Thai driving licence and Thai bank account

[Los Luver]

Well, these are just informations to people who are interested in these things and don't have the exact infos.

I spent 35 days in LoS, from the end of January to the beginning of Mars 2017. I'm back home now.

 

On my 3rd day in LoS, I went to immigration office in Jomtien, I applied for residence certificate. in the application i mentioned that i needed for MC DL and to open a bank account.

All I needed was :

- a copy of the passport, the stamp from the airport (30 days) and the departure card.

- a copy of the receipt that i had already paid the hotel for 30 days

- 2 pass photos

- 400 Baht

After about an hour I got 2 certificates !

 

Thai Bank account:

I went first to Bangkok bank, I tried but then i changed my mind cause

- ATM card i was offered costed 700 Baht....

- That card is free of charge if I use it in ATMs in BKK and Chon buri regions but not free in the rest of LoS.

So I went to KrugSri bank. I opened the account and paid 300 Baht and got a debit card, I can use in ATMs in the whole nation free of charge....

 

Thai Driving Licence:

The day after I went to Land of Transport office.

All they asked was :

- a copy of the passport and immigration card

- a certificate of residence

- 2 photos

- a medical certificate from a Dr with me for DL. It's mandatory !!!  It costed me 120 Baht

They asked me if I had a DL from home, I said no. As I wanted to keep mine, I was afraid they would say that I should just change it.... It was mistake, cause if you give a copy of your home DL, you would skip the driving test and still get the Thai DL. I heard that after passing the test...

Anyway, I got an appointment. 3 weeks later I went at 8 o'clock, We sat in a room for 5 hours, watched a DvD about many rules of driving in LoS, was like 5 hours of theory. After we took the driving test and then the written test with 50 questions. 20 minutes later I got the Thai DL, costs 205 Baht valid for 2 years.....

 

2 hours later I rented this beauty 500 baht/day !!!!

 

[Pib]

Good post.  When the wife and I arrived Thailand around 9 years ago when we went to get out drivers licenses by showing our U.S. state drivers license we did not have to take an written/practical tests.   Just to play it safe we also got international drivers licenses before leaving the states (cost like around $100 just to supplement our US licenses "just in case"...showed those international licenses also.   

 

My US drivers license had a motorcycle endorsement (i.e., good for auto/truck and motorcycle).   So I applied for a Thai regular auto license and motorcycle license....got both.   The wife's US license was for auto/truck only so she only got a regular license...no separate motorcycle license.

 

With Thai drivers license requirements changing...now the 4 to 5 hour of training needed....and possibly changing to 15 hours....best to come over with valid/unexpired drivers license from your home country as it just may save you grief and training time in getting a Thai drivers license. 

[asiaexpat]

International Drivers Permit issued by AAA in USA is $20 if both car and motorcycle as of April, 2017. I paid $10 in 2010. 

[williamgeorgeallen]

i did 10 years in thailand and i would say it is better to not bother with a motorbike licence. the way it is going with getting hassled by the cops and stricter drink driving i thing motorbike taxis and songtaus are better options. i will probably head back to thailand when my kids are through school, my licence will be expired by then and i wont bother getting it again. i will probably use an ebike most of the time. i am selling them in new zealand and they come with great motors and a had throttle. 

as far bank accounts go i have a couple already but if i didnt or they expire i would not bother with them again. i think it is better just to have a couple ATM cards from my home country and withdraw 30 000thb every second week to cover expenses. 

[topt]

If the OP had taken the time to read any number of posts on different parts of this forum he would have been aware about using his home licence.

A UK IDP (not licence..........) is £5.50 at selected UK post offices or £8.50 via the post from the AA (inc. £3 P&P) 

 

I am also pleasantly surprised he found it so easy to open a bank account when you hear of some of the issues faced by certain posters on here and other forums...........

 

PS - I know one residence cert. from Jomtien is 300 baht (done recently) but not sure about the cost for 2?.

Edited May 1, 2017 by topt

[Upnotover]

1 hour ago, topt said:

PS - I know one residence cert. from Jomtien is 300 baht (done recently) but not sure about the cost for 2?.

 

17 hours ago, Los Luver said:

- 400 Baht

After about an hour I got 2 certificates !

 

[topt]

22 minutes ago, Upnotover said:

 

 

I queried it as when I was last there I thought people were paying 5 or 6 hundred for 2 but I could have been wrong and was hoping someone else could confirm

[LammyTS1]

30 minutes ago, topt said:

I queried it as when I was last there I thought people were paying 5 or 6 hundred for 2 but I could have been wrong and was hoping someone else could confirm

I got 4 Certs from jomtiem costing me 1200 baht. 

 

No multi discount for me :-(

[Los Luver]

I was standing next to a woman who paid 300 for hers, I prepared 600 to pay for mine. Suddenly the officer said 400, I paid and didn't try to understand anything !!!!

[owenm]

I tried to get a Certificate of Residence from BKK immigration 1 to renew my 2 yr license and was informed that a METV wasn't sufficient, and I would need a 12 mth Non Immigration OA or O to obtain one. They said I'd need to go to my Embassy for one... Not sure if I have BKK address if I can obtain CR from Pattaya?? 

[Pib]

30 minutes ago, owenm said:

I tried to get a Certificate of Residence from BKK immigration 1 to renew my 2 yr license and was informed that a METV wasn't sufficient, and I would need a 12 mth Non Immigration OA or O to obtain one. They said I'd need to go to my Embassy for one... Not sure if I have BKK address if I can obtain CR from Pattaya?? 

Usually you need to be doing 90 day address reporting with your "assigned" immigration office which means you have a long stay/1 year type Visa/Extension of Stay.  

 

 Example:  your assigned immigration office based on your residence like the Bangkok immigration is for people who live in Bangkok and have the appropriate visa/extension of stay.  People who live in Nakhon Pathom province and have the appropriate visa/extension of stay must use the Nahkon Pathom immigration office.  Etc...etc...etc.   Based on your residence.

[LammyTS1]

I tried to get a Certificate of Residence from BKK immigration 1 to renew my 2 yr license and was informed that a METV wasn't sufficient, and I would need a 12 mth Non Immigration OA or O to obtain one. They said I'd need to go to my Embassy for one... Not sure if I have BKK address if I can obtain CR from Pattaya?? 

I've obtained certificates of residence on 2 occasions from Pattaya and both times I just had a tourist visa.



Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[Lokie]

COR is 500Baht at Patong IO on a SETV (I got one in Jan) is not a fee but is for 'processing' lol... but recipet - No Have! ha ha ha

Edited May 1, 2017 by Lokie

[Grumpy Duck]

On 5/1/2017 at 8:27 AM, Pib said:

Good post.  When the wife and I arrived Thailand around 9 years ago when we went to get out drivers licenses by showing our U.S. state drivers license we did not have to take an written/practical tests.   Just to play it safe we also got international drivers licenses before leaving the states (cost like around $100 just to supplement our US licenses "just in case"...showed those international licenses also.   

 

My US drivers license had a motorcycle endorsement (i.e., good for auto/truck and motorcycle).   So I applied for a Thai regular auto license and motorcycle license....got both.   The wife's US license was for auto/truck only so she only got a regular license...no separate motorcycle license.

 

With Thai drivers license requirements changing...now the 4 to 5 hour of training needed....and possibly changing to 15 hours....best to come over with valid/unexpired drivers license from your home country as it just may save you grief and training time in getting a Thai drivers license. 

$100 for an international license? Mine costed $15 from AAA. It is not even needed in Thailand. 

[Pib]

Whoops...my bad...a typo...it was $10. One extra zero makes a good typo. [emoji1]