Getting a Thai Driving Licence in Koh Samui.
I decided that i should get my shit together and aquire a Thai driving licence for a Car and a Motorcycle.
As i understand it, the process is fairly straightforward and it helps if you are involved in an accident or stopped by police. I am also informed that it can help with reduced entrance fees for farangs at Thai National parks.
I did some reading and decided a visit to the Department of Land Transport in Lipa Noi was in Order. Good idea, very helpful. Listened to friends who had recently been through the changeover. Vague because mostly interviewd in the pub.
For conversion of a Full (not provisional) national European or Australian licence.
You need :-
1. A valid UK or national Licence.
2. A doctors letter stating your fitness to drive.
3. A letter from Immigration concerning your residence.
4. Your Passport with current visa/ work permit valid for at least 90 days.
5. Photo copies x2 of all the above, including, both sides of your national photocard ID drivers licence, and photo copies of your visa/work permit and the photo page of your passport. As i understand it some offices require passport photos, but the Samui office does them on site.
What happened when i went through.
I arrived at 8.25 am on the assumption that most government offices open around 8.30 am. There were 5 people already waiting. The office is like a post office or a bank with teller windows. It also deals with vehicle registration, testing and licence plates. I picked up my numbered token 6 and waited less than a minute to have my papers processed.
Any missing photocopies can be done at the small shop outside for 10 baht each. I forgot to photocopy my Drivers photocard.
Return to the office and complete your documentation. In Samui if you arrive after 9.30 am, you will be asked to come back another day. This is because the clerk who checks the documentation is also the the examiner. By 8.35 i was finished with paperwork and told to report to the test centre on the first floor at 9.30.
There were 25 candidates for different tests, about one third farang. The new licence applicants went in first to do an e learning package. The Thai renewals went next, then the farang conversions and renewals. Both groups do the same tests.
Colour perception.
This is not the Ishihara test the doctor administered for my fit to drive medical, but an easier one. You stand 3 metres from a large dotted circle, wondering why you cannot see the hidden number. The dots/circles are roughly the same size as Thai coinage. The examiner points to a circle and you state what colour it is. They are all red, yellow or green.
Depth perception. You sit approximateley 2.5 metres from a black box. At eye level there are two dimly lit sticks about 4 inches high, about the size and thickness of a wooden pencil. The examiner will move one of the sticks so that it is further away from you than the other one. Using a small electrical box with a forward and back button, you must place the sticks so that they both rest the same distance away from you.
Peripheral vision.
You sit and rest your chin on a small bench with a small illuminating disc about 6 inches on either side of your head. Without turning your head, you must identify the colours appearing on either side of you. Again yellow, green or red, as the examiner switches the colours on and off.
Brake Test.
In a seated position you start with two pedals at your feet. Placing your right foot over the right hand pedal, illumnates a large green light. The examiner wiil change the light to red without warning and the candidate must hit the left hand brake pedal with the right foot as quickly as possible. When the red light comes on, a vertical set of 6 small green lights are triggered beside it in ascending sequence, followed by a further 4 red lights. The candidate must stop the sequence of lights while they are still in the green sector to pass this test.
If you pass, you go back the the documentation window with your test sheets signed by the examiner and another clerk takes your photo and issues your licence(s). Less than two hours from start to finish, about half of which was spent waiting.
Two words of warning. The clerks are reluctant to engage in a question and answer session if you are just visiting, and they will point you to Thai/English notices around the office.
This can cause confusion, because one of the notice advises you to get a proof of address letter from your consulate or embassy. One guy turned up with an embassy letter and was refused admission, it MUST be from immigration and they will take a donation of baht 500 for this service. You need to provide a passport photo for them to attach to the letter.
Under no circumstances should you turn up wearing a vest or a singlet. Ther are notices on every door and room advising candidates to dress modestly and i saw a woman tuned away because she was wearing a crew neck sleeveless shirt. A couple of candidates were wearing shorts so i assume the notices refer to boxer or pyjama type shorts.
Hope someone finds this helpful. As with most government offices and procedures, there are differences nationwide, but this seems to be a fair guide in general. Some offices may insist on you taking a 30 question multiple choice highway code type test, depending on location and nationality. All new licence applicants have to complete this test with a pass mark of 23/30.
I passed the tests for car and motorcycle. Total cost was Baht 360. These first timer temporary licences are valid for one year and renewable on expiry for periods of five years.
Afternote: My reference to Australians being able to get away with the above was shattered when a Aussie pal informed me that all the above is true for Australians, except the multiple choice test, which Australians are required to take. He failed his 3 times before passing.
