Phuket transport chief says office was unaware of draft foreign licence rules

Phuket Provincial Land Transport Office (PLTO) chief Adcha Buachan said his office had not been informed of proposed nationwide changes to the rules for foreign nationals obtaining Thai driving licences.

The draft regulation was published by the Legal Division of the Department of Land Transport (DLT) on 4 November. The public consultation is scheduled to remain open until 4 December.

The proposal would remove provisions allowing foreign nationals to use a home-country driving licence or an International Driving Permit (IDP) to obtain a Thai licence without completing the usual training and testing requirements. It would also require applicants for temporary two-year private driving licences to have at least two years remaining on their visas, unless they meet other conditions set by the DLT.

Driving schools would be allowed to train foreign applicants but would no longer be permitted to conduct written or practical examinations. Those tests would instead have to be taken at a Provincial Land Transport Office, one of its branches or one of five transport offices in Bangkok.

The DLT consultation summary recorded 697 participants as of 10 November, with 676, or 97%, opposing the proposals and 21 supporting them. A further update on 11 November recorded 932 responses, including 907 against and 25 in favour.

Much of the opposition focused on the proposed two-year visa requirement. Respondents said it could exclude legally resident foreigners who receive one-year extensions of stay, including retirees, foreign workers and people married to Thai nationals.

Some respondents called for the requirement to be linked to immigration status instead, while others sought exemptions for existing licence holders, retirees and foreigners with Thai families. Concerns were also raised about the effect on Thai households if a foreign resident was the only licensed driver.

One respondent said they had held a driving licence for 46 years and driven in Thailand for 10 years, covering about 350,000 kilometres without an accident. The respondent said they would refuse to take another driving test if the changes were introduced.

Some foreign workers also objected. One respondent employed by a Board of Investment-promoted company said annual visa renewals were standard for their position and that the proposed requirement could prevent them from maintaining a Thai driving licence.

A smaller number of respondents supported the changes, saying standardised training and examinations could improve knowledge of Thai traffic laws and road safety. Some also said examinations at transport offices could improve oversight and reduce opportunities for fraudulent applications.

Adcha said the draft had been prepared directly by the DLT’s Legal Division and that the Phuket office continued to operate under the existing regulations. He declined to say whether he supported or opposed the proposals, saying his office’s responsibility was to enforce the rules currently in force.

He said the proposal appeared generally intended to improve road safety but could not provide details about the reasoning behind its individual provisions. The Phuket office would wait for an official DLT directive before deciding how any approved changes would be implemented, he said.

Adcha also said the proposal would not prevent foreign tourists from driving in Thailand with a valid, recognised IDP used alongside a valid home-country driving licence. The draft concerns the use of foreign licences and IDPs as a basis for obtaining a Thai licence without completing normal training and tests.

Until any new regulation is formally approved and takes effect, the existing rules remain in force, Adcha said.