Medical Certificate, Training and Tests

Book a slot through the DLT Smart Queue app or the Department of Land Transport website, take the physical aptitude test, attend the theory training course, sit the electronic theory test, then take the practical driving test on the circuit. Once all stages are passed you pay the fee and the licence is printed the same day.

The theory test has 50 questions and you must answer at least 90 per cent, that is 45 questions, correctly. If you fail you may resit on the schedule set by the office, without repeating the training course while your training record is still valid. Confirm each office's own resit rules on dlt.go.th before travelling.

You may apply after holding the temporary licence for at least one year, presenting the existing licence, your identity document and a medical certificate issued within the past month. You retake the physical aptitude test but not the theory or practical driving test. Applying after expiry triggers extra conditions based on how long it has been expired.

The Department of Land Transport applies tiered rules: expired up to one year renews normally; expired between one and three years requires the theory test again; expired more than three years requires training, the theory test and the practical driving test again. Renewal is possible up to six months before the expiry date, so renew early.

Yes for renewals. You complete the course through the Department of Land Transport e-Learning system, then present or upload the completion record at the office within the period the system states. First-time applicants must still attend training and testing at the Land Transport office or an accredited driving school.

Public driving licence applicants must be at least 22, hold Thai nationality, pass a criminal record check with the Criminal Records Division and complete additional training. Thai law does not allow foreign nationals to hold a public driving licence. We can prepare the police clearance and any certified translations required for the file.

The core file is a valid passport with a valid visa and entry stamp, proof of residence in Thailand, a medical certificate issued within the past month, and the office's application form. Tourist-visa holders are refused at some offices because the regulations require evidence of residence in the Kingdom.

Where you submit an unexpired foreign licence with acceptable certification, the Land Transport office may waive the theory and practical driving tests under Department of Land Transport regulations. You still take the physical aptitude test and file a medical certificate. The decision rests with the registrar, so confirm with your intended office first.

It must follow the standard form set by the Medical Council of Thailand, with a self-declaration section and a physician's section confirming no condition that impedes safe driving. It is issued by a licensed hospital or clinic and must be dated no more than one month before the application.

Four checks: colour recognition of red, amber and green, depth perception, peripheral vision, and brake reaction time to a signal. Certain forms of colour blindness fail the standard. Bring your glasses or contact lenses and use them for the test; the licence will then be endorsed to require them while driving.

The first-application course runs about five hours in total, covering motor vehicle and traffic law, safe driving technique, driver attitude and courtesy, and basic vehicle maintenance. The renewal course is shorter and may be taken through the e-Learning system instead of at the office.

Yes, if the school is accredited by the Department of Land Transport. Graduates receive a certificate and are exempted from parts of the training and testing when they apply at the Land Transport office. Check the accredited school list on the department's website before enrolling so the certificate is accepted.

Yes, if you can show residence in Thailand as required by the Department of Land Transport. You will typically need a passport with a valid visa page, proof of residence (an Immigration residence certificate or an embassy/consulate address letter), a recent medical certificate, and photographs. Accepted visa types and document validity are at the discretion of each land transport office, so call the office you plan to visit before travelling.

Conversion from a valid foreign licence usually waives the practical driving test, but you must still pass the physical aptitude tests (colour vision, eyesight, foot reaction) and in many cases a written traffic-rules test. Requirements depend on the issuing country and the office handling the file; confirm current rules at dlt.go.th.

Five-year licences can be renewed within the window set by the Department of Land Transport, subject to a training course (the department's e-Learning option is available under stated conditions) and physical aptitude testing. If the licence has lapsed beyond the allowed period you may need to retake the written test, and after a longer lapse the practical test as well.

One issued by a licensed hospital or clinic stating that you have no condition that impedes driving as defined by law, signed by the physician with their medical licence number. Offices commonly accept certificates issued within one month of the application date, so do not obtain it far in advance.

Yes. Bring your passport, valid foreign licence, a certified translation accepted by the Department of Land Transport, a residence certificate from immigration or your embassy, and a medical certificate. If the foreign licence is still valid you are usually exempt from the written and practical tests, but the physical aptitude test and briefing still apply. Book a slot through the DLT Smart Queue app before travelling to the office.

First-time applicants receive a two-year temporary licence, upgradable to a five-year private licence after one year. Renewal generally requires a fresh medical certificate and aptitude test, and may be filed up to ninety days before expiry without losing remaining validity.

A passport with a valid visa and the latest entry stamp, a certificate of residence issued either by the local Immigration office or by your embassy, a medical certificate on the Medical Council format issued within the accepted validity window, and a current TM.30 address notification. If you are converting a foreign licence, add the original licence plus a certified translation. Spelling must match the passport exactly.

Yes — Thai law issues licences by vehicle class. Applying for both in one visit saves time because the physical aptitude test and the theory course can be shared, but the written exam and practical test are taken separately for each class. Riding a motorcycle on a car licence is treated as driving without a licence for that class and can jeopardise an insurance claim.

Yes, provided you can evidence a Thai address the Land Transport Department accepts. Bring your passport with the current visa and entry stamp, a residence certificate from Immigration or your embassy (or the TM.30 notification from your accommodation), a medical certificate issued within one month, and photographs. You then complete the e-learning or in-office training, a physical aptitude test, the written test, and a practical test unless an existing foreign licence can be converted. The residence certificate usually has a short validity window, so book your licence appointment first and obtain the certificate afterwards. Our team sequences the paperwork, arranges certified translations of foreign documents, and provides an interpreter on the appointment day.

You need the original, unexpired foreign licence plus a Thai translation certified through a channel your local Land Transport office accepts — commonly the issuing country's embassy in Bangkok, or legalisation by the Department of Consular Affairs. The order is translate, certify, then submit with your residence certificate and medical certificate. Offices interpret the accepted certification route differently, so confirm with your destination office before ordering the translation to avoid paying for certification twice. We verify the office-specific requirement before starting any file.

For a five-year private licence, lapsing more than one year means retaking the written test; more than three years means retaking both the written and practical tests plus the full training course. Bring your ID or passport, the old licence, and a medical certificate issued within one month. While the licence is expired you are driving unlicensed, which carries a fine and can affect voluntary insurance claims. Renewal opens 90 days before expiry, so set a reminder and finish the online training before booking your slot.

It must be the Medical Council format issued specifically for driving licence applications, confirming no condition that impairs driving, and signed by a licensed physician. A clinic is acceptable — it does not have to be a hospital — and the certificate is normally valid for one month. Generic medical certificates are routinely refused at the counter, so tell the clinic it is for a driving licence and keep a photocopy in case you need to reapply.

First-time applicants receive a two-year temporary licence; the standard private licence runs five years. To upgrade, hold the temporary licence for at least one year, then apply at a Land Transport office with your ID or passport, proof of Thai address, the existing licence, and a medical certificate issued within one month. No written or practical retest is required while the licence is still valid. The risk is letting the temporary licence lapse by more than a year, which sends you back to the full training and testing route. Diary the one-year date — that window is the cheapest and simplest moment to convert. We check documents, book the slot, and attend with you if you would rather not queue.

Offices generally accept a translation certified by the embassy or consulate of the issuing country, or one legalised by the Department of Consular Affairs. The order matters: translate, certify, then file with your residence certificate and medical certificate. An uncertified translation is rejected at the counter and you pay for certification twice. Confirm the accepted channel with the destination office before commissioning the translation. We prepare the translation and run the certification as a single package.

Holders of an IDP or a licence from a convention country may drive during a temporary stay for as long as the document is valid. Once you are resident long term on a work, retirement or dependant visa, you should convert to a Thai licence. Required documents are the passport with visa pages, a certificate of residence from Immigration or your embassy, a medical certificate issued within one month, and the original foreign licence with a certified translation. The process covers a physical aptitude test and the theory course, and in many cases the written and practical exams are waived while the foreign licence is still valid. The pitfall is that an expired foreign licence no longer earns the waiver, so start while it is current.

Expired up to one year, you renew normally with the course and the physical aptitude test. Expired between one and three years, the written exam is added. Expired beyond three years, you restart everything: written exam, road test and the full course. Bring your ID or passport with residence proof, the old licence, and a medical certificate issued within one month. Note that during any lapsed period an insurer may dispute parts of a claim after an accident. Book the online course at least a month before expiry, because slots in tourist provinces such as Phuket fill quickly.

No house registration in the province is needed. Thai nationals may apply at any DLT office with their ID card alone, while foreign applicants need residence evidence for the area, such as a certificate from Phuket Immigration or a consulate. Also bring a medical certificate issued within one month and proof of the theory course. The steps are online booking, the course, the physical aptitude test, the written exam and the road test. Phuket slots are tight throughout the tourist season, so book weeks ahead and finish all translation and certification before your appointment. Our Phuket document team, with more than 15 years of local experience, can review the full set before you file.

The Department of Land Transport decides case by case from an unexpired foreign licence. Prepare the foreign licence with a certified translation and legalisation as the office requires, your passport with visa page, a residence certificate from Immigration or your embassy, and a medical certificate less than one month old. You then submit the file, take the physical aptitude test, attend the required briefing, and in many cases receive an exemption from the theory and practical tests. Translations certified in the wrong order are the single most common cause of rejection, so complete translation and legalisation before you queue.

A licence issued by a state that is not party to a convention Thailand recognises cannot be used on its own here. You either use an International Driving Permit issued in that country, if available, or apply for a Thai licence. Prepare the original licence with a certified translation, your passport, proof of residence and a medical certificate; translate and certify first, then file at a Land Transport office for whichever tests the officer requires. Driving without a licence valid in Thailand can let an insurer decline cover after an accident, so use a car with a driver while the application is in progress.

A private licence covers vehicles not registered for hire, while a public licence covers taxis, passenger vans and vehicles for hire, and requires Thai nationality, a minimum age of 22 for some classes, and a criminal-record check. Prepare your ID card, house registration, the private licence held for the required period, a medical certificate and photographs; you then file the application, clear the Royal Thai Police record check, attend additional training and sit the prescribed tests. The record check takes several weeks, so start that step before anything else.

Trucks and prime movers fall under the Land Transport Act, so a professional driver's licence in classes 1 to 4 is required, graded by vehicle weight and cargo type, with class 4 covering dangerous goods. Prepare your ID card, medical certificate, photographs and evidence of the prescribed training course; you then complete the course, sit the theory test, take the practical test in that vehicle category, and for dangerous goods complete specialist training as well. A private licence does not authorise commercial truck driving even if you can physically drive the vehicle — check the vehicle class in the registration book before enrolling.

It must follow the form prescribed by the Medical Council and the Department of Land Transport, confirming the absence of conditions that impede driving, such as uncontrolled epilepsy, infectious tuberculosis or substance dependence. Both clinics and hospitals may issue it provided the correct form is used and the doctor's professional licence number appears. Certificates are normally accepted within one month of examination, and a certificate that does not state its purpose as a driving licence application is often refused. Have the examination as close as possible to your appointment date.

Yes. The Department of Land Transport works from a central record, so an application may be filed at any provincial office without moving your house registration. Prepare a Thai ID card, or a passport with proof of residence for foreign nationals, a medical certificate, and the existing licence for renewals; book through DLT Smart Queue at whichever office suits you and attend the briefing and tests for the class requested. Queues in tourist provinces fill quickly, especially at the start of each month and in high season, so book ahead and keep one spare day free.

First-time applicants always receive the two-year temporary licence and may convert to the five-year class after holding it for one year. Holders of an unexpired foreign licence often qualify for partial test exemptions and therefore reach the five-year class sooner. Prepare the passport with visa page, proof of residence, a medical certificate, and the existing licence with a certified translation. Where a visa has little time left, the officer may issue a licence matching the visa's validity, so file early in the visa cycle — and if you would rather not make several trips, we review the file and manage the queue so it completes in one visit.