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dirtydog

There seems to be certain legalities that only allow an international driving license to be valid here in Thailand for 3 months only, not quite sure how that works as international driving licenses are valid for a year from the UK, could be an insurance get out for Thai insurance companies.

The list of what you need.

* Passport
* One photocopy of the information page
* One copy of the non-imm visa page
* A letter from your Consulate/Embassy or Thai immigration office certifying your address, or if you are on a yearly visa then just your 90 day reporting slip.
* Two 1"x1" passport photos, not older than 6 months
* Medical certificate

If you use the Thai immigration for certifying your address you will need Passport type photos for them and also proof from your landlord for where you live, ie lease agreement photocopy etc.

If you have a work permit this will act as proof of your address so you can take that and also supply photocopies.

The medical certificate costs between 50 and 100baht, this is given by clinics to anybody that is actually able to walk in, both the above documents need to be less than 30 days old.

After your first driving license which is valid for one year you can then apply for a five year driving license, but there is a catch, you have to have your first driving license for a year and one day which means driving illegally for one day, if you go as most normal people in normal countries would do, ie just before your one year driving license expires they can only issue you with another one year license.

The benifts of having a Thai driving license are numerous, generally the police will leave you alone, and also Thailands National Parks will charge you the Thai price, plus many other tourist attractions with a dual priceing policy will charge you the Thai prices.

If you have a valid International Drivers License or International Drivers Permit you will have to do 3 tests, although passing them doesn't seem to really matter.

1st; Colour Blindness Test
2nd; Reflex Test
3rd; Depth Perception Test

If you don't have an International Drivers License you will have to do the multiple choice written test plus a driving test, for the multiple choice test you are allowed to bring someone to translate for you although in Pattaya the staff there will tick the answers for you in pencil for a small fee.

The car driving license costs 105baht for the first year.

More info on the trials and tribulations of getting a Thai driving license can be found here

Even more trials and tribulations on getting a Thai driving license

Driving License Example Form

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