Driving license renewal

Post by **Guess** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 3:53 am

Has anybody had to renew their driver's license here in Hua Hin.

Apparently the first one only lasts one year.

I am afraid I am of the Mai Mee clan and can not offer my friend any advice.

I am sure that many of you have had to do it. He does not want the trip to the police station and the 7:00 AM Pran Buri nonsense if it can be avoided. He also does not want to pay some dodgy old bill 3000 baht.

Post by **buksida** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 9:26 am

You can't do it in Hua Hin.

Only way is to go to the government equivalent of the DVLA in Pranburi, details or how to renew here:

http://www.huahinafterdark.com/forum/vi ... .php?t=603

Post by **ricardo** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 10:04 am

AS Buksida says I am afraid it is the same procedure as applying for your first licence.

I take it your friend is a farang so they should be able to get a 5 year licence on renewal. Cost me about B800 last year for a bike and a car licence.

Thais only get another 1 year licence on their first renewal. This is the only time I have managed officially to get one up on the wife.

Guess you really should get a licence - do you realise that your insurance probably won't pay up if you have an accident without a Thai licence. I have also got around a lot of the dual pricing for entrance into parks etc by producing a Thai driving licence, you can normally get the Thai price, and if I don't get the Thai price I can normally negotiate the farang price down.

Post by **Guess** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 3:06 pm

ricardo wrote:AS Buksida says I am afraid it is the same procedure as applying for your first licence.

I take it your friend is a farang so they should be able to get a 5 year licence on renewal. Cost me about B800 last year for a bike and a car licence.

Thais only get another 1 year licence on their first renewal. This is the only time I have managed officially to get one up on the wife.

Guess you really should get a licence - do you realise that your insurance probably won't pay up if you have an accident without a Thai licence. I have also got around a lot of the dual pricing for entrance into parks etc by producing a Thai driving licence, you can normally get the Thai price, and if I don't get the Thai price I can normally negotiate the farang price down.

Many thanks for the sensible advice. Unfortunately all who know me know that I am far from sensible. I do not have insurance either. As for getting into parks I just stay in the car and the missus pays the twenty Baht. If they call me over I just have to whitter in Thai for a couple of seconds and I get in.

Insurance and licence and replacing the bald tires are on my to do list and will be done soon.

Post by **Perente** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 8:43 pm

Guess. Posted this on another topic about 2 weeks ago. May be some help.....

Back from the trip to Pranburi. All very smooth and efficient as far as these things go. They needed my passport, a copy of the front page, a copy of the visa page, a copy of the tm card, a copy of the date permitted page, a copy of the letter from Immigration saying that I do still live here, ( actually 2 copies of everything, one for the car licence, one for the motorbike licence ) my old licences and 890 Baht. ( 560 Baht charged to another Farang getting only his car licence re-newed ). Half an hour later and I have my 5-year licences.

I had the medical certs with me but didn't need them

Post by **PeteC** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 9:19 pm

I know, you guys get tired of hearing from me perhaps. Whatever it is worth, I haven't had a Thai drivers license for the past umteen years, 1972 to be exact. Not an international either, just USA. If stopped, put 200 Baht in your passport and present it and you're on your way. Not bad economics. Don't worry...be happy. Pete

PS: Just don't get into an accident or....have a fast car.

Post by **Norseman** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 10:17 pm

No prcscct, not tired of hearing from you.
Keep on going!!!

In Pranburi they only tell you that you don't need a thai driver licence.
A standard EU certificate is more than good enough.

Post by **Guess** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 10:54 pm

I have heard that in Australia you have to provide a sample on the day of the driving test to ensure that you have at least 200 mg of alcohol per litre of urine in your system.

Is there a similar requirement in Thailand and if so does it have to be Chang or Samsong or will Regency suffice.

Post by **Perente** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 1:23 am

Guess wrote:I have heard that in Australia you have to provide a sample on the day of the driving test to ensure that you have at least 200 mg of alcohol per litre of urine in your system.

Is there a similar requirement in Thailand and if so does it have to be Chang or Samsong or will Regency suffice.

No, No, No, Guess. That would be 200mg of urine per litre in your alcohol system. And don't forget the old favourite about having a criminal record to get into Australia - Didn't realise it was still compulsory ! Some of us have evolved into the 20th century you know !!!!

Post by **Guess** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 4:14 am

Perente wrote:
No, No, No, Guess. That would be 200mg of urine per litre in your alcohol system. And don't forget the old favourite about having a criminal record to get into Australia - Didn't realise it was still compulsory ! Some of us have evolved into the 20th century you know !!!!

Oh no. does that mean I have to start drinking Budweiser. I would rather shoot my balls off.

Post by **Perente** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 1:24 pm

Guess wrote:
Perente wrote:
No, No, No, Guess. That would be 200mg of urine per litre in your alcohol system. And don't forget the old favourite about having a criminal record to get into Australia - Didn't realise it was still compulsory ! Some of us have evolved into the 20th century you know !!!!

Oh no. does that mean I have to start drinking Budweiser. I would rather shoot my balls off.

Strangely, Guess, being Australian does not mean blindly following American bad taste and drinking over-priced, under-flavoured (with a "u"), p*ss. Your balls are still safe in Mrs Guess's hands......

Post by **PeteC** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 7:05 pm

I should clarify so I don't come off as too much of a smart ass. As a teenager I found out I am slightly color blind for red and green, so I've probably been that way since birth. Now, I can see a traffic light, red planet Mars when it's close and green mold on the bread in the frig as well as the next person. But...I am hopeless when it comes to those dot matrix color blind tests with the hidden number/letter container therein. So, I would rather not have my name in a Thai data base that I failed a driver vision test. I've never heard of another country that gives such a test, the USA sure does not.

So, I rely on my old Thai license that has no expiration date, but the photo of me as a 20 year old and now would probably have the Thai cop rolling on the ground in laughter when I told him that was really me. I've never had to pull that ace yet as none who have stopped me has asked for a license, only a passport so...it was obvious what they really wanted. Black and White Pete

Post by **chelsea** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 8:32 pm

Guess, all cars are fitted with a device here in Australia that will not let the car start unless you are over 1.0 (legal limit is 0.5), or you do not recite your criminal record (including jail terms) into the voice activation machine.
If the Auusie beer is not strong enough to get the reading up, there is now a growing supply of our old UK favourite (500ml cans of Carlsberg Special Brew). Chateau Legopener as the lads used to call it
If you want to blow up a breath test machine, that is certain to do it. It is deemed that bad, the cans carry a health warning here (Only problem is that you have to be able to read for it to make any sense), could be a problem for the Aussies.
I would hate to think what the Thai's would drive like if they managed to get hold of a few cans of the good stuff

Post by **lomuamart** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 11:00 pm

Get them to mix a Special Brew half and half with seriously strong cider.
I reckon that snake bite's guaranteed to make them fall over half way through the pint.
No danger of immediate drink driving then - until later.