Thai Driving license - the latest

[Gaybutton]

Yesterday I went through the torture of renewing my 5-year Thai driving license. The procedure is the same for a first time license, but for whatever reason, a first time license is good for only 1 year.

Plan on two days to complete the procedure. You'll see why as you read on.

Before going out to the driving license office, first you need to make a trip to immigration and obtain a residence certificate. In Pattaya that procedure is now quicker and easier then it used to be. If you intend to obtain a license for either driving a car or driving a motorbike, you'll need 1 residence certificate. If you intend to obtain a license for both driving a car and driving a motorbike, you'll need 2 residence certificates.

In Pattaya, when you enter the building just go straight ahead to the information desk and tell the agent you need a residence certificate. They will give you the application, have you step aside to fill it out, and then bring it back to them. They will issue you a number and then you wait to be called. Fortunately for me nobody was ahead of me, so I was called immediately.

What you'll need:

2 passport photos for each certificate.
Your actual passport
1 photocopy of the passport identity page
1 photocopy of your first non-immigrant visa
1 photocopy of your current non-immigrant visa. For most of us those are the retirement visas.
1 photocopy of your departure card.
Proof of your current address. There are several acceptable items. It can be your rental agreement, proof of property ownership such as a condo, bills addressed to you in your name - whatever you've got.

The fee is 300 baht.

It used to be that you applied for the certificate and then had to come back three hours later or the next day. In Pattaya now they issue the certificate right then and there. Once they accept your application, they'll give you a card with a number on it. When they call that number, your certificate is ready. The waiting time is about 20 minutes.

And that's all you're going to accomplish that day. That's because the driving license office has changed their procedure and that's why you need to plan on 2 days. You used to be able to show up just about any time of day. No more. Now you need to arrive between 8:00 and 8:30am. Around 8:15 lines will form just outside the entrance door. There are 3 lines. The line for farang is the far right line. They will give you a slip of paper with a number on it.

When they let you in the building, you have to wait downstairs for your number to be called. My waiting time was about 25 minutes. When they call your number, now you go upstairs. At the top of the steps, that's your first stop. The clerks will examine your documents. If you have everything, they'll issue you another number. If not, goodbye, have a nice day, and see you once you have everything.

What you'll need:

The residence certificate(s)
Your passport
If you're applying for a first time license, bring your home country driving license and/or your International Driving Permit - and make sure the validity has not expired. I don't know if they'll issue you a license if you have neither of those.
If you're applying for a renewal, 1 photocopy of your current Thai driving license - both front and back
1 photocopy of the passport identity page
1 photocopy of your first non-immigrant visa
1 photocopy of your current non-immigrant visa. Again, for most of us those are the retirement visas.

They used to require a medical certificate showing you are physically fit to drive. They no longer require it. You also won't need passport photos.

Once you've managed to clear all that, now they put you in a waiting room. Expect to spend a full hour just sitting there while they are busy taking care of other Thai applicants first. Then they'll call you in groups of 10 to step outside for their version of checking your eyesight. The first test is a color blindness check. You stand about 20 feet away from their chart, filled with colored circles of all sizes. The agent takes a pointer, touches a circle, and you call out the color she is touching. I thought I was going to fail the test. The tip of the pointer was so small, and she was pointing at the smallest circles, I had trouble seeing which circle she was pointing at. Luckily, I got them all correct.

Once the clerk has tested everybody, now there is a little box with two upright sticks. You'll be sitting in a chair, about 20 feet away. You'll be holding a little controller. When you press the green button, now one of the sticks starts moving. When the sticks are parallel to each other, you press the red button to stop the sticks.

That's it. Those are the tests. As you exit that area you print your name in a book sitting on a table. Next to your name you place a check mark in one box if you're applying for a car license. If you're also applying for a motorbike license, you place a check mark in both boxes.

Now it's back to the waiting room. You're going to have to sit through a 40 minute, god-awful safety video. It's all in Thai, but subtitled in English. If you actually want to watch it, you better sit up close. The subtitles are very small. If you're sitting further back, good luck trying to read the subtitles. Maybe you should bring opera glasses.

There were about 50 people in the room. Maybe two of them were actually paying any attention to the video. The rest were busy chatting and playing with their phones. Luckily for me, I was sitting near the back of the room. Another farang was sitting next to me and we spent the time chatting. There was one interesting part of the video, though. Near the end, it starts showing crashes that were somehow caught on cams. Some were quite spectacular.

Once the video is finally over, now a clerk comes in with a handful of documents. Those are the documents that show you passed everything. The clerk will call out names and give you the documents. You also have to sign an acknowledgement that you received the documents.

After you have the documents, you guessed it - another line. Now you're in line to pay the fee. The price has gone up. I would swear that 5 years ago I paid about 250 baht to renew my license. Now it's 650 baht.

Once you've paid, guess what - another number card and another wait. When they call your number, now you go up to a desk where they take your documents and take a digital face photo which will appear on your new license.

Now, it's one last wait. When your license is ready, they'll call your name, give you the license, and you're done. Whew! You won't have to go through that again for 5 years. Of course, if you're there for a first time license, that's good only for one year. One year later you'll get the pleasure of going through the entire procedure again.

I arrived at 8:15am. I had my new license and was out the door at 11:25am.

For renewals, they announced that you can apply up to 3 months in advance of the license expiration date or up to 1 month after the expiration date. Even if you apply early, the expiration date of the new license will still be 5 years after the current expiration date. If you apply more than 1 month after the expiration date, now you're back to only a 1 year license.

[puan]

EXCELLENT report and the timing is perfect. I have to renew in the next 5 weeks. Thanks, GB!

[Gaybutton]

Now that I'm reviewing my post, I might not have made it clear - if you're applying for both a car and a motorbike license, where I listed 1 of everything, you'll need 2 of everything - copies of what I listed for each license.

Also, I received a PM informing me the first-time license was changed from 1 year to 2 year validity in 2015. Maybe so. I thought the lady yesterday said 1 year, but I could be wrong.

Does anyone know for sure how they're doing it now? Maybe we're both right. They could have changed it to 2 years in 2015 and changed it back to 1 year since then.

"You were both wrong! And you were both right."
- Yul Brynner (Taras), 'Taras Bulba'

[Alex]

The provisional license is valid for two years now, not only one year as previously.

Those who have a work permit or a yellow house book can use that instead of a Certificate of Residency. I don't get why those of you who don't work here (thus don't have a work permit, naturally) but stay here long-term e.g. as retirees don't get a yellow house book. Sure, it can be a hassle, too. But only once, while the Certificate of Residency remains valid for a mere 1-3 months, depending on where it will be presented.

[Gaybutton]

I don't get why those of you who don't work here (thus don't have a work permit, naturally) but stay here long-term e.g. as retirees don't get a yellow house book.

I'll help you get it. Until your post I've never heard of it. What is it? How do you get it? What paperwork do you need to get it? And where do you get it?

It would be very helpful if you tell us all the details.

[mahjongguy]

You are only entitled to a yellow tambien baan if you own a condo, live in a house owned by your Thai wife, or have a 30-year lease.

If you live out in the provinces then sometimes the local amphur will gladly issue a yellow book but at Pattaya City Hall they gave me a list of strict requirements. These include having a copy of your passport translated and certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

I couldn't be arsed to go through this process because I was told by the Pattaya Land Transport Office that they, unlike other DLT offices, do not accept the yellow book.

[Gaybutton]

I couldn't be arsed to go through this process

Based on your post it seems much simpler and easier to me to just go to immigration and get the residence certificate. The only time I ever need it is when I'm renewing the driving license. I don't know of anything else the "yellow book" would be good for. In all the years I've lived here, I've never heard of it or had a need for it. Maybe others do, but I don't.

[Bangkokian]

GB my experience in Bangkok was a little different to yours.
I've just renewed my 5 year licence in Bangkok (one year later than expiry ---- I always thought that you had one year to do this but it probably is invalid for driving after the expiry dale).
I took along a freind with some legal experience.

A friend did the same at a different testing centre in Bangkok. Even here different procedures.
He needed a health certificate, I didn't.

I had no 'blue book' so first acquired a certificate from a government office which the woman checking documents refused, almost accusing us of signing it ourselves. She reluctantly accepted it after we called for a supervisor. I don't know what the required blue book was but she kept stabbing her finger at a well worn example.
As I was leaving that queue, after she reluctantly gave me a number, she was busy refusing another farang for not having his original work permit.

Maybe different farang need different documents.

The 'physical test' consisted of the two upright sticks just like you, then a speed reaction test to see how fast you can hit a brake pedal and a peripheral eye test to see if you can see the colours red, amber and green at the edge of your vision.
We had different movies -- his was a series of traffic situations; mine was a little school drama with two fathers, one a good driver and one bad.
I was the only person watching, everyone else was on their mobiles in spite of a warning on the wall against phones

I came away with both motor cycle and private car licenses and receipts for 505 Baht and 255 Baht.

PS Isn't the license calculated from your next birthday any more?

My friend's experience seemed much more pleasant than mine.

[Gaybutton]

GB my experience in Bangkok was a little different to yours.

I'm not surprised, although I'm sorry you were treated so badly. The procedure is probably different in every one of Thailand's provinces. The common denominator is no matter where you go it's a miserable experience.

Years ago, while I was still coming to Thailand for holidays and was only using an International Driving Permit, I took a trip with a Thai friend to his home province. While we were there he wanted a driving license. We went to his issuing office. I waited outside next to the car. In his case I only had to wait about 40 minutes. He came out to the car and said it will take hours for him to complete everything. When he saw my crestfallen reaction he smiled and said no problem, just give me 500 baht. 10 minutes later out he came again - with his new driving license.

[Bangkokian]

GB my experience in Bangkok was a little different to yours.

I'm not surprised, although I'm sorry you were treated so badly.

I was lucky that I'd taken a Thai friend with me who could speak to these jumped up self important so called officers at or above their own level.
I pity a poor Thai who might be cowed by their attitude (or are they like it only to farang? --- I'd worn my very best sweet false smile the whole time).