Hey Scootermonger - too bad no bro's in Thailand have answered this for you. I don't have first hand experience, but I do have the book "Living abroad in Thailand" which has a section on the subject (and I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night)
Toi get a Thai driver's license (if you already have a license from your home country)
and here's the rub - the book doesn't cover if you don't have a licesnse - but I'll continue anyway...
...you must be at least 18 years old and possess a valid visa (those here on tourist visa's cannot apply). Before you visit your local motor vehicle office, visit your local immigration office and request a certificate of residency; you can also do this at your country's consolate or embassy, but you'll be charged a fee.
Once you have the certificate, go the the motor vehicle office with the certificate,k copies of the first page of your passport, your visa, and your work permit. If you do not speak Thai, you need to bring a translator along, as the application and some of the testing material will be in Thai. At the motor vehicle office, you will have to watch some instructional material in Thai...
which I've heard consists of watching gruesome drunk driving videos...
... take a written test, and have your vision and reflexes tested. If you pass all the tests, you'll be granted a one-year driver's license. Even if you have been driving for years, you may be thrown off by the written exam. Everything is in metres and kilometers, and some of the rules of the road are different than in other countries. People often fail the test.
Source
http://www.amazon.com/Moon-Livin ... words=9781598806403
This said... I've been reading posts on another forum that suggest that things could be a little more straightforward than the book suggests. PM me and I'll send a link.
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Last edited by yazoo at 30-12-2013 11:28 ]