes, get a Thai license, then an international license, then apply for a state license once she gets here. Or should we just start from scratch in the USA with a driving school. I will teach her a little bit but sometimes my Jai Yen runs out... haha

I already called my car insurance company and they told me that to add her will only increase my policy by $60 per year. I was really happy about that.

Thanks!

[khwaibah]

If she gets a Thai Dl the first one is for 1 years and is marked Temporary at the top. This dl is only good for Thailand and she can not get an international driving permit until she gets her 5 Year license. Also I drive and rent in the US on my 5 year Thai dl all this with OUT an IDP. The Thai dl is a smart card and is in Thai and English. That said IMHO it would be better to give her proper training in the US as there is no such thing in Thailand. All new application for a Thai DL must take a written test and get 45 out of 50 correct. Failure rate on the first go is something like 95%.

[HeijoshinCool]

It will be easier on her if you start out her driving experience on the right side of the road.

If she can read English, get her a copy of the DMV's rules of the road manual to study in advance.

[AaronLV]

I would suggest getting her the Thai Licenses. The Thai license in the US is valid without an IDP, since it has the Name, DOB, Expiration Date, and type of license in English. As far as the 1-year vs the 5 year, from the perspective of a police officer I know the temporary 1 year is legal to drive on, as it says Temporary, not restricted or learners permit. My insurance company also accepted it as a valid license, and insured my wife on my cars.

I taught her to drive with it as we were waiting for her Green Card, as she could not take the test for a learners permit until she had the GC. Never had to test it with a police officer, but I was always in the car with her. I am confident it would be a non-issue.

[AaronLV]

I would suggest getting her the Thai Licenses. The Thai license in the US is valid without an IDP, since it has the Name, DOB, Expiration Date, and type of license in English. As far as the 1-year vs the 5 year, from the perspective of a police officer I know the temporary 1 year is legal to drive on, as it says Temporary, not restricted or learners permit. My insurance company also accepted it as a valid license, and insured my wife on my cars.

I taught her to drive with it as we were waiting for her Green Card, as she could not take the test for a learners permit until she had the GC. Never had to test it with a police officer, but I was always in the car with her. I am confident it would be a non-issue.

I'm confident that it may be an issue as the 1 year has been turned down BUT its worth a try. The problem is she hast to take written test in Thailand and the failure rate is about 95% percent. You have to get 45 out of 50 correct.

When you say turned down, do you mean by a court, police officer, or insurance? Or do you mean by a rental car agency, or used as ID (which it cannot be used as ID).

[NeverSure]

OP, every state is different. Driving is the province of the states. My state is so tough I had to take a certified copy of my birth certificate with me last time to renew. I won't have to do that again but I'd been licensed already for many years. We register to vote when we get our license so that's part of it. Oregon.

You might want to check with DMV in your state to see what they will require. Some states like California are as loose as a goose last I knew.

BTW good luck to you and your wife with your move.

[khwaibah]

I would suggest getting her the Thai Licenses. The Thai license in the US is valid without an IDP, since it has the Name, DOB, Expiration Date, and type of license in English. As far as the 1-year vs the 5 year, from the perspective of a police officer I know the temporary 1 year is legal to drive on, as it says Temporary, not restricted or learners permit. My insurance company also accepted it as a valid license, and insured my wife on my cars.

I taught her to drive with it as we were waiting for her Green Card, as she could not take the test for a learners permit until she had the GC. Never had to test it with a police officer, but I was always in the car with her. I am confident it would be a non-issue.

I'm confident that it may be an issue as the 1 year has been turned down BUT its worth a try. The problem is she hast to take written test in Thailand and the failure rate is about 95% percent. You have to get 45 out of 50 correct.

When you say turned down, do you mean by a court, police officer, or insurance? Or do you mean by a rental car agency, or used as ID (which it cannot be used as ID).

All 5 of your examples take a pick and it is and can be used as an ID.

Edited March 4, 2015 by khwaibah

[DrDave]

I would suggest starting to learn in the US. Changing from right-hand drive to left-hand drive could be very difficult for a new driver.

My wife got her license in California, and was able to take the written test in Thai language. The Thai community there has copies of the tests, with every possible question and answer. I don't know if any other states offer the test in Thai, though.

If your wife is coming to the US on a spouse visa, I believe she gets her green card immediately, so there's no waiting period to become "eligible" for a US driving license.

Provided she passes the written test, the road test should not be too difficult. My wife was able to pass with only about 2 or 3 hours of practice time behind the wheel in parking lots and the streets of our neighborhood (she had never driven a car before, but had lots of motorbike experience). Learning, practicing and taking the road test in a small car is a definite advantage, in my opinion. In California, the road test was given on the streets around the DMV office. No parallel parking. In Thailand, however, the road test is given on a closed course, but includes maneuvers (like parallel parking, k-turns, stopping on a hill) that were not included in the California test.

[Gonsalviz]

Even in the States, nobody learns to drive correctly anymore since it became a right but It is best for her to learn in the states.

[thrilled]

If she's Thai I would say have her get her Thailand license 1st.She should get some experience before getting A license in the US.Many people have trouble getting use to driving on the opposite sides of the road.I would take all

Of this very slow.

[rideswings]

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It will be easier on her if you start out her driving experience on the right side of the road.

If she can read English, get her a copy of the DMV's rules of the road manual to study in advance.

Good idea. I will get her a drivers manual for sure. Her English is ok, but since she has never driven before, some of the rules and language might be hard for her to understand.

I would suggest getting her the Thai Licenses. The Thai license in the US is valid without an IDP, since it has the Name, DOB, Expiration Date, and type of license in English. As far as the 1-year vs the 5 year, from the perspective of a police officer I know the temporary 1 year is legal to drive on, as it says Temporary, not restricted or learners permit. My insurance company also accepted it as a valid license, and insured my wife on my cars.

I taught her to drive with it as we were waiting for her Green Card, as she could not take the test for a learners permit until she had the GC. Never had to test it with a police officer, but I was always in the car with her. I am confident it would be a non-issue.

The only problem I have with getting her a Thai license is that she works 6 days a week which allows only Sunday for lessons in Thailand. I know it can be done, and it would give her some driving experience before she gets here.

OP, every state is different. Driving is the province of the states. My state is so tough I had to take a certified copy of my birth certificate with me last time to renew. I won't have to do that again but I'd been licensed already for many years. We register to vote when we get our license so that's part of it. Oregon.

You might want to check with DMV in your state to see what they will require. Some states like California are as loose as a goose last I knew.

BTW good luck to you and your wife with your move.

Thanks for that. I will ask my state what their requirements are. And thanks for the good wishes!

I would suggest starting to learn in the US. Changing from right-hand drive to left-hand drive could be very difficult for a new driver.

My wife got her license in California, and was able to take the written test in Thai language. The Thai community there has copies of the tests, with every possible question and answer. I don't know if any other states offer the test in Thai, though.

If your wife is coming to the US on a spouse visa, I believe she gets her green card immediately, so there's no waiting period to become "eligible" for a US driving license.

Provided she passes the written test, the road test should not be too difficult. My wife was able to pass with only about 2 or 3 hours of practice time behind the wheel in parking lots and the streets of our neighborhood (she had never driven a car before, but had lots of motorbike experience). Learning, practicing and taking the road test in a small car is a definite advantage, in my opinion. In California, the road test was given on the streets around the DMV office. No parallel parking. In Thailand, however, the road test is given on a closed course, but includes maneuvers (like parallel parking, k-turns, stopping on a hill) that were not included in the California test.

California has always been an amazing state. Thats great that they provide the test in Thai. Yes she will probably have her green card in a short time after arriving. I guess my biggest concern is her English language skills, thats why Im thinking about getting her license in Thai first.

If she's Thai I would say have her get her Thailand license 1st.She should get some experience before getting A license in the US.Many people have trouble getting use to driving on the opposite sides of the road.I would take all
Of this very slow.

Yes I am taking it very slow because her English is not great, and she is worried about that too. For the time being I can be her chauffeur, but I want her to be able to be independent as well.

By the way, any suggestions for a first car for her? She likes VW Beetles, and a pre-owned one can be had for not too much money. They are small and efficient, and good visibility from the inside. I drive a van which would probably not be a great car for her to start pout in. Big V-6 engine, and not great visibility,

Edited March 4, 2015 by rideswings

[remaxtony]

If she knows English, do it in the USA. The only difficult part is them passing the written test on the computer if they don't know English.

If she's never driven, don't start her in Thailand. One week of driving here, and those learned techniques of how they enter and exit roads, cut in front of people, etc will get her killed in the USA, as well as a handful of tickets.

Also, as mentioned, getting a license here is very time consuming, and they must come back a year later to keep it renewed for another 5 years. Do you really want her driving in Thailand? If the answer is no, then simply do it in the USA where driving is actually needed, and safe for the most part.

Here, it isn't her, but the other drivers you need to worry about.

[rideswings]

If she knows English, do it in the USA. The only difficult part is them passing the written test on the computer if they don't know English.

If she's never driven, don't start her in Thailand. One week of driving here, and those learned techniques of how they enter and exit roads, cut in front of people, etc will get her killed in the USA, as well as a handful of tickets.

Also, as mentioned, getting a license here is very time consuming, and they must come back a year later to keep it renewed for another 5 years. Do you really want her driving in Thailand? If the answer is no, then simply do it in the USA where driving is actually needed, and safe for the most part.

Here, it isn't her, but the other drivers you need to worry about.

She knows English, can speak and read, but her comprehension for technical terms is not very good. Learning specific driving terms such as yield, crosswalk, accelerate, etc will take alot of studying and patience.

I will also focus on getting her into a few English language programs. It will make driving easier if she can understand more English so she can read road signs.

[NeverSure]

"By the way, any suggestions for a first car for her? She likes VW Beetles, and a pre-owned one can be had for not too much money. They are small and efficient, and good visibility from the inside. I drive a van which would probably not be a great car for her to start pout in. Big V-6 engine, and not great visibility,"

Bugs are standard transmission which can be a good thing to learn - you decide. They've been hammered in the press about crash safety. They don't have air conditioning. I don't think they have enough power to keep up with any but town driving, just my opinion. - All up to you.

[rideswings]

Bugs are standard transmission which can be a good thing to learn - you decide. They've been hammered in the press about crash safety. They don't have air conditioning. I don't think they have enough power to keep up with any but town driving, just my opinion. - All up to you.

Actually, she likes the new beetle, maybe 2006 and newer. Front mounted 5 cylinder engine, automatic, front wheel drive, air, power, heat that actually works.

I think a compact Toyota or Nissan would be better, but wanting a Beetle is a girl thing. I had better find a good mechanic.

[DrDave]

As much as I don't personally like the "new beetle", it's a great car for someone learning to drive.

You sit up relatively high, and the visibility all around is excellent.

They're not cheap to maintain, but you should be able to pick up a 7-8 year old one for 5-6K USD.

[rideswings]

As much as I don't personally like the "new beetle", it's a great car for someone learning to drive.

You sit up relatively high, and the visibility all around is excellent.

They're not cheap to maintain, but you should be able to pick up a 7-8 year old one for 5-6K USD.

Those were exactly my thoughts. Good visibility, good for shorter people, and not too quick. Plus thats the car she really wants, so its a win-win. If it gets scratched or dented I wont car so much since it wont be new.