How to drive in Thailand: Thailand driving license
When you need to drive in Thailand, you will need a Thailand driving license, several insurance companies in Thailand have a fine print stating that the driver should hold a valid Thai driving license to be fully covered.
Thailand driving license is accepted as sort of proof that the holder is not a tourist.
Having a Thai driving license will make police slightly more lenient towards the fact that expats can not carry their passport at all times.
How to drive in Thailand? Thailand driving license requirements:
Qualifying requirements: driving license Thailand
- Age of 18 years or older.
- Being of sound mind and good health
- The applicant must hold a valid Non-Immigrant Visa (30 days visa or 60 days tourist visa can not apply).
- If you can not read and / nor understand the Thai language, you are allowed to bring a interpreter to fill the forms and translate the possible instruction class and tests.
- Valid Passport with Valid Non-immigrant Visa
- Signed copies of the passport's first page, the page with the current non-immigrant visa, the page with the last entry stamp and the TM-card.
- A certified letter of address (often called A certificate of resident) from the applicant's embassy, or from the Immigration Bureau (document can not be older than 30 days). Normally, the immigration office will provide this but it will take them 4 -6 weeks to complete and an officer from your local police station will visit your place of residence for verification. For this certified letter (often called a certificate of resident) if you do not wish to the Immigration Office, our lawyer can obtain the certificate of resident for you in 2 days. If you have any further questions, please contact us. You can also visit our office for a free, obligation-free consultation (We are located near the Phom Prong BTS station; see our contact page for more details).
- Medical certification stating that the applicant is in good health, both physically and mentally (standard forms are available from most hospital in Thailand and should not be more than 30 days old)
- 2 photographs, 1 x 1 inch and not older than 6 months (photo service is available on the premises).
- Valid international driver's license plus signed photocopy or translated regular driving license from the applicant's home country, certified by Embassy or consulate. (if available).
- Note that 1 set of these documents is required per license applications. However, when applying for both a car and a motorcycle license, an extra copy of the medical certification and a certificate of resident will suffice for the second application.
- Take the Thai language application form , fill out the form, applying for the 1 year temporary driving license and submit it with all above listed documents wait a couple of minutes and you will be told to head over to window for another verification of the documents. Once you receive their approval stamp you will then go to the test area on the 3rd floor, where you will need to pass 3 tests:
- Color Blindness Test: One of the officials will point to colored dots on a poster and you should responds by stating the dot's color. Answers in Thai are preferred but generally English words are understood as well.
- Reflex Test: Be seated behind an alternative gas and brake pedal and push the accelerator until the green led's start to light up. Hit the brake pedal before the led's reach the red zone. You will have to repeat this test twice.
- Depth Perception Test: Use forward and back buttons to align a moving pin with a fixed one, in a small box at app. 10 meters distance. Initially it looks more confusing than it actually is, you will need to repeat this test twice.
- If you have passed all of these tests, your documents will be signed and handed back to you, at this point.
- For the new regulation you have to study in a class for 2-3 hours. (Just sit in the room and watch their presentation)
