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Post by Slade Wilson on May 15, 2016 4:56:02 GMT 7
Anyone heard of this? The old man said last night he's only used an Australian car license, not an international license in Thailand since the 80s. He doesn't know what other countries have this deal or whatever the word is, but you can show any Thai cop an Aussie car license and they know it.
First I've heard, is he right?
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Post by rgs2001uk on May 15, 2016 11:23:25 GMT 7
I dont doubt he has used an Ozzy license, many never bother to get a Thai one.
I dont know anything about any arrangements the Thais have with Australia.
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Post by rgs2001uk on May 15, 2016 12:33:40 GMT 7
From what I can remember there is no such thing as an Australian drivers license, doesnt each state issue their own?
I wonder how many Thai cops can actually read English.
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Post by Soutpeel on May 15, 2016 20:36:23 GMT 7
Dependent on which way you interpret the English version of the law, once being in Thailand for more than 90 days you require a Thai license, the 90 concession on say UK, Aussie license and IDP is intended for tourists for 90 days, and it pretty safe to say, the Aussie guy is not a toursit, in reading the English versions of traffic laws, never come across any concessions for Aussie DL, therefore one can only conclude, said Gentleman is talking through his arse..
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Post by Slade Wilson on May 16, 2016 4:55:37 GMT 7
I looked a bit more into it and it seems said gentleman is right. It doesn't matter how long you're a tourist for, it's you're not an immigrant. Australia has a treaty with Thailand under the Geneva road traffic act 1949
This Article is part of the Thai Motor Vehicle Act
Section 42
Anyone who wishes to drive a motor vehicle on public roads must possess an appropriate driver's license. The driver must carry the driver's license and a photocopy of the registration book and show them to competent officers upon request. This does not apply for those who are learning to drive a motor vehicle according to the provision of Section 57.
If the driver is an alien who doesn't have an immigrant visa, he may drive a motor vehicle with a driver's license specified in the Section 42-2. In such a case, he must carry documents specified by the treaty between the Thai government and the government which issued such driver's license, and show them to competent officers upon request.
Section 42-2
In case there's a treaty between the Thai government and a foreign government regarding mutual acceptance of driver's license, an alien who doesn't have an immigrant visa may drive a motor vehicle with a driver's license issued by such a foreign government, or an automobile association authorized by such a foreign government.
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Post by Slade Wilson on May 16, 2016 5:01:03 GMT 7
Section 42/2 says it all I think. It seems Thais can also drive on Australian roads for a short time using their Thai license.
I wonder which other countries have the treaty? It could be a commonwealth thing.
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Post by Fletchsmile on May 16, 2016 9:56:08 GMT 7
Pretty sure UK doesn't have a mutual arrangement on being able to use local driving licences. All the Thais in the UK I know that drive have had to sit a proper UK test - thank god.
I believe an international driving licence would be accepted for temporary use but not a local Thai one.
What isn't clear to me is exactly what licence is specified in 42/2. Thailand's authorities like many countries can issue both a "local/domestic" driving licence and an "international" one. I think a lot will of countries mutually accept an international driving licence but not necessarily accept a local/domestic one.
As for in practice given many Thais drive without a licence I suspect many foreigners do also and are rarely picked up on it. I'd also guess a lot of people in authority often don't understand the law and any nuances as well. So like a lot of other rules ask a dozen people foreign and Thai and you'll get a dozen different answers.
For my first Thai driving licence I just showed a copy of my UK one. No need to sit a test. I believe technically that's not right. I should really have had an international one to get a Thai one without a test.
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Post by Soutpeel on May 16, 2016 11:28:56 GMT 7
Section 42/2 says it all I think. It seems Thais can also drive on Australian roads for a short time using their Thai license. I wonder which other countries have the treaty? It could be a commonwealth thing. I have seen another version of this in English as well and it infers you need a Thai DL if you are in country more than 90 days This is what i was talking about in my post, depends which version of the English translation as there is more than 1 floating around
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Post by Soutpeel on May 16, 2016 11:45:35 GMT 7
But here is the real question...if your resident here why wouldnt you get a Thai DL ?...you dont even have to sit a test if you have a DL from, takes at worst half a day to do, a few eye and reaction tests..piece of p**s
Surely these big roughy toughy know it all expats are surely not scared of some little Thai women at their local traffic office
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Post by rgs2001uk on May 16, 2016 15:00:06 GMT 7
But here is the real question...if your resident here why wouldnt you get a Thai DL ?...you dont even have to sit a test if you have a DL from, takes at worst half a day to do, a few eye and reaction tests..piece of p**s Surely these big roughy toughy know it all expats are surely not scared of some little Thai women at their local traffic office Up my way in Bkk they have added the driving video about good driving manners, its a real tear jerker. The stereotypes are way over the top but so true. In and out in less than two hours. The brake test is amusing to watch, Somchai with one foot on the accelerator and the other on the brake. Worth noting for those who do 90 day reports in Bkk, the residence certificate can be issued for a cost of about 200 baht, sure beats the Brit House cost of about 2,000.
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Post by Fletchsmile on May 16, 2016 15:15:05 GMT 7
But here is the real question...if your resident here why wouldnt you get a Thai DL ?...you dont even have to sit a test if you have a DL from, takes at worst half a day to do, a few eye and reaction tests..piece of p**s Surely these big roughy toughy know it all expats are surely not scared of some little Thai women at their local traffic office I use mine a lot of ID purposes as well instead of passport, for hotels etc. Doing those tests is a complete waste of time though Luckily as you say only once every 5 years.
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Post by rgs2001uk on May 16, 2016 15:26:57 GMT 7
But here is the real question...if your resident here why wouldnt you get a Thai DL ?...you dont even have to sit a test if you have a DL from, takes at worst half a day to do, a few eye and reaction tests..piece of p**s Surely these big roughy toughy know it all expats are surely not scared of some little Thai women at their local traffic office I use mine a lot of ID purposes as well instead of passport, for hotels etc. Doing those tests is a complete waste of time though Luckily as you say only once every 5 years.You can spin it out to once every 6 years if you time it right. My birthday is in June, I renew in July, you get 5 years from your next birthday. Quickie, how long are you allowed to drive on an expired license?
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Post by Soutpeel on May 16, 2016 15:41:01 GMT 7
I use mine a lot of ID purposes as well instead of passport, for hotels etc. Doing those tests is a complete waste of time though Luckily as you say only once every 5 years.You can spin it out to once every 6 years if you time it right. My birthday is in June, I renew in July, you get 5 years from your next birthday. Quickie, how long are you allowed to drive on an expired license? According to Rayong traffic department 12 months on an expired license, i got this first hand as last time mind was coming up to expiry and i would have been offshore, so tried to renew early, and told "no plobem" i could let it ride upto 12 months
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Post by Slade Wilson on May 20, 2016 18:08:28 GMT 7
Most countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the USA have this agreement with Thailand under the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic or the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.
I'll search a bit further to see which countries are included in the "most countries" part, but there's a few more above.
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buhi
Crazy Mango Extraordinaire
Posts: 4,846
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Post by buhi on May 20, 2016 19:16:40 GMT 7
An aside; A Thai driving license is for a non resident, non immigrant, resident, equal to a Thai identity card, as Fletch pointed out.It has your passport number on it and is legit ID almost anywhere, including National Parks. Not the Samut Prakan crocodile farm though, but that is another story. Any way I have CTH and can see crocodiles anytime, some American obsession.
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