UK Driving Licence for Thai Wife

[7by7]

12 hours ago, ginglee said:

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 ....

 

No.

 

Visitors can drive a small vehicle, e.g. car, motorcycle, for up to 12 months with their foreign licence; the 12 months starting on their last entry as a visitor.

 

Residents, which includes someone entering with a settlement visa, can drive for up to 12 months from their first date of entry as a resident.

 

See Driving in Great Britain on a non-GB licence if you live in England, Scotland or Wales or Driving on licences from all other countries and students on a foreign licence if you live in Northern Ireland.

 

 

Edited February 5, 2017 by 7by7

[ginglee]

7by7...thank you.....

[theoldgit]

Post all in caps removed.

[crazydrummerpauly]

On 01/02/2017 at 11:34 AM, 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.

 

 

All your comments on this thread 100% spot-on as usual 7by7.  I recently discovered that website with the free theory test as well - got same score !  My wife has been in uk since last September and we are about to apply for her provisional licence soon -  i read on one government website that to be seen as a 'UK Resident', she has to be in the UK for a minimum of 185 days - so about 6 months - i am NOT completely confident that this is correct though - needs checking.  She came with a full Thai licence, and could in theory drive for up to 12 months from date of arrival as you say...but the problem we've come up against is INSURANCE.  I have pretty much given up trying to get her cover.  The other day after trying & failing with all the usual big names - Aviva, Liverpool Victoria etc.. i called 'Adrian Flux' the mega broker.  They said they could cover us both on one policy, but the annual premium would be £2,132 !!!   I said oh right, thanks and bye.  If anyone has any good experiences with getting motor insurance for their Thai partner in the UK i'd be very interested to know about it.     ( I'm sure it isn't helping that i'm 71 with a group 21 motor btw - which is ridiculous for an ancient low-value Citroen Picaso!).

[7by7]

36 minutes ago, crazydrummerpauly said:

My wife has been in uk since last September and we are about to apply for her provisional licence soon -  i read on one government website that to be seen as a 'UK Resident', she has to be in the UK for a minimum of 185 days - so about 6 months - i am NOT completely confident that this is correct though

 

The requirement is that one must be ordinarily resident in Great Britain if applying for a GB licence, Northern Ireland if applying for a NI one.

 

The basic definition of ordinarily resident is that one lives in the UK for at least 185 days out of any 365.

 

However, this does not mean one cannot apply until one has lived in the UK for at least 185 days. As your wife is here with a settlement visa she is classed as ordinarily resident. It is only if she were to spend more than 185 days out of the UK in any one year before she has ILR that she may lose that status.

[crazydrummerpauly]

3 minutes ago, 7by7 said:

 

The requirement is that one must be ordinarily resident in Great Britain if applying for a GB licence, Northern Ireland if applying for a NI one.

 

The basic definition of ordinarily resident is that one lives in the UK for at least 185 days out of any 365.

 

However, this does not mean one cannot apply until one has lived in the UK for at least 185 days. As your wife is here with a settlement visa she is classed as ordinarily resident. It is only if she were to spend more than 185 days out of the UK in any one year before she has ILR that she may lose that status.

Oh thanks - yep here on a normal 30-month settlement visa so we can apply for the provisonal anytime.  But as for her driving other than in a driving-school car, i think we'll have to wait for her to move on from a provisional to a full UK licence just because of the high insurance with her current status.  As others have noted, i imagine roundabouts will be the scary bit - especially as around here in South Yorks they do not hang about !

[7by7]

23 minutes ago, crazydrummerpauly said:

i think we'll have to wait for her to move on from a provisional to a full UK licence just because of the high insurance with her current status

You may find that if she applies for cover to only drive as an accompanied provisional licence holder, with a condition that she does not drive unaccompanied with her Thai licence, that the premiums come down.

 

It is possible to obtain cover to drive with a Thai licence; when I was an ADI many of my pupils did. But it does require a lot of searching; the cheaper companies found through comparison sites usually don't offer it as they wont cover anyone they see as high risk.

 

I had the same trouble when I was an ADI; many companies wouldn't cover me because I was in the high risk category. Same when I got my licence back after I developed epilepsy; it is only now, after I have been free from attacks for 10 years, that can get cheap cover again.

 

I do, of course, recommend that she does have lessons with an ADI; driving in the UK is different to driving in Thailand. Plus, people develop bad habits over time; even experienced British drivers would probably fail if they had to take the test again without having any professional lessons first!

Edited February 26, 2017 by 7by7

[MaprangHolmes]

3 hours ago, crazydrummerpauly said:

All your comments on this thread 100% spot-on as usual 7by7.  I recently discovered that website with the free theory test as well - got same score !  My wife has been in uk since last September and we are about to apply for her provisional licence soon -  i read on one government website that to be seen as a 'UK Resident', she has to be in the UK for a minimum of 185 days - so about 6 months - i am NOT completely confident that this is correct though - needs checking.  She came with a full Thai licence, and could in theory drive for up to 12 months from date of arrival as you say...but the problem we've come up against is INSURANCE.  I have pretty much given up trying to get her cover.  The other day after trying & failing with all the usual big names - Aviva, Liverpool Victoria etc.. i called 'Adrian Flux' the mega broker.  They said they could cover us both on one policy, but the annual premium would be £2,132 !!!   I said oh right, thanks and bye.  If anyone has any good experiences with getting motor insurance for their Thai partner in the UK i'd be very interested to know about it.     ( I'm sure it isn't helping that i'm 71 with a group 21 motor btw - which is ridiculous for an ancient low-value Citroen Picaso!).

give Uswitch a try, they have come back with a quote using my wife's details, and using a international driving licence which I put had been held for 5 years and 0 no claims and no convictions or medical problems. On a 2007 peugeot 107 1000cc for £524 that is with Go Girl. 

[crazydrummerpauly]

1 hour ago, MaprangHolmes said:

give Uswitch a try, they have come back with a quote using my wife's details, and using a international driving licence which I put had been held for 5 years and 0 no claims and no convictions or medical problems. On a 2007 peugeot 107 1000cc for £524 that is with Go Girl. 

Oh thanks for that idea - haven't tried Uswitch having only ever associated them with switching energy suppliers.  Cheers.

[Ace of Pop]

So all Testers are to same Standard. TOTAL RUBBISH... We had one nicknamed Dr No , i cliked for him, we even went to easy areas where Examiners were fair. The Bugger failed me for taking my Test 3 Days after i was 17, yet friends passed on their 17th Birthday in Devon area. HGV Class1 testers are Fair by comparison

[7by7]

It is true that some areas have pass rates higher than others; for an obvious reason. Driving in Lerwick in The Shetlands or Newport on the Isle of Wight is a lot easier than driving in London, Birmingham, Glasgow!

 

Where's the toughest UK driving test?

Quote

Advanced Driving Instructor Sandra Macdonald-Ames, who was the driving expert in the BBC documentary So You Think You Can Drive, said test centres with higher pass rates tend to be in rural areas.

"[Learners in rural areas] are effectively learning test routes in a fairly predictable environment," she said.

"If you practise for 20 to 30 hours you will inevitably cover all the local roads at one time or another. There are no nasty surprises."

She said there is a "constantly changing situation with multiple hazards" in major cities.

"As it is more unpredictable, candidates are more likely to get it wrong as decision-making needs to be much sharper," she said.

"If you hesitate in London at a junction you make the traffic reports on Radio 2 for congestion. If you hesitate in a rural area, no one really notices as three cars are a queue."

Which is why intensive driving training courses are all in rural areas!

 

Car driving test data by test centre

 

Becoming an examiner is not easy: and once qualified they are continuously assessed. If an individual examiner's pass rate is significantly lower or higher than the average for their test centre then they are tested by a senior examiner to ensure that they are following the guidance for driving examiners correctly and judging candidates fairly.

[Eneukman]

On 26/02/2017 at 10:10 PM, 7by7 said:

You may find that if she applies for cover to only drive as an accompanied provisional licence holder, with a condition that she does not drive unaccompanied with her Thai licence, that the premiums come down.

 

It is possible to obtain cover to drive with a Thai licence; when I was an ADI many of my pupils did. But it does require a lot of searching; the cheaper companies found through comparison sites usually don't offer it as they wont cover anyone they see as high risk.

 

I had the same trouble when I was an ADI; many companies wouldn't cover me because I was in the high risk category. Same when I got my licence back after I developed epilepsy; it is only now, after I have been free from attacks for 10 years, that can get cheap cover again.

 

I do, of course, recommend that she does have lessons with an ADI; driving in the UK is different to driving in Thailand. Plus, people develop bad habits over time; even experienced British drivers would probably fail if they had to take the test again without having any professional lessons first!

That's useful to know. It'll give my wife all the excuses she needs not to drive! I would be looking to buy a new, small car - something like the Peugeot 108 or similar, on which as far as I can gather, the road tax is zero. Hopefully, if we buy a new car, they'll provide us with free insurance for the first year. 

 

My brother tells me that parking where we'll likely be staying is going to be a major problem unless the place has off-street parking. Around half of the potential rental properties I've seen don't have parking outside your front door for one reason or another. Buying a car was going to be one of the first things I did but it looks as though I'm better waiting until we have a place of our own (rented) and both have up to date UK licences. At least being over 60, I can get a bus pass but will have to pay a fortune to take Noi with me when we go anywhere by bus.

 

Alan

 

 

[MaprangHolmes]

4 hours ago, Eneukman said:

That's useful to know. It'll give my wife all the excuses she needs not to drive! I would be looking to buy a new, small car - something like the Peugeot 108 or similar, on which as far as I can gather, the road tax is zero. Hopefully, if we buy a new car, they'll provide us with free insurance for the first year. 

 

My brother tells me that parking where we'll likely be staying is going to be a major problem unless the place has off-street parking. Around half of the potential rental properties I've seen don't have parking outside your front door for one reason or another. Buying a car was going to be one of the first things I did but it looks as though I'm better waiting until we have a place of our own (rented) and both have up to date UK licences. At least being over 60, I can get a bus pass but will have to pay a fortune to take Noi with me when we go anywhere by bus.

 

Alan

 

 

I would check that the car you want to buy, is still going to be zero rated tax after they all change in April. I think but I could be wrong this car has a co2 level of around 95 which would mean you would pay £120 road tax for the first year then £140 each year or buy a nearly new car which was registered before 31st March and still get zero rated road tax

[rasg]

6 hours ago, Eneukman said:

That's useful to know. It'll give my wife all the excuses she needs not to drive! I would be looking to buy a new, small car - something like the Peugeot 108 or similar, on which as far as I can gather, the road tax is zero. Hopefully, if we buy a new car, they'll provide us with free insurance for the first year. 

If she hasn’t driven before or had a history of driving in Thailand I wouldn’t ever suggest that anybody buys new. A cheapey a few years old is better. After the initial dings and knocks period that most drivers seem to have, then is to buy better.

 

My brother in law bought his oldest a new Toyota Yaris when he passed his test and regretted it. Within six months the Yaris looked as if he'd been stock car racing...

[7by7]

Indeed, rasg. Most, if not all, ADIs recommend that their pupils buy a small, old car as their first car. One that is cheap to buy, cheap to insure and that they wouldn't mind if they bent!

 

Then, once they had built up some experience and a no claims bonus they could buy something nicer.

 

Of course, not all listened. I remember a colleague telling me about a pupil of his who lived on St. George's Hill in Weybridge ( a private estate with very large, very expensive houses inhabited by millionaires).

 

When he picked her up for her test there was a brand new Toyota MR2 parked in the drive; and she proudly announced that her father had bought it and it was hers if she passed.

 

She'd written it of within 6 months! Fortunately without causing serious injury to herself or anyone else.

[rasg]

1 hour ago, 7by7 said:

Of course, not all listened. I remember a colleague telling me about a pupil of his who lived on St. George's Hill in Weybridge ( a private estate with very large, very expensive houses inhabited by millionaires).

I know it quite well. one of the richest areas in the UK.

 

My BIL managed to get an excellent deal for the new Yaris because he has a few cars from the dealer/leasor for his business every year or so. It still got wrecked and his next two sons had secondhand.

[Eneukman]

18 hours ago, MaprangHolmes said:

I would check that the car you want to buy, is still going to be zero rated tax after they all change in April. I think but I could be wrong this car has a co2 level of around 95 which would mean you would pay £120 road tax for the first year then £140 each year or buy a nearly new car which was registered before 31st March and still get zero rated road tax

You're right. Its CO2 emission is rated at 95. I'll check again in April. £120/140 isn't much but it would buy a few litres of petrol.. There are other cars I'm thinking about but I suspect that their emissions will be similar.

 

Alan

[Eneukman]

16 hours ago, rasg said:

If she hasn’t driven before or had a history of driving in Thailand I wouldn’t ever suggest that anybody buys new. A cheapey a few years old is better. After the initial dings and knocks period that most drivers seem to have, then is to buy better.

 

My brother in law bought his oldest a new Toyota Yaris when he passed his test and regretted it. Within six months the Yaris looked as if he'd been stock car racing...

Her driving isn't too bad though she'll definitely need lessons in the UK before she can even think about sitting her test. She's had a couple of accidents recently but these were due to motorbikes using her car as a brake! Also, she's in her 50's so doesn't drive that fast, though I'll need to ensure that she pays attention to speed limits etc as it would be all to easy to forget that you're in  40 mph zone in places. Letting her son drive when he comes over for a visit WOULD be a mistake!

 

Alan