Driving licence from Australia (they only ask to see card part of licence)
Passport with Non-Immigration Visa
Photocopies of the passport.
Health certificate (practical physician) = 300 baht from any hospital or clinic
Residence certificate (Consulate or Immigration) = 2860 baht from your embassy, this is the most expensive part
Australian embassy opening hours 8am-11am for processing and 1400-1500 for collection
Once you have your documents go to the test centre (the one on sukhumvit road is conveniently located) and go to desk 11 with 2 photocopies of each document, after processing, you are given a card to do your practical, appointment times are 9am 11am 1pm and 3pm.
There were around 40 of us in one room. firstly there's a colortest and then a reaction test. each one takes about 1 minute.
after the tester signs your forms you go to desk 18, where you hand your documents over and they take a photo and 2 minutes later you have a thai driving licence. take this upstairs to 3rd floor and take your theory test, there are no specific times for this, just enter the room, where you are assigned a computer, choose language and answer 30 questions. some are common sense and some just didn't make sense at all. so having failed the first test getting 21 out of 30, they told me to do it again, this time i passed getting 23 out of 30 right. (at the time i didnt know, but there is a book on all the traffic rules that they allow you to read before you do your theory, just ask at desk 11, where you will be invited in for as long as you need). Upon completion, your driving license is activated and congratulations! you are free to legally join the madness of bangkok traffic!
if doing the motorbike test too, it is the same procedure but you have to ride a bike around a few cones and stop and indicate where signalled to.
These are temporary driving licenses costing 205 baht and 155 baht and last for one year, after that but before expiry date return to the same test center where you will be issued a 5 year thai driving licence.
Hopefully with this information it is possible to be in and out of the test centre with your new driving licence in around 90 minutes.
If going for both add another hour to this. don't worry about not speaking thai, most of the staff speak good english and are very helpful. :thumbsup:
Note: the test center discribes itself as being opposite 62/1. it isn't! and it's very easy to miss. doing u turns in bangkok are never easy at the best of times so if coming from the center of bangkok it's on your left hand side about 100 meters before sukhumvit soi 62/1
