How To Get Thai Driving License
I’m not gonna lie, getting my Thai driving license was a really exciting and proud moment for me! I originally didn’t think I was going to be able to get it because 1) I’m not a Thai citizen and 2) I don’t have a work visa, but fortunately, I was able to overcome these obstacles and get it anyways!
In this post, I will cover the requirements for how to get a Thai driving license as well as include some resources and about my experience throughout the process.
I have been living in Phuket for a few months now and with the help of some of my local friends’ encouragement, I got my stuff together and started the process of acquiring my license in Thailand. There are some things you will need to provide to the Bureau of Land Transportation before applying, also please note that you cannot get a drivers license on a Tourist Visa.
Applicants for a Thai drivers license need to meet the following requirements:
- Being of sound mind and good health (not having a physical or mental handicap(s) that will prevent them from operating a vehicle safely) – being at least 18 years of age
- If the applicant is not Thai national, the applicant must hold a valid Non-Immigrant Visa (tourists cannot apply).
What you will need when applying for your Thai drivers license:
- All paperwork is submitted separately for a car license and a motorbike license and also written tests must be taken for car and motorbike bike, but not on the same day.
- 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.
- Present original and one copy of certified Resident Report of Address. Resident registration documents are available at Phuket Immigration and will involve House Registration Papers. One copy required per car and motorbike license.
- If you are working in Thailand: the blue workbook, better known as your work permit, can replace either of these documents and serve as address verification!
- A doctor’s certificate stating that the applicant is in good health, both physically and mentally (standard forms are available from most clinics and should not be more than 30 days old)
- 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 for each license application (car/motorbike). However, when applying for both a car and a motorcycle license, an extra copy of the doctor’s certificate and the letter of address will suffice for the second application.
- Arrive at the license test center early, by 8 AM it is already filled with applicants.
- Present your documents for inspection.
- You will be required to watch a video for several hours. Within the video are subtitles that form the questions on the computer (written) test.
- Following the video, you will take a multiple choice computerized examination covering basic driving laws and road safety rules.
- You will be tested for color blindness, depth perception, gross peripheral vision and brake pedal reaction speed.
- Having passed all tests you will pay your license fee and wait for your photograph to be taken and your license printed.
Training and Testing:
After getting all the proper paperwork together and submitting it I was surprised at how quickly it went as I was scheduled to do training and testing the next day, then, if I passed then I would do the driving portion the following day and get my license. When you arrive for your training class, you need to turn in the paperwork they gave you the day before when you signed up.
You then need to check in, find a seat and chill out for like 5 hours and watch the videos. The teacher and the videos are in Thai language but there are English subtitles. After the videos, you will have a 1-hour lunch and then report to the computer testing lab they assign you to which will look like this.
After Testing
After taking (and passing) the Thai driving license written test, you will press the submit button, then remove your card and go up to the front where they will print your results and assign a time for you to come back the next day for the driving portion.
Driving Test
I must admit, I was nervous to take the driving portion of the test because maybe they would be harder on Farang or I would get confused because the diagram was kind of confusing looking. Fortunately, they literally walk you through the course first.
Time To Drive
Once you get back to the starting area where they tell you to meet in the morning they let all the Farang (foreigners) go first, so go grab your bike and follow the course instructions that were given to you by the instructor.
After Driving Test
After the driving portion of the Thai driving license test, you will go park your vehicle and then return to the starting point where you will wait for your results. Once they call your name you can go inside and hopefully pay for your license! It’s only 105 baht, then you go take a picture, wait for your card then leave! That’s it. If you want a look at the course in advance I have posted it below, I’m assuming the course is very similar regardless of where you take the test in Thailand.
Thai Driving License
So that covers about everything you should need to know about the Thai Driving license test, the requirements and what to expect throughout the process. Additionally, if you have read this far I will recommend using this testing resource as there are 50 questions on the computer test and this online practice test provides 90 questions, most of which were on the test. I ended up getting a 48/50, so I highly recommend using this site http://thaidriving.info/
Thak you for reading my post about how to get you Thai driving license, I hope you found the information helpful! If you have any questions you can leave a comment below or follow me on Instagram @nomadicnava and send me a direct message. If you want to read more of my blog posts you can find them here. Thanks!