UK Driving Licence for Thai Wife

[Eneukman]

I shall be returning to live in the UK permanently with my Thai wife within the next few months. She has a Thai driving licence, which allows her to drive in the UK for 12 months. I'm keen that she should obtain a UK driving licence as soon as practical after she arrives in the UK without having to wait 12 months and then obtain a provisional licence (and 'L" plates) which would bar her from driving on motorways. That wouldn't be  problem locally but would be if she had to drive to and from Edinburgh, say.

 

Is there any way she can take her UK driving test based on her Thai driving licence? It's crazy that one day she can drive on motorways on her Thai licence but cannot do so days later if she has to convert to a UK provisional licence.

 

I would have to knock all her current bad habits out of her and make sure that she was able to pass the theory and 'potential problem ahead' awareness test first. A friend used to be a driving instructor so I can ask him to take her out (with me sitting in the back so I know what he's teaching her) before getting her some lessons from a current driving instructor who knows the roads where she'll have to sit her test. I assume that she would be allowed extra time in the theory test as English is not her native language.

 

Thanks

 

Alan

 

[Stocky]

Why does she need to wait 12 months? She can hold a UK Provisional Licence and a valid International Driving Permit at the same time. 

[Ace of Pop]

She won't pass anyway,they all fail the last bits , English etc . Examiners are hard on Thais so my friends say.


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[theoldgit]

As you say she can drive on her Thai licence for up to twelve months, there's no need for an International Driving Permit.

As you are aware after the twelve months have expired she needs to pass the theory and practical tests, but as I understand it she doesn't need to get a provisional licence before she applies to take her test and I believe she can take a test at any time in the initial twelve months.
That said, you apply for the test online and need to input a UK Driving Licence number, maybe call the DVSA support line for advice - 0300 200 1122

[MaprangHolmes]

1 hour ago, Ace of Pop said:

She won't pass anyway,they all fail the last bits , English etc . Examiners are hard on Thais so my friends say.


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That is not true, my wife passed first time after having 28 driving lessons and that is from never driving a car before!

[MaprangHolmes]

You never used to be given any extra time in the theory test, you can choose to listen to the questions if your wife's reading skills are not so good.

[Ace of Pop]

That is not true, my wife passed first time after having 28 driving lessons and that is from never driving a car before!

That's because she learned correctly with no Thai sloppy ideas .theo op says his can drive already and can't speak English very good.so not a correct way to start


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[7by7]

8 hours ago, Ace of Pop said:

She won't pass anyway,they all fail the last bits , English etc . Examiners are hard on Thais so my friends say.

Rubbish;  examiners judge all candidates on how they perform on the day.

 

Before I had to retire as an ADI for health reasons I taught many Thais, and other foreigners, to drive with a 100% pass rate; most first time.

 

Eneukman, your wife will need to obtain a GB (if she lives in England, Scotland or Wales) or NI (if she lives in Northern Ireland) provisional licence and pass the theory, including hazard perception, and practical tests before she can obtain a GB or NI full licence,

 

She does not have to wait until she has been here for 12 months, she can do this at any time. If she does so during her first 12 months residence then she can still drive unaccompanied using her Thai licence until she passes her tests.  But if she has not obtained her full GB or NI licence once the twelve months are up she cannot legally drive except as a provisional GB or NI licence holder.

 

I strongly recommend that she has professional lessons. Not just because different countries have different standards, but also because people pick up bad habits. Many 'experienced' British drivers would fail if they had to take their test again without refresher lessons first!

[bobrussell]

A very big reason to get a UK license is to be able to take advantage of the points system for minor traffic infringements. Someone with a non-UK licence has to be processed via the courts as points cannot be applied to a foreign drivers licence.

It is compulsory to list any criminal convictions and this could prevent or delay citizenship where the offence might be punishable by imprisonment.

Simple example, driving when using a mobile phone, may get points and a fine but going to court could face a prison sentence.

 

Driving in the UK is very different to driving in Thailand.

My wife had only met one roundabout in Thailand and the aim of Thai drivers is to pile as many cars onto the roundabout at any one time as possible!

For her safety and welfare I would get her lessons without delay even if she has a lot of driving experience.

[rasg]

And make sure you get a grade 4 or even better grade 5 driving instructor. One of the useful bits of info that I found out about on a speed awareness course. I had no idea that they were graded.

[Eneukman]

14 hours ago, 7by7 said:

Rubbish;  examiners judge all candidates on how they perform on the day.

 

Before I had to retire as an ADI for health reasons I taught many Thais, and other foreigners, to drive with a 100% pass rate; most first time.

 

Eneukman, your wife will need to obtain a GB (if she lives in England, Scotland or Wales) or NI (if she lives in Northern Ireland) provisional licence and pass the theory, including hazard perception, and practical tests before she can obtain a GB or NI full licence,

 

She does not have to wait until she has been here for 12 months, she can do this at any time. If she does so during her first 12 months residence then she can still drive unaccompanied using her Thai licence until she passes her tests.  But if she has not obtained her full GB or NI licence once the twelve months are up she cannot legally drive except as a provisional GB or NI licence holder.

 

I strongly recommend that she has professional lessons. Not just because different countries have different standards, but also because people pick up bad habits. Many 'experienced' British drivers would fail if they had to take their test again without refresher lessons first!

Thanks for that information. I'll apply for a provisional licence as soon as practical after we arrive in Scotland. Where we'll be living, the roads are fairly quiet with few traffic lights and only a handful of roundabouts so that'll make it easier for her.

 

As I said, a friend is a former driving instructor so I'll get him to assess her driving before getting a current driving instructor to give her more lessons and to take her to where she'll need to sit her test - about half an hour or so from where we'll be living. I'll sit in the back a couple of times so I know what he's telling her to do and more importantly not to do so I don't end up teaching her bad habits when she drives with me in the front passenger seat. It'll also give me a guide as to all the many bad habits I've picked up over the years and which would result in me failing the test if i had to sit it again. 

 

I found an example of the 'hazard awareness test' on-line with zero instructions and failed miserably! However, once I found instructions and went back and tried again, I scarped a pass. I scored zero on one of the videos, mainly because I clicked to soon before it had developed into a hazard. I think she could struggle to pass that unless the qualified driving instructor is able to give her some tuition and guidance as to how it should work.

 

Alan

 

I assume "L" plates should be displayed when she is driving under both a provisional and a Thai licence? Could be fun driving on the motorway with 'L' plates and the police stop us.

 

Alan

Edited January 31, 2017 by Eneukman

[Eneukman]

12 hours ago, rasg said:

And make sure you get a grade 4 or even better grade 5 driving instructor. One of the useful bits of info that I found out about on a speed awareness course. I had no idea that they were graded.

I only found that out last year myself. My driving instructor friend was downgraded from 5 to 4 at one point because he was giving too much help to a pupil. As he said to me, he wanted to ensure that his pupils passed the test. Not only are driving instructors graded but examiners also have their 'work' assessed from time to time to ensure that their assessment of someone's ability to drive is fair. 

 

Alan

 

 

[meatboy]

15 hours ago, Ace of Pop said:

That's because she learned correctly with no Thai sloppy ideas .theo op says his can drive already and can't speak English very good.so not a correct way to start


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thats the way to DO IT. she has to forget the thai way and have as many lessons with [best] a lady driver.

the wife passed first time,but she had to LISTEN how to drive THE CORECT WAY. so its,

THE HIGHWAY CODE to start with. and listen to what you are TOLD.

[MaprangHolmes]

You can get a cheap Theory driving test DVD in wilkinson's for about £3 that has just about every question from the theory test which you just click the correct answer and it also has a selection of hazard awareness test for you to practice. Well worth the money.   

Edited January 31, 2017 by MaprangHolmes
Spelling

[meatboy]

1 hour ago, MaprangHolmes said:

You can get a cheap Theory driving test DVD in wilkinson's for about £3 that has just about every question from the theory test which you just click the correct answer and it also has a selection of hazard awareness test for you to practice. Well worth the money.   

is it in thai. or english.as she isnt up on her english.

she needs THE HIGHWAY CODE trans.to THAI. as she wouldnt have a clue about road signs.

[bobrussell]

Most road sign design is pretty much universal. When did you last misunderstand a Thai road warning sign? Also use the learning as an opportunity for her to improve her English!

I think you may be surprised how well she will cope.

My wife passed her test first time!

 

[7by7]

21 hours ago, rasg said:

And make sure you get a grade 4 or even better grade 5 driving instructor.

 

8 hours ago, Eneukman said:

My driving instructor friend was downgraded from 5 to 4 at one point because he was giving too much help to a pupil.

 Unfortunately, check tests, in which an instructor is graded, can be very subjective. They are carried out by a senior examiner sitting in the back during a lesson.

 

When I was an instructor the SE(ADI) at my local test centre was well known for judging harshly; he had never been known to give a 5.

 

After my first check test with him he told me that I was extremely close to being a 4, but he was only giving me a 3 because I didn't give my pupil enough help at one point. (A confusing roundabout with different priorities to normal. As we approached it I told the pupil that she had done this with my help several times and this time I wanted to see how she coped on her own. As soon as we reached a safe place after the roundabout I pulled her over and, using Q&A, explained what she had done wrong.)

 

After my next one, he told me that I had vastly improved, but was till only going to give me a 3!

 

He retired before my next one, at which I got a 4.

 

 

[7by7]

9 hours ago, Eneukman said:

I assume "L" plates should be displayed when she is driving under both a provisional and a Thai licence? Could be fun driving on the motorway with 'L' plates and the police stop us.

 

She does not need to display 'L' plates whilst driving with her Thai licence.

[rasg]

I see they have changed the driver instruction grading system and there is some good advice in choosing an instructor on there.

 

http://www.automaticnewtonabbot.co.uk/always-learning/how-to-choose-a-driving-instructor

[bobrussell]

We found that word of mouth was the best way to find a suitable instructor.

Talking to other Thai friends we found someone that had taught several other Thais. He turned out to be great, very patient and as stated earlier - a pass first time!

[Eneukman]

20 hours ago, MaprangHolmes said:

You can get a cheap Theory driving test DVD in wilkinson's for about £3 that has just about every question from the theory test which you just click the correct answer and it also has a selection of hazard awareness test for you to practice. Well worth the money.   

Unfortunately, I don't think there is a Wilkinson's near where we'll be living (population 3000). I'll need to ask my brother at some point if there's a store in Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes or Dundee..A friend is coming over in May so I can also ask him to have a look as he used to be a driving instructor.

 

I have found a site for that gives several examples of the theory test, though I'm not certain how realistic they are. 

 

Alan

 

 

[Eneukman]

14 hours ago, 7by7 said:

 

She does not need to display 'L' plates whilst driving with her Thai licence.

That's good news as I want her to get some practice on motorway driving in the UK - mostly 2 lanes for the few near me.

 

Alan

[Eneukman]

9 hours ago, bobrussell said:

We found that word of mouth was the best way to find a suitable instructor.

Talking to other Thai friends we found someone that had taught several other Thais. He turned out to be great, very patient and as stated earlier - a pass first time!

As I said above, we'll be living in a town with a population of 3000 so I doubt there will be that much choice locally. I have found 2 within a short distance of where we'll be living. Curiously, one lives next door to a house we may rent when we get there. Again, I'll make enquiries with my brother and friends.

 

Alan

[rasg]

Unfortunately, I don't think there is a Wilkinson's near where we'll be living (population 3000). I'll need to ask my brother at some point if there's a store in Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes or Dundee..A friend is coming over in May so I can also ask him to have a look as he used to be a driving instructor.

 

I have found a site for that gives several examples of the theory test, though I'm not certain how realistic they are.

 

Do a Google. I think I saw one on somewhere like Amazon in the last couple of weeks.

[rasg]

I did...

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=drivng+theory+test

[7by7]

Take official practice driving theory tests - for free

Quote

Here you can take official practice theory tests from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), free of charge.

Be interesting to know how members fare! (I got 49 out of 50.)

 

You can also buy official DVSA practice materials from there.

 

 

[steve187]

On 1/31/2017 at 10:09 AM, Eneukman said:

 

 

I assume "L" plates should be displayed when she is driving under both a provisional and a Thai licence? Could be fun driving on the motorway with 'L' plates and the police stop us.

 

Alan

No L -Plates whilst on a full Thai licence

I think that you would need to speak to your insurance man as to what driving licence she will be driving on, she can hold a full Thai ( good for 1 year ), and a provisional UK. iIf she obtains during the 1 year, she will not be subject to provisional licence conditions e.g. displaying L-Plates, being supervised by a qualified driver or be excluded from motorways, whilst driving on this UK licence , but i would check your insurance company is aware and approve. After the year she would revert to full provisional conditions, ( stupid I know), unless UK test passed

This information is uptodate as far as i'm aware, but must admit i'm a bit out of date with the Road traffic act now.

[Eneukman]

17 hours ago, rasg said:

Unfortunately, I don't think there is a Wilkinson's near where we'll be living (population 3000). I'll need to ask my brother at some point if there's a store in Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes or Dundee..A friend is coming over in May so I can also ask him to have a look as he used to be a driving instructor.

 

I have found a site for that gives several examples of the theory test, though I'm not certain how realistic they are.

 

Do a Google. I think I saw one on somewhere like Amazon in the last couple of weeks.

Thanks for that and the link. I've seen the DVD offered for sale by Amazon so I think I'll wait until we're in Scotland before ordering it unless I happen to be near a Wilinsons (or Wilko?) The nearest one seems to be in Falkirk - about an hour and a half away by car but it's a long time since I was last there so I don't know how easy it is to park there.

 

Alan

[MaprangHolmes]

19 hours ago, 7by7 said:

Take official practice driving theory tests - for free

Be interesting to know how members fare! (I got 49 out of 50.)

 

You can also buy official DVSA practice materials from there.

 

 

My wife got the same as you 49 out of 50 for the first part of the theory test and 71 out of 75 for the hazard perception test

[ginglee]

My wife is in the same situation...been in UK since last August on a  2.5 yr visa,. I think she'd pass the driving test no problem, but the theory would be an issue with  the language. 

 

As has been mentioned here, a Thai can drive in the UK for 12mths...from date of arrival.  Now it doesn't say from the date the visa starts... But rather ' date of arrival'.....so if my wife goes back to Thailand every year, does that mean that when she arrives in he UK, the 12mths starts again?    I've looked everywhere and cannot get a definitive  answer on this ....