Renewing One Year License(s)

[BeerBelly 1,026]

I heard about some misinformation regarding when to renew your license(s). Specifically, for some reason people think you have to wait until after your license expires to renew it.

 

I had motorcycle and car driving licenses that were set to expire on January 22, 2016. Having heard the above, I asked around and was told by numerous people that you can renew your license up to one month before it expires.

 

In order to renew your license, you are required to have for EACH license:

1 copy photo page of passport

1 copy STAMP page of passport (no need for the arrival card)

1 copy front and back of the soon to be expired driving license.

1 original residency certificate from Immigration*

1 original medical certificate

 

* - I actually brought TWO original residency certificates, and the lady made me go get a copy of one of them, then sign it. She handed the other original back to me.

 

The process is simple. When you enter, skip the information line and head to the queue number podium and press "1" to get your queue number.

 

When your number is displayed, head upstairs where they will hand you the application form and tell you to write your name and phone number on it.

 

After you have done that, they will check all your documents and make sure anything that is a copy is signed by you.

 

She will keep your passport and old licenses and hand you yet another number, colored card, and ask you to wait. At some point, your numbeSr will be called along with about 9 others and you will do your color blindness test along with your reaction test. The color blindness test is done by her pointing a small stick to a small colored circle in a field of other colors and you simply have to state what color it is. After that, the reaction test is simple, you place your foot on what looks like an accelerator, then when the lights come on, press the break pedal.

 

From this point on, she will stamp your application(s) and ask you to sign it/them and hand them and your passport back to you. You then go stand in the queue to pay. For me, it was 960 baht for two five year licenses. Unfortunately, for me, a large group of about 25 just came out of the back room to queue up, so I had to wait a while.

 

After you pay, you are given your final colored number and you wait for your picture to be taken. When she takes your picture, she will hand your old license(s) back to you with holes in them. After that, you wait about five minutes and they will call your name and hand you your new license(s).

 

The license I got expires on my birthday five years from now, and since my birthday is in December, I got about 11 extra months. Also note that the Issue Date is January 23, 2016 (the day after my current license(s) expire), not today's date January 5th.

 

I entered at 10am, had to get some copies across the street, and finished at 11:30. I think the huge group in front added about 30 minutes to my wait.

[SimplySam 517]

^^^^

 

Good information and post.

 

As additional related information,

 

- The 1 year license and now for 2 years

 

- You get an additional 2 years license when you renew if you are on a short term stay permission, e.g., the 30 days visa exempt, 60 days tourist visa, etc, You get 5 years license validity upon expiry of your 2 years license if you have a long stay permission, e.g., a retirement "visa."

 

- if you are driving in Thailand on either your home country license or an International license and have not gotten a Thai license after a "reasonable" amount of time, your auto insurance may be invalid as they often are worded to the effect of subject to a valid drivers license for the location. The Thai authorities intent, like in many other countries, is for an International license to be valid only for short visits. The fact that you got lucky and the nice BiB accepted your International license for the past several years does not mean it doesn't provide an escape for your Insurer. Check with your Insurer before having to learn after an accident.

 

- Thailand has a reciprocity agreement with many other countries allowing use of a TDL in other countries. It works well and I have successfully rented cars in the US using my TDL and it held up in a traffic stop in North Carolina although the redneck cop did spend several minutes in his patrol vehicle verifying.

 

Bottom line, if you are going to drive in Thailand for more than a month or so, get a TDL, it isn't that difficult.

[atlas2 4,329]

When I last went the chart with coloured circles had faded or worn so much that the 'reds' at the top of the chart were orange. Led to some confusion...In the end I had to agree that orange was the new red.

[BeerBelly 1,026]

When I last went the chart with coloured circles had faded or worn so much that the 'reds' at the top of the chart were orange. Led to some confusion...In the end I had to agree that orange was the new red.

Yes, many of the circles were worn through. It's funny that with so many options, they seem to use the same set of circles for the test such that just a few of many circles are completely worn through.

[jacko 8,866]

Yes, many of the circles were worn through. It's funny that with so many options, they seem to use the same set of circles for the test such that just a few of many circles are completely worn through.

Perhaps she should be given a shorter stick to point at them with?

[Idefix 2,275]

I heard about some misinformation regarding when to renew your license(s).

Specifically, for some reason people think you have to wait until after your license expires to renew it.

Hi BeerBelly,

It's not misinformation, it's information from the official Department of Land Transport site !

http://www.dlt.go.th/th/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3470:in-case-of-foreigner&catid=131:2011-09-08-02-09-23&Itemid=88

You need to show "an invalid/expired driving license" to get a new 1-year one.

 

BTW I think your topic is bad titled has you didn't "renew a one year license"

but you got a 5-years license when you had a 1-year license. It's another procedure :

http://www.dlt.go.th/th/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3471:renew&catid=131:2011-09-08-02-09-23&Itemid=88

[BeerBelly 1,026]

Hi BeerBelly,

It's not misinformation, it's information from the official Department of Land Transport site !

http://www.dlt.go.th/th/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3470:in-case-of-foreigner&catid=131:2011-09-08-02-09-23&Itemid=88

You need to show "an invalid/expired driving license" to get a new 1-year one.

It actually says "an invalid international driving license" and it misinformation as well. When I got my one year license, I used my VALID IDL. In fact, they didn't even look at my California license, which is odd since the IDL isn't valid on it's own and must accompany a valid driver's license from your home country.

 

BTW I think your topic is bad titled has you didn't "renew a one year license"

but you got a 5-years license when you had a 1-year license. It's another procedure :

http://www.dlt.go.th/th/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3471:renew&catid=131:2011-09-08-02-09-23&Itemid=88

These are the instructions I followed, but they are incomplete. It asks for original DL, but in fact, you need both the original AND a signed photo copy.