Getting a Thai driving license

Post by **Takiap** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 11:05 am

I know its been stated on here before but I simply cannot seem to find it. Yes, I put my hand up, I am one of those breaking the law but as I'm getting older and wiser, I'm changing....lol

Can anyone please state, in simply terms, the steps I need to take to get my Thai motorbike license. I have a 1 year, multi entry O visa based on marriage.

What should I do first?
What paper work do I need?
Etc, etc, etc.

Thanks guys

Post by **buksida** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 11:47 am

Read on ...

www.expathuahin.com/vehicles-huahin.php

Post by **niggle** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 12:33 pm

If you have a UK licence plus IDP are they still asking you to sit colour and depth perception test. ?

Post by **Takiap** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 12:48 pm

Thanks buksida, will start preparing everything. I did have my licence from South Africa (same as UK), including cars, trucks and even the heavy duty type for the large horse and trailers but I lost that while in the UK and I can't even imagine all the hassle it would be trying to get a new one issued while here in Thailand so I think I'd be best doing the exam and test over here. Does anyone have any advice on the exam? Is it in English or Thai, etc?

Hell, I was even licensed to operate diggers, graders, etc and here I am driving a silly little scooter with no licence.......shame on me.

Post by **Francois** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 1:32 pm

Takiap wrote:Does anyone have any advice on the exam? Is it in English or Thai, etc?

My son, who is living in Bangkok, has just gotten his thai driving license. As he hasn't an international driving license, he had to sit and pass an exam. But no one spoke English and he had to speak thai.

Post by **Nereus** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 2:15 pm

niggle wrote:If you have a UK licence plus IDP are they still asking you to sit colour and depth perception test. ?

Yes, that is correct. Shane, the written test is in Thai, you will have to have somebody to interpret with you.

Terry · Post by **Terry** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 2:21 pm

I got my first Thai licences a few years ago - one for car - one for bike.
However I let them expire without renewal due to the fact that I was working awway in Manilla and then Taiwan.

I went back to Pranburi about 18 months ago to re apply for new ones.

I presented the old expired ones.

They said I had to take a test.

1) Colour blind test - you know - numbers hidden in multicolour charts.
2) Sit in front of a touch screen and answer 40 multiple choice (4 answers to each) questions for car licence. All in English
3) Same for bike licence - surprisingly different questions All in English

Got 39 / 40 right in both cases and was issued a 5 year licence straight away.

Can't remember the cost - Mrs.T dealt with that.

Whole process took about one hour.

Post by **HHTel** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 6:13 pm

The test is in English at Pranburi. If you get it wrong the first time they let you do it again until you get it right. Don't worry, it's impossible to fail. The licences are already processed before you've finished the 'exam'. If you can drive round the courtyard on a bike without falling off then you've passed. It's a joke really.

They do re-use the English written test, evidenced by the 'white out' they use on the paper.

You'll get one year initially but on renewal you will get 5 to 6 years depending on your birthday.

Post by **dtaai-maai** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 10:51 pm

Terry wrote:Whole process took about one hour.

Thank you, Terry, it's so nice to hear a story about how simple and efficient Thai bureacracy can be...

More seriously, and more generally, do you know if it was short and sweet because you had an expired licence? And do you know if you need specific residence qualifications to take the test?

Post by **barrys** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 9:06 am

Got my 2 licences (car & motorbike) about 3 months ago in Pranburi for the first time.

I presented them with 3 different European driver's licences, i.e. German, Irish and British, as the basis for issuing the Thai one.

They rejected the German and Irish licences because they contained words other than English, although these both had photographs, and accepted the old English fold-up one with no photo.

I had to do the colour-blindness and reaction tests only.

I was out with my Thai licences within 1 1/2 hours - it really was very easy and the staff were extremely pleasant.

As for proof of residence, they accepted my work permit.

Post by **Chas** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 9:29 am

Barry, and anyone else. Does the Thai Driver's licence have to be done in the district where you live?

The office in Pranburi is looking more and more attractive to me, but I live in Cha am and am stuck at the moment getting a police paper verifying where I live ( and this is the ONLY path open to me right now. Immigration will not do it. We asked)

So my first visit has to be to a police station with a 1000 baht bribe in my hand.

But Pranburi DMV seems so pleasant and reasonable and I wonder if the "proof of residence" paperwork I already have will suffice ( 90 day report, mail received, US Embassy letter . . outdated though)

This is getting to be a very depressing process and I keep putting it off.

Where IS the DMV in Pranburi? I might just give it a try tomorrow.

Post by **barrys** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 9:49 am

Chas

As far as I'm aware, you do have to get your DL in the area in which you live - and Cha-am is in Petchburi, not Prachuab! I don't know know where the DL centre is in Petchburi.

Nonetheless the Pranburi office is easy to find: going south from the Pranburi-Chaa-am by-pass/Petchkasem Road intersection, it's on the right at the second set of traffic lights, behind the other administrative/police buildings.

I forgot to mention that I also had to take a doctor's cert with me - will cost a few hundred baht at San Paolo or the polyclinic - or if you go to the local doctor in Pranburi before you go to the office, you'll pay just 20 baht.

Post by **Chas** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 9:59 am

Thanks Barry.

I already have the doctors cert (Got it from Petcharat Hospital 2 weeks ago) passport copies, pics . . .everything but that damned police certificate!

The correct office IS the one I have been going to north of Cha Am, but I am back to square one there as they want the police report . . .possibly and/or a bribe.

This is what has me thinking to go to Pranburi.

Post by **Norseman** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 1:08 pm

I can only speak of my own experiences, but I find the Pranburi office more difficult and unwillingly than the Cha Am/Tha Yang office.
In Pranburi they needed a English translation of my driver license stamped and approved by my embassy, but the Cha Am/Tha Yang office accepted a translation to English made here in Hua Hin.
I suppose this has nothing to with you as long as you already are a holder of a English/American license.
The main thing is that you can choose which of them you want to use.

Post by **sandman67** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 3:55 pm

The ExpatHuaHin site says you can only get a license if you have a Non Imm visa....

is that correct or, like the visa rules, is that applied differently in every office?

Hua Hin Forum

Getting a Thai driving license

Getting a Thai driving license

DMV pranburi

Thanks Barry