Anonymous participant However, let me point out that with a DTV you MIGHT only receive a 2-year license each time you EXTEND it. MIGHT as in, it depends on the office you use.

Another one of these annoying things in Thailand, where each office interprets the rules differently.

Anonymous participant You definitely don't need a work permit to obtain a driver's license. That's complete nonsense. Also, normally, driving schools should make the process EASIER, not harder.

I did my 10-year Cambodian driver's license through a driving school there. They charged me $30 extra to obtain the Cambodian equivalent of a TM30 for me, as I wouldn't have any way of getting it on my own, not worth the trouble.

Now I did have to pass both a theoretical and practical test on my own volition, merely by going through them, I wouldn't have passed. Cambodia's test is much more difficult than the Thai driving test. The questions are badly translated and you can only get 5 questions wrong; the practical test involves a difficult three point turn between two poles. Hit the poles with any part of your vehicle or try to correct the maneover and it's an instant fail. Then there's the reverse parking, which is a little easier, but again, if you hit the kerb behind you, you fail (you are permitted to touch the kerb on the right and make a forward correction.

Now Cambodian visas are simpler than Thai ones, but I did need at least a 6-month E category extension. Only a 6 or 12 month one are eligible; tourist visa holders aren't allowed to apply for a Cambodian license.

However, they are much more transparent about the process than here. It's black and white. You need X visa to get it, there's no other way around it. It's not a case of, this person says this, and that person says that.

You don't need any visa to get a motorcycle license. You do need a certificate of residency and a doctor's certificate (most DLT offices have pop-up clinics either on-site or just outside), pay whatever it is, maybe 100 Baht and pick one up just before you go to the DLT, along with any other documents you need to bring along (your passport, copies of the relevant pages and if you hold a foreign license, that too) and you'll be fine.

@Andi **********

The exception being Aranyaprathet-Poipet. That border might refuse entry to DTV holders. Unfortunately, it's where cross border buses cross the border. This means for anyone without their own vehicle, they'll need to catch a taxi or bus to another border and figure out transportation on the Thai side. Not a big deal to be honest, this part of the world has well established transportation connections even at the remotest borders it tends to be fairly straightforward.

For entry into Thailand, unless you've got a car or motorcycle and are the driver of said vehicle, do NOT use Aranyaprathet-Poipet to enter Thailand.

We just had someone tell us he was refused entry there on a DTV despite having been outside of Thailand for a month.

You don't need to fly back, any other land border works (I can assure you of that as I've entered Thailand on a DTV from Cambodia several times already but NOT at Aranyaprathet). I did exit there, but I haven't re-entered there.

@Elías *******

That is 💯 correct. Perfectly said.

@Winston ***********

A very good idea.

Andreas Mueller Many of us already held Thai bank accounts prior to going onto the DTV, but you're right that for those that don't, it's going to mean a border run instead.

@Greg *****

That often happens, but when it comes to applying for a driver's license, any visa is fine. On a DTV, you may or may not receive a 5 year license upon renewing your license, depending on the office involved.

@Andy ***********

Good to point this out. Many people are confused. It's the same with foreigners constantly referring to Thailand's Aranyaprathet as "Poipet". No Thai would understand what you mean if you incorrectly refer to their border as Poipet, which is in Cambodia.

Moreover, despite Poipet being the border town on the Cambodian side of the border there, the difference in treatment between the Thai and Cambodian side is quite stark. Therefore, it's factually incorrect for someone to say "I got denied entry at the Poipet border" if they aren't referring to being denied entry to Cambodia.