Thai Driving Licence for Foreigners: THB 205 Car, THB 105 Bike

If you live in Thailand, you can apply for a temporary driving licence with a residence certificate or work permit and a medical certificate. It costs THB 205 for a car and THB 105 for a motorcycle. The five-year licence follows after at least one year, and tourist-entry holders cannot apply for it.

If you live in Thailand rather than just visiting, get the temporary licence: bring proof of where you live and it costs THB 205 for a car and THB 105 for a motorcycle.

What you need to apply

You apply for the temporary licence at the provincial Land Transport Office or its branch. The paper that stops most people at the counter is proof of residence: a residence certificate under the immigration law, or a work permit.

• Your passport or an alien certificate.
• A residence certificate or a work permit. Ask the Immigration Office in your area for the certificate, and make sure your landlord has notified your stay on form TM.30, explained on the TM.30 page.
• A medical certificate saying you have no condition a physician considers dangerous while driving. Any hospital or clinic can issue it, and it counts for one month if no validity is stated.
• Training evidence from the Department of Land Transport (DLT) or a certified driving school.
• 2 photos of 3 x 4 cm.

You must be 18 full years old, or 15 for a motorcycle of up to 110 cc.

If you already hold a licence from home

A licence of the same vehicle type from another government can go into your application, and it is among the papers that can bring an exemption from training and testing. A June 2025 draft would change those rules, so ask the office whether the exemption applies to you.

If the home licence has no English on it, the embassy or consulate must certify it in Thai or English. An international driving permit works only together with your home licence.

Tests and steps at the office

Expect a physical test, then training, then a theory test on a computer and a driving test. You pay the fee last and have your photo taken.

A bigger motorbike needs extra training and a riding test: thirty-five kilowatts or more, or four hundred cubic centimetres or more. You need a valid motorcycle licence to ride, whatever a rental shop tells you. You can book a slot with the DLT Smart Queue app.

What it costs

A smart card costs THB 100 extra and needs no photo.

Moving up to the five-year licence

You can switch after holding the temporary licence for at least one year, and you can ask up to 60 days before it expires. The change takes a physical test and a 1-hour training.

The five-year licence is not for everyone. The applicant must not be someone permitted to enter for tourism, sport or transit, or a foreign worker allowed temporary stay by Cabinet resolution.

…ผู้ได้รับอนุญาตให้เข้ามาเพื่อการท่องเที่ยว การเล่นกีฬา การเดินทางผ่านราชอาณาจักร หรือแรงงาน…

The applicant must not be a person permitted to enter for tourism, sport or transit through the Kingdom, or a foreign worker allowed temporary stay by Cabinet resolution.

Ministerial Regulation on driving licences B.E. 2563, Article 4

Renew the five-year licence up to 90 days before it expires.

What trips people up

• Arriving on a tourist stay with no residence certificate or work permit.
• A medical certificate older than one month.
• A home licence with no English and no embassy certification.
• Counting on a test exemption before checking with the office.

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Not confirmed: Whether a valid home licence waives the tests today: a June 2025 draft would change the rules; ask the office. Whether a DTV counts as a qualifying visa: the DLT page asks for a non-immigrant visa. Training is 4 hours in an office guide and 5 hours in a 2016 Gazette rule.

General information checked against the sources listed above, not financial or tax advice for your situation. Rules and fees change; confirm with your bank, the Revenue Department or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.

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