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How to get an International Driving Licence (the easy, hassle free way)


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Good day to you all!

I was hoping someone had a contact or information on how to acquire an International Driving Licence here in Bangkok/ Pattaya. I heard that you can 'sort' it for a small fee and it's completely fine and genuine- just that someone else can pass the test for you. I have a full UK licence but have heard that many people fail the mandatory test because the translation is not accurate which screws up your results. The other option is to send off my UK licence and wait for it in the post. What do you think or/ and advise? Hope someone can give me an idea as to what works here. Cheers guys!😬

Edited by Ebenzo
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1 hour ago, Ebenzo said:

Good day to you all!

I was hoping someone had a contact or information on how to acquire an International Driving Licence here in Bangkok/ Pattaya. I heard that you can 'sort' it for a small fee and it's completely fine and genuine- just that someone else can pass the test for you. I have a full UK licence but have heard that many people fail the mandatory test because the translation is not accurate which screws up your results. The other option is to send off my UK licence and wait for it in the post. What do you think or/ and advise? Hope someone can give me an idea as to what works here. Cheers guys!😬

No official International Driving Licence, many similar used to be available on Khaosan Road but are fake.

Thai licences are not difficult to obtain legally, but are valid for car or bike, they are separate licences.

Official document is International Driving Permit available in your home country.

For UK residents who plan to travel abroad, if you have a full UK licence, go to the Post Office and buy one  for £5.50

International Driving Permit | Post Office

 

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For an IDP I always used the Post Office in LHR Terminal 3 after checking my bags in ... but that depends on the day and time of your flight of course.

I did quite an extensive search for a mate some time ago and the cheapest at the time was both licenses for 3,000 baht but you still had to go to the office to watch the film etc. This was in the office on New Plaza nearest to the public toilets..

Certainly when I checked at the time there was no possibility anywhere of just "buying" it.

 

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14 hours ago, Ebenzo said:

Good day to you all!

I was hoping someone had a contact or information on how to acquire an International Driving Licence here in Bangkok/ Pattaya. I heard that you can 'sort' it for a small fee and it's completely fine and genuine- just that someone else can pass the test for you. I have a full UK licence but have heard that many people fail the mandatory test because the translation is not accurate which screws up your results. The other option is to send off my UK licence and wait for it in the post. What do you think or/ and advise? Hope someone can give me an idea as to what works here. Cheers guys!😬

There is no test for the IDP. It's just a translation of your drivers license that you obtain in your home country and allows you to drive legally in any country that recognizes the document.

If you're looking to obtain a Thai drivers license, there are numerous agents that can help. Most agents the fee paid is for helping with obtaining the required documents, transport to/from the testing center, and a guide to lead you to the various testing stations.

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Thailand has reciprocal agreements with some countries to recognize each others drivers licenses without the need for an IDP provided the license contains photo ID and is in English. Countries include the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand. This agreement may not have filtered down to an individual BiB who may insist on an IDP.

If you are other than a tourist or visitor, ie you have a non-immigrant visa, you are expected to obtain a Thai drivers license within 90 days. Again, an individual BiB may not enforce this but insurance companies probably will.

 

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14 hours ago, bob lt said:

No official International Driving Licence, many similar used to be available on Khaosan Road but are fake.

Thai licences are not difficult to obtain legally, but are valid for car or bike, they are separate licences.

Official document is International Driving Permit available in your home country.

For UK residents who plan to travel abroad, if you have a full UK licence, go to the Post Office and buy one  for £5.50

International Driving Permit | Post Office

 

Thanks for the heads up- yeah, if only I was in the UK. So much cheaper and simpler to sort out.

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14 hours ago, Derek Dangleberries said:

For an IDP I always used the Post Office in LHR Terminal 3 after checking my bags in ... but that depends on the day and time of your flight of course.

I did quite an extensive search for a mate some time ago and the cheapest at the time was both licenses for 3,000 baht but you still had to go to the office to watch the film etc. This was in the office on New Plaza nearest to the public toilets..

Certainly when I checked at the time there was no possibility anywhere of just "buying" it.

 

I knew a someone who had a contact for this sort of thing but I wasn't too comfortable with it. I can wait to try and sort something else out. Thanks for the info mate.

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2 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

There is no test for the IDP. It's just a translation of your drivers license that you obtain in your home country and allows you to drive legally in any country that recognizes the document.

If you're looking to obtain a Thai drivers license, there are numerous agents that can help. Most agents the fee paid is for helping with obtaining the required documents, transport to/from the testing center, and a guide to lead you to the various testing stations.

Thanks for that. I am here already which is the issue. If only I had thought about this possibly being an issue last time I was in the UK then I would be sorted. I assumed that the UK licence was well recognised everywhere, least I know now. Cheers.

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1 hour ago, fygjam said:

Thailand has reciprocal agreements with some countries to recognize each others drivers licenses without the need for an IDP provided the license contains photo ID and is in English. Countries include the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand. This agreement may not have filtered down to an individual BiB who may insist on an IDP.

If you are other than a tourist or visitor, ie you have a non-immigrant visa, you are expected to obtain a Thai drivers license within 90 days. Again, an individual BiB may not enforce this but insurance companies probably will.

 

Hi mate, what is a BiB by the way? My insurance requires an IDP to be covered for any accidents etc or a Thai licence. I would rather wait and save money and get it done when I finally get back home. I'm not sure if I would need a Thai licence on top of that- just seems to much of a headache when my IDP should be enough. Thanks for the info mate.

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16 minutes ago, Ebenzo said:

Hi mate, what is a BiB by the way? My insurance requires an IDP to be covered for any accidents etc or a Thai licence. I would rather wait and save money and get it done when I finally get back home. I'm not sure if I would need a Thai licence on top of that- just seems to much of a headache when my IDP should be enough. Thanks for the info mate.

BIB (Boys In Brown, i.e. police)

Remember, as @fygjam pointed out, your IDP is not valid for stays within the country for longer than 90 days. So even with the IDP if you're here long term, you'll need a Thai DL for insurance to be valid.

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You need to check the fine print on your insurance.

An IDP may only be a temporary measure. If you are in Thailand on a long term visa (retirement or marriage extension or work permit) a Thai license is recommended and some insurance companies will require it.

Check the small print on your policy or even call the company if you are serious.

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Things may have changed but it used to be that if you were in Thailand already and had no IDP then you had to do the driving test and answer the questions for a Thai license. Not sure if an "agent" would change that requirement so could be worth asking one 

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