Thai Driving License renewal

[REEM]

I don't need to renew until the end of the month, and I will renew at the office that requires the least amount of verifications, photocopies and paperwork. Having just renewed my retirement visa which necessitated a whole bunch of paperwork, copies, etc. I am quite frankly tired of jumping through the same silly hoops every year in order to confirm that which I have previously confirmed and should be patently obvious to anyone looking at my documentation, without the need for checks, re checks, photocopies, more photocopies, letters, letters confirming letters, red stamps, blue stamps, black stamps, signatures, signatures over signatures and all the other minutiae of irrelevance that keep the turgid wheels of the Thai bureaucratic system churning away endlessly yet achieving little.

[handdrummer]

If it was good enough for 12th. Century China, it's good enough for Thailand. How else could they keep all those people employed? It's a dance called the Paper Shuffle.

[HHTel]

You actually have 12 months after your licence has expired to renew........ unless that's changed!

[dtaai-maai]

Having just renewed my retirement visa which necessitated a whole bunch of paperwork, copies, etc. I am quite frankly tired of jumping through the same silly hoops every year in order to confirm that which I have previously confirmed and should be patently obvious to anyone looking at my documentation, without the need for checks, re checks, photocopies, more photocopies, letters, letters confirming letters, red stamps, blue stamps, black stamps, signatures, signatures over signatures and all the other minutiae of irrelevance that keep the turgid wheels of the Thai bureaucratic system churning away endlessly yet achieving little.

Definitely a candidate for post of the year (so far...)!

[REEM]

You actually have 12 months after your licence has expired to renew........ unless that's changed!

that's useful to know, I was under the impression that the renewal period was only one month.

[Groodman]

Be careful with the renewal of the 2 year licence I believe you have to renew before it runs out or take the tests again.

[REEM]

After recently posting here for info on how exactly to renew a 5 yr driving licence, I went along to the Cha Am Transport Office and asked for details of how to renew.

They gave me a long list of requirements that included a letter from Immigration confirming my address even though I have a yellow tabien baan, (they also wanted a letter from the tessabaan confirming that the tabien baan was legitimate), they wanted a health certificate too and a copy of my UK licence. I was told I would have to take a colour blindness test, a couple of reaction tests and then sit through a video.

A couple of days later I enquired at the Pranburi Transport office, across from the Tesco Lotus intersection.
Here the atmosphere was much more relaxed and the requirements much less onerous.
All they wanted was a photocopy of the yellow tabien baan and a photocopy of my visa and its latest extension. No health certificate or sight of my UK licence was required.

I took those documents along today just before midday, the officer took the photocopies, barely glanced at the originals and immediately held up three colour blindness test cards and asked me to read the visible numbers on them. Then I was asked to return at 1pm when I was shown into a room along with about a dozen others and had to sit through an hours video of car crashes, examples of bad driving, and how not to end up splatted across the road, the film was subtitled in English. I did not have to take any reaction tests.

When that was over, I paid 550 baht,was photographed and my new 5 year licence was issued.

[daddy]

I had the same experiences there in Pranburi last December. I brought along the Immigration comfirming of address but they wouldn't see it because I have the yellow tambien baan. A very recommendable office with very friendly staff. Also much better than the office in Prachuap Khiri Khan.

[Governor]

I need to renew my driving licences next month, we moved to Hua Hin from Bangkok in December, I intend to renew in Pranburi, I've read through the posts, well most of them, and some of them contradict the official guidlines that somebody helpfully provided the link for.

In Bangkok I didn't need a medical certificate to renew my previous 5 year licences, car and motorcycle, the official guidlines imply that they're not needed, but it seems they are wanted in Pranburi, is that the case and would I need two?

I'm aware I need to get a resident certificate, again do I need two and are they available on demand, I have to do my first 90 day report by the 15 March so I assume I can get the certificate shortly after that?

Just the perception test to worry about after that :-)

[hhinner]

According to REEM's post 3 days ago he didn't need a health certificate at Pranburi.

[Governor]

Thanks hhinner, I didn't read the preceeding posts properly.

[squire]

I take it from above posts that you can renew a 5 year DL in Pranburi even if you live in another province. Would someone kindly confirm this is in fact the case and that they would accept Resident Cetificates (or yellow tabien baan) from outside Prachuab province, thanks.

[HHTel]

Well Cha-am (Petchaburi Province) certainly accept residence certificates from Hua Hin so I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work the other way around.

[Phyton]

Pranburi accept CoR from Immigration Tha Yang, my condo is in Cha-Am.

[Gregjam]

I know it is somewhere but cannot find the posts. Can you get the certificate of residence at Bluport? I know to go downstairs if the new office out of town but Bluport would be easier if they do this.