Thai D.Licence for life @ AEK D.Centre

Just had a read at a leaflet in an AEK distribution.

It may be old news but they are advertising a Thai D.Licence for life at the D. L. centre ( where the old immigration office was situated )

You can exchange your existing one according to the leaflet if you wish ?

Price quoted for a new issue is 500 baht and add another 100 baht if you wish to exchange your current existing one.

Sounds good to me if it includes farang ?

Beats going down the K.K. bypass to do the periodical renewals at the main D.L. centre

Sounds to good to be true, has anyone got one yet or tried to get one ?

Thanks

marshbags ing

They had a poster advertising them at the DVLC on KK road when I renewed mine last month. When my wife made enquiries she was told that the offer had now finished and you could only get the 5 year ones again now !!

Thanks for the reply st

Just my luck to miss out, perhaps there will be another chance later on.

If anyone see,s it advertised, please post a heads up for the forum so we can try for it.

Cheers

marshbags

Hi,
Marcshbags, Dont know why you go down to the KK bypass to change your DL. The Udon Driving Lic. Center, is only about 20Km from the Udon ring road, on the A2. KK bypass, is about another 100K from this.
I will give the Udon D.L. center a visit next week and enquire, as i am coming back from Kalasin. Will try to get a date when they will be next issued, and who to. Will let the board know the result. Still, getting one every 5 years is no problem to me.
Cheers Doug.

Sorry about the misleading info I put out, I actually meant the Udon ring road and the Udon Driving L. Centre. you kindly posted.

I was amazed when I read the article, especially when you consider the tests they wish to put you through on renewal of the 5 year licence, plus the obligatory video in Thai that I didn,t have a clue about.

They would not because of this ( I was told when visiting the AEK officea few months ago ) renew my licence and told me I must go to the Udon D.L.C.

It would really be great if it comes up again and we get a heads up in time to take advantage of it.

If I find out, I,ll certainly post it on the forum.

Cheers Douglas and thanks for the input.

Marshbags, what "tests" did they put you through to get your renewal?

I just had to pretend to read a few pages of road signs and do the green/yellow/red spot test (thats go/go like the clappers in case someone has started early on red/keep going and hope you have enough merits with buddah)

Hi,
Marshbags. As i said you can use a British DL for 12 months in LOS. When i went to see them i had a permission to stay due to retirement. So no leaving Los. If you have a British DL then all you need is a medical cert, which must be signed by a doctor plus a colour blindness test. Nothing else. Got my doctors tests, in Pablo hospital at 100B. AEK 200B. U.T.U. Don't know about other countries. I got a car and a motor bike Thai lic. like this. Two seperate lics. Do not take photos, they will not accept. They take photos to print from their comp. to Lic. Have not renewed my five year D.L yet. but i was informed by Udon D.L. Center, when i rang them, that all you need is a Medical Cert. plus colour blindness test. As i said i will call into the Udon D.L. center next week. Am passing by. If anyone else wants any more info., let me know and i will ask them.
By the way your first Thai, DL will be for a year. Temp Lic. after that you can get a five year one, if you have a clear driving record in LOS.
Cheers Doug.

Good point Douglas, I forgot about the medical cert, which is not suprising as I stayed in the car whilst the wife nipped into the clinic opposite the DVLC and got a letter from them.

Get a med cert from clinic next door to Ngee Soon for 30bt.

stattointhailand wrote:Marshbags, what "tests" did they put you through to get your renewal?

I just had to pretend to read a few pages of road signs and do the green/yellow/red spot test (thats go/go like the clappers in case someone has started early on red/keep going and hope you have enough merits with buddah)

First of all I did an eye test, then I had to sit through a showing of a video, which was in Thai and showing various faked accident scenarios, accompanied by Thai commentary.

With my very basic use of Thai I didn,t have a clue what was being said and to be honest the video itself was like watching an unfunny version of Benny Hill.

It really was boring and most of the Thai in the room kept nodding off instead of watching it.

Those not asleep kept laughing at the staged accidents and I was well fed up by it all, It was for me a complete waste of over an hour.

I had to read the latest highway code, but no test ?

Last was a reaction test on a machine with an acc. pedal and a brake, basically you go through the motions of driving and when a light shows up on a display, then hit the brake peddle to stop when it went out as you should in an emergency situation.

It is set at a reasonable delay of a few seconds which is long enough to show you can stop safely and a few of us passed.

Another farce I,m sad to say as those who did not do so kept trying until they did.

One lady had at least 10 tries and finally did it.

Everyone including the guy in charge where in stitches and if it wasn,t so serious I,d had laughed with them.

I said in a raised voice " I hope you don,t come anywhere near me out on the road " and those who understood me laughed again thinking it was really funny.

Sorry for being so flippant, but this is what I experienced and tell it as it was.

May god help us all out there on the roadswith these drivers, not that we need any awareness of the situation.

marshbags

Hi,
When my Thai wife took her M/C test. She first had to drive over a 6 inch wide plank without comming of the plank, after that the tester was more interested with talking to his G.F. or wife. My wife went the wrong way round the roundabout, and he did not notice. I called it a Noddy course. I must say the wife can drive a M/B or M/Car really good now, I'm proud of how good she has picked it up.
I must say she has picked up a few bad points from me, like saying, when the lights turn green, after 5 secs., are they colour blind, and when they do decide to go, and it takes a kilometer to reach 40Kph. like me she says, can't they find the throttle. The best i have heard her say, when driving behind a certain model of pick up, driven badly, which has the letters DiD on the back, is ****** is Driving. I did not say this, but laughted when she first said it.
Cheers Doug.
Will check everything when i call at the D.L. center, next week.

parrot wrote:Several years ago my wife renewed her license and ended up getting one for life. But not long after, a friend of hers was informed that lifetime driver's licenses were no longer being issued. 1 year for the initial, 5 years for the renewal.
I checked the dlt website but couldn't find anything related to lifetime licenses.

I don't think they were every offered to farrangs. I've never been retested since my first one but I did have to provide a medical certificate on each of them.

Hi,
Called in the Udon Lic. center when coming back from Kalasin this week. Showed them my Thai driving Lic'c, and asked them can i now get a lifetime one. The answer was no. and they said my Thai D.L.'s for Bike and car, had another 3 years to run. When that expires you will be issued with another five year Thai D.L.'s.
My friend in Kalasin had a one year Thai D.L. and he asked them if he could get a lifetime one, He is only 50 and thought it would be cheaper for him and less bother than changing every five years. They smiled and said, no sir, so he ended up getting a five year one. TIT.
I would like to see one of these beasties. Or hear from someone who has obtained one. Cheers Doug.

Thanks for the latest news Douglas.

I believe the life ones are only available periodically so again if anyone becomes aware of them being issued. pleae give the forum a heads up.

marshbags