Thai driving license in Hua Hin

[ironside61]

Hi All
I'm going to Praburi to get a car & motor bike license.
I allready have a uk full valid lincense and IDP full only valid for a few more days.
What should i expect to happen when I go and any advice welcome.
Thanks in advance.

[Bristolian]

Hi All
I'm going to Praburi to get a car & motor bike license.
I allready have a uk full valid lincense and IDP full only valid for a few more days.
What should i expect to happen when I go and any advice welcome.
Thanks in advance.

If you have an IDP the process is simple. You will need to take some simple eyesight tests and reaction time tests. Be prepared as you wait to be bored by a repeating video of the tests.

You will need a medical cert and usually your passport. You need copies of all.

[Big Boy]

Have a read of this thread viewtopic.php?f=44&t=17593 - it's a good starting point. It will be a 2 day process if you don't already have a motorcycle licence - get there early.

[zeitgeist]

Don't know about motorcycle but for a car licence:

Medical Certificate - I got this in Pranburi just before going in
Passport - Copy of the data page, copy of current visa and extension of stay
Proof of Address - Either 'yellow book' or letter from immigration confirming address

You will do a colour blindness test (usually just what colour are they pointing at); a reaction test (there are some foot pedals, hit brake when red light shows); a spatial/distance awareness test (you line up an moveable arrow with a fixed point). All very easy as I passed and I am Red/Green colour blind!

[Noz]

I always recommend the centre at Cha Am. I got both car and motorbike licences with an IDP and UK licence (car only). No practical or written tests. Just those as described by zeitgeist above.

Documents also as above, plus I had copies of my UK licence and IDP. And duplicate copies of everything if you're applying for more than one licence.

If you choose Cha Am and need a letter of residence from Immigration, ignore their comments about having to go to Pranburi because you live in Prachuap Khirikan. Not true. They even argued when I showed my existing Cha Am issued licence with Hua Hin address on it! They also might charge for 2 letters if you go for both motorbike and car licences. After their attitude I took only one letter and photocopied it for the second licence. Nobody bothered at Cha Am.

[Dannie Boy]

I always recommend the centre at Cha Am. I got both car and motorbike licences with an IDP and UK licence (car only). No practical or written tests. Just those as described by zeitgeist above.

Documents also as above, plus I had copies of my UK licence and IDP. And duplicate copies of everything if you're applying for more than one licence.

If you choose Cha Am and need a letter of residence from Immigration, ignore their comments about having to go to Pranburi because you live in Prachuap Khirikan. Not true. They even argued when I showed my existing Cha Am issued licence with Hua Hin address on it! They also might charge for 2 letters if you go for both motorbike and car licences. After their attitude I took only one letter and photocopied it for the second licence. Nobody bothered at Cha Am.

I can only agree; my one year licence was issued at Cha Am when I was living in HH although my 5 year licence was issued after moving to Cha Am. For the one year temporary licences (car and bike) all I had to do was a colour blind test and for the 5 year renewal licence, it was just the paperwork processing.

[Big Boy]

My 1 year licence needed renewing, so I went to Pranburi today to get it sorted. I took 2 friends with me who were hoping to get their first licences.

My new licence was issued without incident, as I expected.

My friends were refused. The reason for refusal was because although they held valid European Driving Licences, they were issued, 1 by Spain and 1 by France. They had both passed their driving tests in the UK. The centre said they could only accept licences issued in English.

They were told they would have to:

- Get the licences translated into Thai.
- The translations would have to be approved by the Embassy of the issuing country (a trip to Bangkok and a visit to the Spanish and French Embassies).

I asked if they could get them translated into Thai in Hua Hin and notorised. Unfortunately, neither the licence centre staff nor the Thais accompanying us knew the meaning of Notary or notarised.

I drove my friends to P&A Notary in Hua Hin to ask if they could help. When we got to the office, there was a sign outside saying that they did driving licences, so there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

We went inside, and they were very good, saying that it wouldn't be a problem. They told my friends to be in their office before 08:30 Friday morning, and they would take them to the licence centre and get them sorted. The cost for this would be 4,500 Baht each. My friends considered this cost against the cost and stress of going to Bangkok for a couple of nights and fumbling their way around foreign embassies, and decided it was a bargain.

I've posted this on here for the benefit of our EEC cousins. It appears that obtaining a drivince licence for non-GB licences is not as easy as some may think. However, I'd love to hear other experiences with non-GB EEC licences if anybody's done it differently.

[sneg55]

They were told they would have to:
- Get the licences translated into Thai.
- The translations would have to be approved by the Embassy of the issuing country (a trip to Bangkok and a visit to the Spanish and French Embassies).

When I was in same situation, I just go to P&A Notrary and ask them to translate text from my russian driver license and it's cost only 2000 THB for me. Then I go to Cha Am and got Thai driver license.

[bsdk1960]

went to Pranburi with my IDL and then lady doing the paperwork ask me if the stamps meant that I was allowed to drive the categories that was stamped ok I have every stamp you can have, but anyway.

[lizzy]

I recently applied for my first Thai driving licence. I took copies to Cha Am of medical certificate, proof of residence , my UK driving licence and my International licence which was issued in Belgium. The lady at the desk took the international licence copy which is in French, Flemish and German not the uk licence in English! They seemed just to want to see that magical word ,International or in my case Internationaal or Internationaler!
Was not required to do any tests at all. I think she was more interested in getting her lunch than dealing with me.

[Big Boy]

Interesting responses regarding the International licences, especially as somebody recently enquired about the need for an International licence recently, and I amongst others said that an International Licence was not necessary .

A lesson learnt.

[Dannie Boy]

Interesting responses regarding the International licences, especially as somebody recently enquired about the need for an International licence recently, and I amongst others said that an International Licence was not necessary .

A lesson learnt.

I think that with a UK licence in English we get away with any issues, but for most/all other European nations, the IDP is a distinct advantage.

[Big Boy]

Yes, my friends discovered that to their cost yesterday.

Amazing, the only difference in the licences is mine had a GB in the corner, whereas my friend had an E.

[HHTel]

Oh how times have changed. Back in 2002 when I applied for both licences, I only needed my UK driving licence, passport and a medical cert. My UK licence was of the paper variety and wasn't valid for a motorbike although was able to ride a bike on the provisional section. They obviously didn't understand 'provisional' and I got both licences within 30 mins. No tests at all.
A Canadian friend of mine got his licence back in 1981 and it's valid for life!!

[hhfarang]

I recently applied for my first Thai driving licence. I took copies to Cha Am of medical certificate, proof of residence , my UK driving licence and my International licence which was issued in Belgium. The lady at the desk took the international licence copy which is in French, Flemish and German not the uk licence in English! They seemed just to want to see that magical word ,International or in my case Internationaal or Internationaler!

Years ago I had a similar experience. I was told by a friend living here to get an international license before moving to Thailand and that it, along with my U.S. license would get me a local license with no testing, which turned out to be true, and they did want to see my international license which I also drove with for a couple of months before getting the local one and was stopped at least once and the license was accepted by the police with no problem.