Renewing a 5 year DL early?

[BngkkB]

Can I and if so how early can I renew it. I have heard that it can be up to 25 days before it expires. I have also heard that it has to be the day after it expires. I'm just looking for facts as everything I hear differs.

Thank you.

[Pib]

90 days.

[KhunBENQ]

deleted

[BngkkB]

90 days before it expires? Really? Cool. I applied for my certicate of residence today from Chang Wattana and they told me it would be ready in 3 weeks and I read in one of the forums that it is only good for a month? My renewal is not till December but I will be traveling before December and not back till Jan over a month after it expires.

The 6 year sounds great but not a choice this time. Thank you both for your quick accurate replies.

[KhunBENQ]

Sorry I deleted my "6 year" post.

Just for completeness:

indeed it would work like seen for my car license:

[Pib]

90 days before it expires? Really? Cool. I applied for my certicate of residence today from Chang Wattana and they told me it would be ready in 3 weeks and I read in one of the forums that it is only good for a month? My renewal is not till December but I will be traveling before December and not back till Jan over a month after it expires.

The 6 year sounds great but not a choice this time. Thank you both for your quick accurate replies.

Yeap, about six month months before both my 5 year license and the wife's 5 year license expired (both expired within 2 days of each other) we dropped by the Land Transport Office servicing our Bangkok area and asked the question how far in advance could we renew...was told up to 90 days. But we still waited until about 10 days before they expired before we went and renewed them.

Edit: and if I remember right they also said a 90 day grace period existed to renew after the license expires without having to start from scratch in getting a new license (ie., retaking the test, etc). But that 90 day grace period does not mean it's still valid to be driving with an expired license.

[peterrabbit]

Its best to wait until after it has expired. I did mine 6 months after no problem.

[stevenl]

90 days before it expires? Really? Cool. I applied for my certicate of residence today from Chang Wattana and they told me it would be ready in 3 weeks and I read in one of the forums that it is only good for a month? My renewal is not till December but I will be traveling before December and not back till Jan over a month after it expires.

The 6 year sounds great but not a choice this time. Thank you both for your quick accurate replies.

Yeap, about six month months before both my 5 year license and the wife's 5 year license expired (both expired within 2 days of each other) we dropped by the Land Transport Office servicing our Bangkok area and asked the question how far in advance could we renew...was told up to 90 days. But we still waited until about 10 days before they expired before we went and renewed them.

Edit: and if I remember right they also said a 90 day grace period existed to renew after the license expires without having to start from scratch in getting a new license (ie., retaking the test, etc). But that 90 day grace period does not mean it's still valid to be driving with an expired license.

There is a one year grace period.

[BngkkB]

I can renew for up to year after it expires without going through the silly test again? Why on earth would they check the pereferial vision color? I guess better to see side colors then actually know how to drive?

[Pib]

90 days before it expires? Really? Cool. I applied for my certicate of residence today from Chang Wattana and they told me it would be ready in 3 weeks and I read in one of the forums that it is only good for a month? My renewal is not till December but I will be traveling before December and not back till Jan over a month after it expires.

The 6 year sounds great but not a choice this time. Thank you both for your quick accurate replies.

Yeap, about six month months before both my 5 year license and the wife's 5 year license expired (both expired within 2 days of each other) we dropped by the Land Transport Office servicing our Bangkok area and asked the question how far in advance could we renew...was told up to 90 days. But we still waited until about 10 days before they expired before we went and renewed them.

Edit: and if I remember right they also said a 90 day grace period existed to renew after the license expires without having to start from scratch in getting a new license (ie., retaking the test, etc). But that 90 day grace period does not mean it's still valid to be driving with an expired license.

There is a one year grace period.

Guess I didn't remember right since that grace period wasn't as important to me at the time as finding out how early I could renew.

[inzman]

Isn't it right that you lose a year if you renew early? Because it's good for 5 years from your last birthday.

[Pib]

No...its just if you renew shorty after the license expires you end up with almost 6 years before requiring renewal.

I just looked at both my car and motorcycle licenses which I renewed 20 days early in Dec 14...my renewed license had an expiration date 5 years and 20 days down the road.

[BobTH]

90 days before it expires? Really? Cool. I applied for my certicate of residence today from Chang Wattana and they told me it would be ready in 3 weeks and I read in one of the forums that it is only good for a month? My renewal is not till December but I will be traveling before December and not back till Jan over a month after it expires.

The 6 year sounds great but not a choice this time. Thank you both for your quick accurate replies.

About your certificate of residence from Chang Wattana, I applied for one there a couple of months ago and they also told me it would arrive by mail in 3 weeks. I got it in 11 days.

[BngkkB]

I was told I had go back and pick it up? I am little friendly with one of the agents there and when she heard who had taken my application for residence certificate, she just shook her head no no no, he very very strict, not your lucky day. He came off as a bit harsh at first and kept saying I could get from embassy but proceeded to fill in my request, in the end he smiled and turned out to be ok? Over all a good day at immigration.

[BobTH]

I was told I had go back and pick it up? I am little friendly with one of the agents there and when she heard who had taken my application for residence certificate, she just shook her head no no no, he very very strict, not your lucky day. He came off as a bit harsh at first and kept saying I could get from embassy but proceeded to fill in my request, in the end he smiled and turned out to be ok? Over all a good day at immigration.

Sorry you have to go back, they mailed mine as I said, but by your description I bet it was the same man I dealt with. I think I was his first customer of the day because I had to wait for about 20 minutes for him to get to his desk that morning. As far as I could tell he was the only one there doing residence certificates.