How Long Can Licence Be Expired?

[anuaaron]

I found the following info on the webboard which was very helpful. The thing is my Thai licence expired in 2547. I still have them both. Just wondering how old thay can be to automatically get a renewal.

Cheers

Obtaining a 5 Year Licence

Documents needed:

1. Your old, expired Thai driving licence. (On the date you apply, your licence must have already expired.)

2. Photocopies of the following pages of your passport:

- the page with your photograph and name

- the non-immigrant visa

- the departure card ("TM... card" - stapled in your passport)

- the last arrival stamp ("Admitted Until" stamp)

- the last "Application Of Stay" extension stamp.

All pages must be signed by you.

3. 2 Photographs for each licence: 1 inch square (2.5 cm square) excluding the white border, which will be cut off.

It must show your complete face, neck and top of shoulders.

4. A photocopy of and the original document, which is a letter or form (bottom of TM47 form) from Immigration confirming your address in Thailand. They will keep the photocopy and give you back the original document.

The photocopy must be signed by you.

5. 505 baht for car licence / 255 baht for motorbike - valid 5 years minimum, up to your next birthday after 5 full years.

Note: no medical certificate is required.

[briley]

Firstly a medical certificate is required This has been discussed before the majority had to produce a certificate.

AFAIK and according to Thai friends the licence can be decades out of date.

[leisurely]

Firstly a medical certificate is required This has been discussed before the majority had to produce a certificate.

AFAIK and according to Thai friends the licence can be decades out of date.

When we renewed our licences two years ago, we needed a medical certificate - competely worthless really, I went and got my husbands for him. We did run into a problem with getting a 5 year licence, we still had three days to run on the current ones and so could only have one for a year. Three days into our new 1 year valid licence we could change them for 5 year ones and to make matters even more Thai they are valid for 6 years.

[Artisan]

When we renewed our licences two years ago, we needed a medical certificate - competely worthless really, I went and got my husbands for him. We did run into a problem with getting a 5 year licence, we still had three days to run on the current ones and so could only have one for a year. Three days into our new 1 year valid licence we could change them for 5 year ones and to make matters even more Thai they are valid for 6 years.

Take a look at your new "5-Year" Licence again. I think that you will see that, although there is a six year validity on the licence, the first year of it's validity corresponds with that of your first licence. When you received your new 1-year licence and, because you renewed it 3 days early, you would have noticed that it would record the validity as starting on the date of your first licence.....362 days old already!!! When you changed it for a 5-year licence, this new extended licence would show the same period of validity.......appearing to be 6 years but actually 5.

I hope that's clear because when I read it again it seemed to be as clear as mud!!! Good luck.

[Artisan]

AFAIK and according to Thai friends the licence can be decades out of date.

Not so. Out-of-date licences cannot be renewed. To obtain a new licence you would have to start the procedure from scratch.

[briley]

A 5 year renewal is for five years, and then up to your date of birth. So if you get your 5 year licence the day after your birthday it runs for almost 6 years, if the day before your birthday it only runs for 5 years and 1 day.

Sorry Artisan but your blanket 'Out of date licences cannot be renewed' can't be correct as your licences must have expired, and hence be out of date, to apply for a renewal. Clear as mud?

[Tywais]

AFAIK and according to Thai friends the licence can be decades out of date.

Not so. Out-of-date licences cannot be renewed. To obtain a new licence you would have to start the procedure from scratch.

I believe you will find that the consensus on TV and in general is that the license has to expire before getting the 5-year license.

However for the OP, many years ago on my first license I let it expire for 6 months (accidentally) and they would only give me a one year again. So it would appear it is not indefinite, but didn't have to retest again (written/driving).

[Artisan]

A 5 year renewal is for five years, and then up to your date of birth. So if you get your 5 year licence the day after your birthday it runs for almost 6 years, if the day before your birthday it only runs for 5 years and 1 day.

Sorry Artisan but your blanket 'Out of date licences cannot be renewed' can't be correct as your licences must have expired, and hence be out of date, to apply for a renewal. Clear as mud?

Yes, you're right Briley and that's really interesting about licence validity. I checked the validity dates on my "5-year" driving licence for the first time today and you're right. It is valid from 1st February 2545 until 30th April 2552 (my birthday). But..............that's SEVEN years a THREE months!!! Or have I missed something?

[briley]

Luck?

Or maybe that was the rules 4 years ago - although it is in my memory that 4 years ago Farangs couldn't get 5 year licence only 1 year so...........!

[steveromagnino]

AFAIK and according to Thai friends the licence can be decades out of date.

Not so. Out-of-date licences cannot be renewed. To obtain a new licence you would have to start the procedure from scratch.

I did this recently. The out of date license must already be expired; in my case it had expired 3 years ( i know i know).

I didn't need a med cert; all I needed was that license and ID stuff and so on and it was all tickedy boo.

[Artisan]

Luck?

Or maybe that was the rules 4 years ago - although it is in my memory that 4 years ago Farangs couldn't get 5 year licence only 1 year so...........!

This is definitely not so.......my present "5-year" licence is my second one. I have the previous one to prove it....and all of the 1-year licences before that one.