Is my Thai drivers license valid identification?

[Wuvu2]

I just got my Thai drivers license which has my passport number on it as my "ID number".

 

Is the Thai drivers license valid ID in lieu of a Passport?

 

For example, can I board a domestic flight or check into a hotel with just my Thai drivers license?

 

If asked for ID by a police officer will they be satisfied with my Thai drivers license?

 

Thanks,

W

[ubonjoe]

16 minutes ago, Wuvu2 said:

Is the Thai drivers license valid ID in lieu of a Passport?

 

For example, can I board a domestic flight or check into a hotel with just my Thai drivers license?

 

If asked for ID by a police officer will they be satisfied with my Thai drivers license?

A drivers license does not replace needing your passport if asked for it by an authority.

You could use it for ID to board a flight. It is up to the hotel whether they accept it.

I would not suggest ever traveling far from home without your passport.

[jeab1980]

Bottom line is This is Thailand some will accept D/L as ID some wont. As for police if stopped D/l usually does the trick. I also have pictures on phone of Passport and relevant Visa.As a back up if going long distances I also have photocopies of the same in the car with the insurance docs. Hotels again some will some won't on D/L trial and error like Joe I would say if going into a hotel carry your passport just in case. I Use the Foreigners pink ID card now that seems to work on everything you mentioned so far.

Edited April 28, 2017 by jeab1980

[petermik]

In my opinion a full 5 year licence is acceptable...........a two year temporary one not so sure

[skatewash]

I don't see how a Driver's License would suffice for check-in at a hotel since it doesn't contain by itself the necessary information for the hotel to file a TM 30 for the guest.  The Driver's License lacks the following data for a TM 30 filing:  nationality, date of arrival (in the country), type of visa, expiration date of stay, point of entry, and arrival card #.  All of that information can be determined from your passport (and arrival card), but not from your Thai Driver's License, which provides only your name and (usually) your passport number as the driver's license number.

[jeab1980]

Just now, skatewash said:

I don't see how a Driver's License would suffice for check-in at a hotel since it doesn't contain by itself the necessary information for the hotel to file a TM 30 for the guest.  The Driver's License lacks the following data for a TM 30 filing:  nationality, date of arrival (in the country), type of visa, expiration date of stay, point of entry, and arrival card #.  All of that information can be determined from your passport (and arrival card), but not from your Thai Driver's License, which provides only your name and (usually) your passport number as the driver's license number.

Nor does the pink ID but they accept it

[skatewash]

Just now, jeab1980 said:

Nor does the pink ID but they accept it

Then either the online registration process doesn't require that data (unlike the printed TM 30 form) or the hotel isn't doing reporting for that guest.

[NancyL]

Your TDL has your address on the back, in Thai language, so it's really handy to have on hand when you buy a major appliance and want to have it delivered to your home.  You may be asked to draw a map if it's not a major condo or other obvious address.

 

Also, the TDL is laid out just like the Thai people's ID, so it can come in handy in situations when you want to prove your age.  The low wage people at the cinema know exactly where to look on the card to determine you deserve the senior discount.

 

Plus, each province has it's own logo.  Here in Chiang Mai we have the pandas at the CM Zoo.  It makes our TDLs super cute.  Each province's logo is in the lower right corner.  Check out yours.

[Peterw42]

4 minutes ago, NancyL said:

Your TDL has your address on the back, in Thai language, so it's really handy to have on hand when you buy a major appliance and want to have it delivered to your home.  You may be asked to draw a map if it's not a major condo or other obvious address.

 

Also, the TDL is laid out just like the Thai people's ID, so it can come in handy in situations when you want to prove your age.  The low wage people at the cinema know exactly where to look on the card to determine you deserve the senior discount.

 

Plus, each province has it's own logo.  Here in Chiang Mai we have the pandas at the CM Zoo.  It makes our TDLs super cute.  Each province's logo is in the lower right corner.  Check out yours.

How old do you have to be for seniors discount at the movies ?

[jeab1980]

23 minutes ago, skatewash said:

Then either the online registration process doesn't require that data (unlike the printed TM 30 form) or the hotel isn't doing reporting for that guest.

When I used to use the passport all they ever photocopied was the face page never seen anyone in thailand look at the visa.

[jeab1980]

27 minutes ago, NancyL said:

Your TDL has your address on the back, in Thai language, so it's really handy to have on hand when you buy a major appliance and want to have it delivered to your home.  You may be asked to draw a map if it's not a major condo or other obvious address.

 

Also, the TDL is laid out just like the Thai people's ID, so it can come in handy in situations when you want to prove your age.  The low wage people at the cinema know exactly where to look on the card to determine you deserve the senior discount.

 

Plus, each province has it's own logo.  Here in Chiang Mai we have the pandas at the CM Zoo.  It makes our TDLs super cute.  Each province's logo is in the lower right corner.  Check out yours.

Adress on the back is not much good I moved after renewing my DL five years ago. Took it to new DTO but they wouldn't change it until the licence was due for renewal. There answer was that's why it's so small on the back most thais don't live at address it's registered to like the blue book tabien system. Most are still on there childhood home book whilst living all over thailand.

Edited April 28, 2017 by jeab1980

[colinchaffers]

They changed my address in 20 minutes, no problem

[jeab1980]

Just now, colinchaffers said:

They changed my address in 20 minutes, no problem

Which is about right as stated no two government agencies in thailand operate the same system lol

[NancyL]

10 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

How old do you have to be for seniors discount at the movies ?

Age 60 at most, I believe.  This is the "normal" age for retirement from many gov't jobs.

[timkeen08]

Your TDL has your address on the back, in Thai language, so it's really handy to have on hand when you buy a major appliance and want to have it delivered to your home.  You may be asked to draw a map if it's not a major condo or other obvious address.
 
Also, the TDL is laid out just like the Thai people's ID, so it can come in handy in situations when you want to prove your age.  The low wage people at the cinema know exactly where to look on the card to determine you deserve the senior discount.
 
Plus, each province has it's own logo.  Here in Chiang Mai we have the pandas at the CM Zoo.  It makes our TDLs super cute.  Each province's logo is in the lower right corner.  Check out yours.

My Nong Khai drivers license does not have a logo at the right corner. We have an image of the Friendship Bridge on the box with my name and data to the right of my photo. Thanks for the heads up with my address in Thai.

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[timkeen08]

Which is about right as stated no two government agencies in thailand operate the same system lol

This one truth will set you free. Be prepared. The same goes for the same agency you dealt with last time. However, there is one thing that is always the same if you are a farang but I will not go into that here. You have all probably felt it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

[dave2]

28 minutes ago, timkeen08 said:

My Nong Khai drivers license does not have a logo at the right corner. We have an image of the Friendship Bridge

ahh nong khai :)

 

and nancys right !

 

my first and second 5 year driving licences both had a picture

of a panda on the bottom right corner  :)

 

dave2

[RBOP]

12 hours ago, jeab1980 said:

Adress on the back is not much good I moved after renewing my DL five years ago. Took it to new DTO but they wouldn't change it until the licence was due for renewal. There answer was that's why it's so small on the back most thais don't live at address it's registered to like the blue book tabien system. Most are still on there childhood home book whilst living all over thailand.

Same here. Asked them to update address but they said not until renew. I insisted reasoning I needed it to show my new address. Ok they changed the address. Got home and noticed they only changed the home number and street but left the Moobaan and province same. I had moved provinces. So just waited for renewal time to get correct address. For me, only the high end hotels want to see passport for checking in. Some accept DL and some didn't ask for anything. 

[fred110]

3 hours ago, NancyL said:

Age 60 at most, I believe.  This is the "normal" age for retirement from many gov't jobs.

I think it is 60 at SF, and the Senior card is 100 baht per year. Well worth it if you go as often as I do.

[1FinickyOne]

14 hours ago, skatewash said:

I don't see how a Driver's License would suffice for check-in at a hotel since it doesn't contain by itself the necessary information for the hotel to file a TM 30 for the guest.  The Driver's License lacks the following data for a TM 30 filing:  nationality, date of arrival (in the country), type of visa, expiration date of stay, point of entry, and arrival card #.  All of that information can be determined from your passport (and arrival card), but not from your Thai Driver's License, which provides only your name and (usually) your passport number as the driver's license number.

Hi Skate - I have been using my license for many years at hotels and never been questioned anywhere... from guesthouse to 5 star... not even a hesitation, though surely they make a copy just as they would with a passport... And I do carry a copy of my passport but have never been asked, even at checkpoint stops. 

[1FinickyOne]

14 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

How old do you have to be for seniors discount at the movies ?

 

4 hours ago, NancyL said:

Age 60 at most, I believe.  This is the "normal" age for retirement from many gov't jobs.

OH NO!!!! That would be the horrible, forever dreaded double pricing!!! 

 

Then again, it is ok for foreigners when they benefit by variant pricing, and yet an outrage when Thai can go free into their own government subsidized national parks... 

 

Now that I know they would give people like me a discount - I will boycott the movies here. That is simply unfair pricing. 

[fred110]

23 minutes ago, kenk24 said:

 

OH NO!!!! That would be the horrible, forever dreaded double pricing!!! 

 

Then again, it is ok for foreigners when they benefit by variant pricing, and yet an outrage when Thai can go free into their own government subsidized national parks... 

 

Now that I know they would give people like me a discount - I will boycott the movies here. That is simply unfair pricing. 

It's not double pricing. All nationalities get the movie discount at 65. I get it in the USA too.

[phiti]

5 minutes ago, fred110 said:

It's not double pricing. All nationalities get the movie discount at 65. I get it in the USA too.

Agree it's not double pricing. Same in the UK too. Many countries have reduced rates for children and people of retirement age. Good to see that the cinemas are not discriminating against non-Thais with this.

[1FinickyOne]

32 minutes ago, fred110 said:

It's not double pricing. All nationalities get the movie discount at 65. I get it in the USA too.

ha ha.. how about age discrimination!!! All those poor young people have to pay more than wealthy foreign and Thai retirees... 

 

I am just making a point for the price whiners here who only complain when the ball rolls the other way... 

 

And in the USA you pay more if you play golf or go to school out of state... variant pricing is just a fact of life - - 

[GOLDBUGGY]

It has been my experience in Thailand that they always want to see your Passport. There has been a case where I forgot to bring my Passport once to my Bank but was still able to withdraw money from my account, but I think this was an exception to the rule, and not the rule itself.

 

For hotels, in some case a Valid Visa Card is good enough. Depends on the hotel I think. They are just interested in getting paid, so if you pay by Visa they will be happy with just that.  

[Eff1n2ret]

1 hour ago, kenk24 said:

Hi Skate - I have been using my license for many years at hotels and never been questioned anywhere... from guesthouse to 5 star... not even a hesitation, though surely they make a copy just as they would with a passport... And I do carry a copy of my passport but have never been asked, even at checkpoint stops. 

Exactly my experience. It seems that the rules about TM30 reporting are more honoured in the breach than in the observance. Over Songkran we flew from U Tapao to Udon Thani, check-in with Thai D/L, no problem. I had booked a hotel via an agency, so presented the voucher, which of course had my name on it. However,  the hotel registration was scribbled by my sister-in-law, who was meeting us, and I wasn't asked for any I/d at all. I left my passport in the safe at home, because in nearly 8 years of residence here I've carried a copy of my passport and current 1-year stamp and never been required to produce it.

If we're travelling and turn up at a hotel on spec I get the missis to register. Any time I've been asked by a hotel for I/d the D/L has sufficed, as it always has for police stops on the road.

[1FinickyOne]

52 minutes ago, phiti said:

Agree it's not double pricing. Same in the UK too. Many countries have reduced rates for children and people of retirement age. Good to see that the cinemas are not discriminating against non-Thais with this.

There are 2 sets of prices.. this is common around the world and in different situations... if you are a foreigner of retirement age here, it works in your favor - - most look at it as a Sr. discount... UNTIL - it works against you and then foreigners cry racism and all sorts of other horrible things when it is just something else that might work against them, or in favor of someone else, OR mostly, it is just not the way things are done in their home countries and they object to not having absolutely everything like it is at home... people seem to not realize that part of living in a different culture is that things are looked at differently sometimes than in their culture...

 

I get such easy access here whereas a Thai person has to pay even for an application to visit my country and would have to jump through hoops to get in for a 30 day visit... and I can come in here easy, get 30 days for free, no questions asked... 

 

but people do not see this... they only seem to see apparent slights... not where they are favored - that means nothing... 

[1FinickyOne]

25 minutes ago, GOLDBUGGY said:

It has been my experience in Thailand that they always want to see your Passport. There has been a case where I forgot to bring my Passport once to my Bank but was still able to withdraw money from my account, but I think this was an exception to the rule, and not the rule itself.

 

For hotels, in some case a Valid Visa Card is good enough. Depends on the hotel I think. They are just interested in getting paid, so if you pay by Visa they will be happy with just that.  

My DL has worked for withdrawals at the bank too... though it is not uncommon for each bank to be different and if they requested my passport, I would surely understand... 

[louse1953]

3 hours ago, timkeen08 said:

This one truth will set you free. Be prepared. The same goes for the same agency you dealt with last time. However, there is one thing that is always the same if you are a farang but I will not go into that here. You have all probably felt it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk
 

Yes i have felt that warm,generous feeling of people wanting to help.Except my amphur for Yellow book.

[louse1953]

13 minutes ago, kenk24 said:

There are 2 sets of prices.. this is common around the world and in different situations... if you are a foreigner of retirement age here, it works in your favor - - most look at it as a Sr. discount... UNTIL - it works against you and then foreigners cry racism and all sorts of other horrible things when it is just something else that might work against them, or in favor of someone else, OR mostly, it is just not the way things are done in their home countries and they object to not having absolutely everything like it is at home... people seem to not realize that part of living in a different culture is that things are looked at differently sometimes than in their culture...

 

I get such easy access here whereas a Thai person has to pay even for an application to visit my country and would have to jump through hoops to get in for a 30 day visit... and I can come in here easy, get 30 days for free, no questions asked... 

 

but people do not see this... they only seem to see apparent slights... not where they are favored - that means nothing... 

Last year i travel India,mostly by train.Seniors discount every time.