Renewing A Driving License For 5 Years

[briley]

Having just renewed my license I find a few changes from last year - all for the better So a simple (??) update.

Driving license place has a list in English of requirements and you go to counter 21 upstairs for a very good English speaker to do everything (except sign the form) for you.

You need:

Residence certificate from Embassy (expensive), Consulate (ditto), Immigration office (see below note 3), Work Permit with Chiang Mai Address or Residence Book

Copy of passport pages: Non-immigrant visa extensions, Passport photo page and last entry stamp (and the passport of course!)

Medical certificate (within 1 month) for driver's license - some people say you do not need this but I did, the list says you do, a friend of mine did - so take your choice!)

2 photos 1 inch by 1 inch taken within 6 months.

Old EXPIRED licence and photocopy - has to expire to be renewed!

505 baht for a car, 255 baht for a bike paid to the nice lady PLUS 10 baht a licence to be plastified (paid as you get the licence). Add 50 Baht per licence if also a change of address.

Notes:

1. Photos and photocopies are now over the other side of Hang Dong road (allow an hour to cross) and costly - 90 bhat for 4 photos and 2 baht a sheet photocopy. The photo's from the pretty booths all over town are acceptable, 40 baht for an A5 sheet with 16 photo's.

2 If you go for both bike and car license you need two sets of papers, but a photocopy of originals (residence and medical) are OK for the second license.

3 The letter of guarantee of residence from immigration is now free , you need:

2 colour photo's, it says 1.5inch by 2inch but around that size is OK

Passport and copies of Picture page, most recent entry, arrival/departure card, original non-imm visa and visa extension page.

As proof of address your rental contract or ownership documents of the house (photocopy that big thing but have it reduced to A4 size!)

Either TM47 (90 day reporting certificate) or TM28 (notification of place of residence) but if you have neither as you haven't yet needed to do either then this is ignored.

4 Don't forget to sign all photocopies.

Allow an hour in immigration and about the same at Licensing.

[ThunderDuck]

1. Photos and photocopies are now over the other side of Hang Dong road (allow an hour to cross) and costly - 90 bhat for 4 photos and 2 baht a sheet photocopy. The photo's from the pretty booths all over town are acceptable, 40 baht for an A5 sheet with 16 photo's.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Nice update ... Just to add that you can get your photocopies done downstairs @ 2 baht a pop ... roughly opposite stairs.

No need to cross the horror road.

[sabaijai]

1. Photos and photocopies are now over the other side of Hang Dong road (allow an hour to cross) and costly - 90 bhat for 4 photos and 2 baht a sheet photocopy. The photo's from the pretty booths all over town are acceptable, 40 baht for an A5 sheet with 16 photo's.

Nice update ... Just to add that you can get your photocopies done downstairs @ 2 baht a pop ... roughly opposite stairs.

No need to cross the horror road.

But you can't get photos downstairs. However there is one enterprising individual who has set up a rustic photo studio just the other side of the wooden fence off the back lot (near where the old photo/photocopy shacks used to be). He sets the lens of his camera between two fence slats while you stand on a box on the inside of the fence. That box is positioned so that the a big traffic sign behind your head serves as the photo background. I'm sure he must be sending a few baht across to the khon song staff to get away with this.

One of these days they'll wise up and add photo services inside the khon song building.

[Rinrada]

Good update..

Going for my 5 year one in March so nice to know.

[Maejo Man]

Old EXPIRED licence and photocopy - has to expire to be renewed!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You can renew it three days before expiry, and they don't require photocopies of it as they keep the old one. I recently renewed mine and all I took was my passport, and copies of the pertinent pages and my old licence. A medical cetificate to show that you are breathing (that's about all they check for) has only been a requirement for a first licence, and not renewals, but maybe that's all changed in the last month

[briley]

Maejo Man - I posted as there seems to be some dispute on this, especially the medical. Last Tuesday they had printed paper saying you had to have medical and the girl said I had to have medical (I went without one) for renewal. She also said the law had changed in October?

You could easily be correct about photocopy of old licence. The expired bit seems to be important for your first 5 year licence as if the 1 year licence hasn't expired you can't get a 5 year licence since you have to have had a licence for 1 full year - Makes sense????

As an extra when does your expire? Ours (mine and my wifes) expire in 5 years and a bit, the bit being from now until our next birthday. Seems odd.

[sabaijai]

FWIW I renewed mine last week and did not have to show a medical certificate.