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slowx
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hey, that is a few 1,000 too much for the license.. should be around 100+ baht for 1 year and now u can get a 5 years..
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 12:23 pm on June 1, 2004
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jumblatts
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It costs peanuts to convert your international to a Thai licence - no test other than the ridiculous colour blindness test. A friend who is colour blind took the test and had someone stand next to him reading out the 'hidden' numbers on the cards.
Also as Singlolo pointed out, the licence can double for ID. I now have a pink 5 year card which is much more convenient to carry ( in my wallet ) than a passport and has been used to book into many a hotel at short notice ie during a drunken randy meander. 
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 8:21 am on June 2, 2004
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Abrak
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hey, that is a few 1,000 too much for the license.. should be around 100+ baht for 1 year and now u can get a 5 years..
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I think you missed the point. I got a genuine Thai driver's license for Bt2000 without...
1. Having to produce an international or any other license
2. Without having to take a test
3. Without having to visit any office anywhere
...even if I paid too much it seems great value to me!!
ps. I gather that you can get an International license issued to you without having an existing license or taking a test and that this license can then be upgraded to a Thai license. Takes a little longer but might save some Bt.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 8:42 am on June 2, 2004
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slowx
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yeah, I know...
convenience is a premium here..
btw, how long is the validity? n would be another 2,000 bht the next renewal?
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 12:08 pm on June 2, 2004
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KamaSutra
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Singlolo
You said it man! New Delhi and Mumbai are the worst places to drive. Compare to these two cities thailand is far far better. Its my personal experience. Atleast here in LOS, when you hit or somebody hits you, you can manage but in these two cities you end up with a big fight (sometimes you even end up with a bang from taxi and auto drivers) and other unwanted troubles. Taxi's and auto's are rarely insuranced and hence they make you pay a lot.
Happy driving in LOS!
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 9:25 pm on June 7, 2004
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BKK Banger
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Quote: from Abrak on 8:42 pm on June 2, 2004
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hey, that is a few 1,000 too much for the license.. should be around 100+ baht for 1 year and now u can get a 5 years..
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I think you missed the point. I got a genuine Thai driver's license for Bt2000 without...
1. Having to produce an international or any other license
2. Without having to take a test
3. Without having to visit any office anywhere
...even if I paid too much it seems great value to me!!
ps. I gather that you can get an International license issued to you without having an existing license or taking a test and that this license can then be upgraded to a Thai license. Takes a little longer but might save some Bt.
Abrak,
I sincerely hope you have indeed managed to get a REAL Thai driver's licence. I have been here more than a few years and seen the same con so many times. When I first arrived my farang boss proudly told me how clever he had been not wasting his time and how other colleagues had done the same, only 2,000 Baht and a permanent licence.
The joke was on him when our new insurance lady arrived and asked to see it for some reason. She instantly noted it was fake and confirmed it with a phone call. Costs 50 Baht in On Nut I believe, just ask the nearest soi mototaxi.
Not saying yours is of course but you may want to get it checked at the police station and ask for your money back.
The situation until fairly recently was that a foreigner needed a string of one year licences before being granted a permanent licence. This was somewhat inconvenient as a foreigner does not have a House Registration and needs a letter from the embassy concerning his address. This costs 2,800 Baht at the British Embassy.
For some years I drove without one at all, relying on a dog eared expired International Driving Permit. This was readily accepted by the boys in brown, especially when I opened it at the Arabic language page.
After one too many accidents I realised I may be unable to claim in a really serious accident and that it was a major source of revenue earning by my local cop. I finally trolled down to Sukhumvit 97 to the Land Transport and got one in about 1998. You need your original overseas driving licence (UK ones are OK) the aforesaid embassy letter, two small pics (you can get these at the office), a health certificate and a form. The eye test is fairly simple and you are issued with a licence.
You only need a driving test if you have no licence or only a provisional one.
The problem for some will be the additional requirement for a copy of your visa and work permit. Why this should be a requirement is just frankly beyond me. Why should they restrict licences? Surely it is difficult enough in Thailand to get drivers to pay for a licence?
I did not bother getting it renewed as it was so costly and even an out of date licence is accepted by most cops and insurers. It is more a question of identifying you rather than strict adherence.
Finally this year I popped down for a new one. I took a photocopy of the embassy letter which was 6 years old with the date changed and they accepted it!!! Hence low cost.
When I asked for a motorcycle licence they requested an original. Same counter, same girl. Bizarre.
The new licence was for 5 years!!!!! And it is all computerised now and issued within minutes, not three hours as before.
I have been told that requirements vary from office to office as to what you can get away with. In Samut Prakarn for instance it is more difficult to get away without an official original letter.
Happy motoring!!!!!!!
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Bangkok Women : Meet Beautiful Thai Girls
Posted on: 6:30 am on June 10, 2004
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Abrak
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My 'new' license is valid for one year. My secretary says that when I go to get it renewed I should be able to get a 5 year one.
You are right about needing a 'letter of residency' from your embassy. I didnt need one cos I am a permanent resident but I enquired about this for a forum member and was told about it by my secretary.
Adding to your list of requirements - you also need 2 signed copies of your passport plus you have to show your original passport (maybe that is to see the visa).
I know of no work permit requirement but I might not have needed that as I was paying for the license. For the lazy - medical certificates are available outside the transportation office for Bt200.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 6:54 am on June 10, 2004
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BKK Banger
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Excellent, all very good.
For anyone interested in checking then you can as follows:
On the back is a strip at the top which is yellow. If it is an ordinary looking yellow or orange then it is fake. If it looks orangy pink when viewed head on and changes colour to golden brown when viewed obliquely you will have a real one. If viewed at night under sodium lights it looks gold in colour. It is some form of security strip which is applied to the back. If you have a really good feel you will also notice it is slightly raised as it is not part of the card printing.
If still in doubt then get a microscope or magnifying glass and check the paper edges. The latest licences are supplied as part of an A4 sheet on which all the details are printed as a record and the card is then torn off. This leaves very very small serrations on the top edge. A fake will be cut out with scissors.
If you are still not satisfied then check for embossed words running through the card. These are very faint but you may be able to catch them with some very oblique lighting.
Another check, though easily faked, is that the stamp is placed to overlap one corner of your photograph.
The last check is that it has been produced in the Land Transport office and is not a stolen blank. The government mostly use dot matrix printers to print the details on. If it has been done with a laser printer it is POSSIBLY fake but this is by no means conclusive.
These tips are also good if you have an accident and want to check the licence of the other party, particularly one who says he will fetch some money and pay you etc.
This may sound paranoid but I personally know over 10 farangs who have unknowingly paid a lot of money for cheap fakes and it is something of a cottage industry.
The traffic may be horrendous getting to the office but the paperwork is straightforward and the Land Transport department are far more efficient than they used to be at issuing licences. It took me one day the first time, one hour the last time.
I was stopped on Sunday coming back from Ko Chang at a roadblock and pulled over, only farang in an expensive car. The cop studied my licence, insurance sticker etc. for 5 minutes trying to find fault before saluting and letting me go. He seemed a bit surprised I had a licence.
I KNOW everything is real when I go out for a drive and I do not take any sh_t from cops unless I have actually done something wrong.
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Thai Girls : Meet Active Thai Girls
Posted on: 9:02 pm on June 10, 2004
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BKK Banger
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Oh and you do not need to show a work permit if a permanent resident. However you must have shown and provided copies of your PR status?
This requirement will vary depending on immigration status.
If you have a Class B Non-Imm visa then you must be working hence you must have an up to date work permit, yeah? Thai logic.
As you do not need a Thai licence unless you spend more than 3 months in Thailand tourists will not need one including those with 90 day visas unless they abuse the system and have consecutive visas. However an International Driving permit is a legal requirement for those staying less than 3 months.
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 9:07 pm on June 10, 2004
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Meatywsg
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Prices being quoted here are a tad skewes, I think one member has a secretary on the take !
Letter from Brit Embassy is 1,500 baht, I checked yesterday as I am about to goto soi 62 to get my license. But work this out, the letter is to confirm your home address in Thailand, the DL office must have this confirmation from your embassy, they will accept nothing else, to get the letter all you need to show the embassy is your passport ! they don't want to see any proof of your address.... DUH ?!?!?!?
Medical certificate is 50 Baht and consists of answering "yes" to the question, "are you healthy".
1yr license is 105 baht
5yr license is 525 baht
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 9:19 pm on June 10, 2004
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