Thai Drivers Licence Renewal.

[mason45]

Hi there, I need to renew my Thai drivers licence early next year. I own a house in Bangkok and a condo in Pattaya. Given that the 2 properties are in my wifes name, can I renew my licence in Bangkok or Pattaya? Can I show the titles to either office or must it be the registered address on my one year visa. Thanks

[Pinetree]

If you get a Certificate of Residence from your normal immigration office that will do the job. What address is on your current TM30? That is the one that you will get a Cert of Res for.  

[mason45]

Thanks for your reply. My address with immigration is my condo in Naklua. It's much easier to renew a drivers licence near my house in Bangkok and never really gets busy unlike the Pattaya office. I only use my condo address as it's much easier to get a retirement visa using an agent in Pattaya. I wouldn't even try that in Bangkok for obvious reasons. We have 2 property titles both in my wifes name. So it appears I must use the Naklua address which the immigration office in Jomtien has. Thanks again.

[gazmo16]

Can you use the current driving licence with the home address as proof of your home address ?  

[palooka]

7 minutes ago, gazmo16 said:

Can you use the current driving licence with the home address as proof of your home address ?  

Usually it will be accepted by the police in your local area.  Banks and a lot of official institutions, no.

If you travel out of province take your passport, personally I have used my driving licence to check in to hotels around Thailand but this can be hit and miss. Some accept it others will not. 

Think it is more fear that drives the unacceptance, scared they might get caught out in some way.

[Jynxie]

My licence ran out last November while I was in Australia. I went to immigration today to get a resident certificate to renew it . I have a retirement visa and multiple entry.  They told me that I couldn't get one as I needed a current 90 day extension.  I told them I only came back yesterday,  and that I haven't been in Thailand for more than 90 days at a time since last April . I told the girl that I wanted to see the manager and she also told me there was nothing she could do. I want to drive now, not wait 3 months until I check in again.  Any ideas ??    

[KaptainRob]

18 hours ago, Jynxie said:

My licence ran out last November while I was in Australia. I went to immigration today to get a resident certificate to renew it . I have a retirement visa and multiple entry.  They told me that I couldn't get one as I needed a current 90 day extension.  I told them I only came back yesterday,  and that I haven't been in Thailand for more than 90 days at a time since last April . I told the girl that I wanted to see the manager and she also told me there was nothing she could do. I want to drive now, not wait 3 months until I check in again.  Any ideas ??    

Assuming you hold a valid Aus license, you can drive on that temporarily although it is best if backed with an IDP.

[SomtamMcSporran]

On 11/21/2021 at 2:25 PM, mason45 said:

Hi there, I need to renew my Thai drivers licence early next year. I own a house in Bangkok and a condo in Pattaya. Given that the 2 properties are in my wifes name, can I renew my licence in Bangkok or Pattaya? Can I show the titles to either office or must it be the registered address on my one year visa. Thanks

If your name is in the yellow housebook, the one that farang call 'tabien baahn'.

[Pinetree]

On 1/19/2023 at 9:38 PM, Jynxie said:

My licence ran out last November while I was in Australia. I went to immigration today to get a resident certificate to renew it . I have a retirement visa and multiple entry.  They told me that I couldn't get one as I needed a current 90 day extension.  I told them I only came back yesterday,  and that I haven't been in Thailand for more than 90 days at a time since last April . I told the girl that I wanted to see the manager and she also told me there was nothing she could do. I want to drive now, not wait 3 months until I check in again.  Any ideas ??    

She is clearly an idiot.  You should have asked to see the supervisor to sort it out.  She needs sacking. The alternative is to go on another day when the stupid one is on a day off.  Of course, the danger is that you will be dealing with an equally stupid one on that day too. 

[thaimekangaroodown]

My Thai license expires in a month or so.
Do I still need the Certificate of Residence? Or is the address on my license enough?
It's the same address I've always lived in Thailand.

[rattlesnake]

On 5/5/2024 at 3:32 AM, thaimekangaroodown said:

My Thai license expires in a month or so.
Do I still need the Certificate of Residence? Or is the address on my license enough?
It's the same address I've always lived in Thailand.

You've probably sorted it out by now, but yes, one residence certificate per licence so two if you're renewing car + motorbike. Also one medical certificate per licence, even for 5 year renewal. I renewed mine recently in Cha-Am, and although it was not listed on their website and I had been told they don't ask for it, they did and I had to run out to a nearby clinic to get two (200 baht per certificate).

[BlueSphinx]

1 hour ago, rattlesnake said:

You've probably sorted it out by now, but yes, one residence certificate per licence so two if you're renewing car + motorbike. Also one medical certificate per licence, even for 5 year renewal. I renewed mine recently in Cha-Am, and although it was not listed on their website and I had been told they don't ask for it, they did and I had to run out to a nearby clinic to get two (200 baht per certificate).

At my Sisaket DTP they only required 1 piece of all documents when I applied for the thai driver's license.  And they asked whether I wanted one for car, one for motorcycle or both.  And so I have 2 thai driver's permit cards.

[rattlesnake]

1 hour ago, BlueSphinx said:

At my Sisaket DTP they only required 1 piece of all documents when I applied for the thai driver's license.  And they asked whether I wanted one for car, one for motorcycle or both.  And so I have 2 thai driver's permit cards.

Yes, I have always found it quite strange that they give one card per vehicle type…

And yes, as always with administrative stuff, there are no set rules and it can vary greatly from one office to the other, and sometimes even one employee to the other. When I initially converted my French licence to a Thai one in Banglamung, they had me translate it by an Embassy-approved translator, then stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok, but I remember reading that some guys were able to do it directly at the DLT office in other provinces.

[AussieBob]

Anyone know what is required to 'move' a License between Provinces.  We just moved to Khon Kaen and my licenses have another year before expiry. 

[rattlesnake]

17 minutes ago, AussieBob said:

Anyone know what is required to 'move' a License between Provinces.  We just moved to Khon Kaen and my licenses have another year before expiry. 

I don't think there is a legal requirement to do it (I never changed mine when I moved), but I know it can be done easily at the DLT, probably best to ask them what they need beforehand (I would assume residence certificate and passport/visa copies).

[Pinetree]

1 hour ago, rattlesnake said:

I don't think there is a legal requirement to do it

There is. Your present address must be correct on the DL. It can invalid your DL if its not and that will invalidate your insurance, both compulsory and private.  

[rattlesnake]

46 minutes ago, Pinetree said:

There is. Your present address must be correct on the DL. It can invalid your DL if its not and that will invalidate your insurance, both compulsory and private.  

Please provide evidence of that as the consensus among many expats is that it is not the case (there are several threads on AN on it).

[Pinetree]

13 minutes ago, rattlesnake said:

Please provide evidence of that as the consensus among many expats is that it is not the case (there are several threads on AN on it).

Do your own research mate. I checked with the DLT when I moved house. Take my advice or not, I don't really care, just passing on what know to be true. 

As an aside, If you also hold a valid UK DL. it applies to that as well, wrong address and you will get fined 1K.   

[rattlesnake]

On 7/9/2024 at 3:20 PM, Pinetree said:

Do your own research mate. I checked with the DLT when I moved house. Take my advice or not, I don't really care, just passing on what know to be true. 

As an aside, If you also hold a valid UK DL. it applies to that as well, wrong address and you will get fined 1K.   

Thanks for being so pleasant as always.

Here is what I have gathered so far:





The good news is you can now do us all a favour and start applying your advice to yourself:

[Pinetree]

8 hours ago, rattlesnake said:

Thanks for being so pleasant as always.

Here is what I have gathered so far:





The good news is you can now do us all a favour and start applying your advice to yourself:

Passport number and address are two different things, or did you miss that? I do not believe for one second that they said don't bother about the address, unless they were talking to the cleaning lady, but as I say, I don't really care what you believe, make your own path through life here. 

[rattlesnake]

4 hours ago, Pinetree said:

Passport number and address are two different things, or did you miss that? I do not believe for one second that they said don't bother about the address, unless they were talking to the cleaning lady, but as I say, I don't really care what you believe, make your own path through life here. 

I started a reddit thread on it, which interested people can look at.
 

 

[Pinetree]

46 minutes ago, rattlesnake said:

I started a reddit thread on it, which interested people can look at.
 

Don't care, not interested. 

[rattlesnake]

15 minutes ago, Pinetree said:

Don't care, not interested. 

You were certainly interested when you replied to my initial post with a false claim.