International License..........Asean

[Dougal]

Some Thais tell me you can get an International Asean License.

I'm not sure if they understand this as Asean only or International, but they say its very easy and you can get it from any Provincial Transport Office.

I raise this in light of a recent post under Cambodia where they said you can not get insurance unless you had a Cambo license?

Can someone shed some light on this please?

.

 

[KZ]

I've heard the it's not that easy to get the license; there's no written test but the rider's test is quite difficult. You have to show that you can carry an entire family plus three electric fans and a TV set on a Honda Wave, also be able to load 17 crates of papaya and at leat six live chicken with feet bound on it and be able to kick-start it.
(Sorry, Dougal, but it's a Monday morning)

 

[NorThai]

KZ wrote: I've heard the it's not that easy to get the license; there's no written test but the rider's test is quite difficult. You have to show that you can carry an entire family plus three electric fans and a TV set on a Honda Wave, also be able to load 17 crates of papaya and at leat six live chicken with feet bound on it and be able to kick-start it.
(Sorry, Dougal, but it's a Monday morning)

He he, nice one KZ. Help`s alot on a monday morning :lol:

 

[tonykiwi]

Nice

made me chuckle

 

[black cat]

I believe all Thai licenses will be changed over to the ASEAN type as they are renewed. I renewed my 5 year car and motorbike ones in Buri Ram earlier this year, and was given the new type, no choice offered, again for 5 years. I also had to do the colour blindness, peripheral vision, distance judging, and reaction time tests, as well as sit through a very dull one hour video. Friends who did theirs in other locations went through the same, although some didn't have to watch the video. Lucky bar stewards.

I also took a newbie along who was doing it for the first time. He had to do all the same tests as me, plus sit a computerised multi choice exam, with some fairly ambiguous choices for answers to some of the questions. He would have also had to do a practical riding test, but there were a lot of cars doing the test that day, so the instructor let him off when he saw that he had ridden to the test site without crashing. He was issued an ASEAN type license valid for one year, which will be changed to the five year type when he renews it.

If you're going to be travelling out of the country, and still have the old style paper license, then I'd recommend updating to the new one.

 

[Marco]

black cat wrote: I believe all Thai licenses will be changed over to the ASEAN type as they are renewed. I renewed my 5 year car and motorbike ones in Buri Ram earlier this year, and was given the new type, no choice offered, again for 5 years. I also had to do the colour blindness, peripheral vision, distance judging, and reaction time tests, as well as sit through a very dull one hour video. Friends who did theirs in other locations went through the same, although some didn't have to watch the video. Lucky bar stewards.

I also took a newbie along who was doing it for the first time. He had to do all the same tests as me, plus sit a computerised multi choice exam, with some fairly ambiguous choices for answers to some of the questions. He would have also had to do a practical riding test, but there were a lot of cars doing the test that day, so the instructor let him off when he saw that he had ridden to the test site without crashing. He was issued an ASEAN type license valid for one year, which will be changed to the five year type when he renews it.

If you're going to be travelling out of the country, and still have the old style paper license, then I'd recommend updating to the new one.

Black Cat

Why in earth they put you watching vdo? i just renew my 5yr Bike & Car license, had to do only 30min class, what they told me no need to stay inside there as they talk thai and i can only read traffic sign's booklet that time, nothing else, This is UBON what im talking abt.

I also would be intrested to see picture of this "asean" license,,as i have NEW type thai license 2nd time already...

 

[gobs]

This is an ambiguous thing IMHO...
As it was explained to me by an officer, and as I understood it, this "Asean License" is valid for "Asean Citizens", so Thai citizens in LOS...
Even if we, Farangs, get a thai driving license, we ARE (for the most part here on GTR, I suppose) "Westerners". So we can't get the benefit of this "Asean License", and we do need the "normal" International driving license (one year validity) to be able to drive in these Asean countries.

This makes sens to me and seems logical.
As, for example, I'm French, I need a International driving license to drive in Asean countries even if I drive/ride in LOS with a thai license...

But maybe I'm wrong... Or wrongly understood...
:roll:

Did someone get true advice about this?
Are things so tight?

Cheers,
Gobs

 

[Marco]

gobs wrote: As, for example, I'm French(Sorry for that :twisted: ), I need a International driving license to drive in Asean countries even if I drive/ride in LOS with a thai license...

But maybe I'm wrong... Or wrongly understood...
:roll:

Gobs
you don't need Int. Driving permit in thailand IF you have Thai motorbike or car driving license.

 

[black cat]

Marco wrote: [quote quote=black cat]I believe all Thai licenses will be changed over to the ASEAN type as they are renewed. I renewed my 5 year car and motorbike ones in Buri Ram earlier this year, and was given the new type, no choice offered, again for 5 years. I also had to do the colour blindness, peripheral vision, distance judging, and reaction time tests, as well as sit through a very dull one hour video. Friends who did theirs in other locations went through the same, although some didn't have to watch the video. Lucky bar stewards.

I also took a newbie along who was doing it for the first time. He had to do all the same tests as me, plus sit a computerised multi choice exam, with some fairly ambiguous choices for answers to some of the questions. He would have also had to do a practical riding test, but there were a lot of cars doing the test that day, so the instructor let him off when he saw that he had ridden to the test site without crashing. He was issued an ASEAN type license valid for one year, which will be changed to the five year type when he renews it.

If you're going to be travelling out of the country, and still have the old style paper license, then I'd recommend updating to the new one.

Black Cat

Why in earth they put you watching vdo? i just renew my 5yr Bike & Car license, had to do only 30min class, what they told me no need to stay inside there as they talk thai and i can only read traffic sign's booklet that time, nothing else, This is UBON what im talking abt.

I also would be intrested to see picture of this "asean" license,,as i have NEW type thai license 2nd time already...
Marco, I guess that, like most other Thai beaurocracy, what they make you do will depend on where you get your license, and who's in charge there. As I said, some people I know had to watch the video, some didn't. I was given the traffic signs booklet to read while watching the video, but wasn't allowed out until the video was over.

If you have the new type license then I suspect you already have the ASEAN type one, which is like a credit card, with the Thai flag on the top left corner, and written in English and Thai. To those wondering whether or not it is valid in some countries, you could check the list of acceptible licenses for that country. Any valid drivers license issued by a country on that list is okay to use, no matter what the nationality of the holder is. Indeed, there is nothing on my Thai licenses that says where I come from, and what nationality I am. I have also used my new style Thai car license in the U.S, Australia and Malaysia to rent cars, something I couldn't do with the old type, which is why I'd recommend upgrading if you still have the old paper type.

 

[Marco]

Hiya again

That is so true, rules and regulations are very different depending of the area in Thailand.
But this So called"Asean" Licence is still not going to my Squeer head, for me it's just a normal thai license what is acceptable in other countries, same as my Finnish license, can be driven in almost anywhere, same rules apply, where it is acceptable.

Any how, intresting topic again, as i tryed to search that so called"Asean" licen from the Department of trasportation of Thailand but there is no mention or reference what so ever for it

 

[Dougal]

Thanks guys. Some good info coming there.

I suppose the only way we're gonna find out is to ask for one. The other good point is about the new style Thai licenses and whether they are what we're talking about.

 

[Franz]

Once in Laos stopped in my car, forgot the Thai driving license but had all other docs with me so showed them my austrian blasting license, foto, lots of stamps was just answered with approving and 'knowing' nods handed back and waved on, so guys anyone out there with some of these Se-ed's member, Serenade Privilege, Riders club membership, MK discount cards ?? Try them but use other languages than English or Thai, sometimes works 5555555555 of course not in the big cities. While being in India > 20 years ago, on overland trips especially during the nights in the north you always had roadblocks by the army where you had to register yourself, got tired of this lenghty paperpushing so filled in Mambo M'buto as my name, birthplace; Mombasa/Kenia, birthdate 30th of February 4711 and was at no time asked what bullshit I just wrote into their books.................well it's Asia and there's always a way. Don't want to plan my private life in such detail (driving licenses...... :lol: ) because the job already does me in that way, rgds, FR

 

[gobs]

Marco said: "you don't need Int. Driving permit in thailand IF you have Thai motorbike or car driving license."

Obviously man!
The meaning is: as soon as you exit a thai border, we, Farangs, come back to be Western drivers, not Asean citizens or thai citizens drivers... So in full straight logic, the need of the Inter Driv License over thai borders... and NOT the thai/Asean license, which in our case is unuseful...

Furthermore, the name of Asean license may be a bit over the truth. In fact, if I remember well at the time of its issue, this new license was recognized by Malaysia, Cambodgia, Laos and maybe Vietnam... And vice-versa for Thailand vs these countries.
For the other Asean countries, not sure if it applies... But things may have changed...