Thailand Eases Physical Fitness Tests for Driving Licence Renewals

Thailand’s Department of Land Transport has relaxed the physical fitness tests required to renew a driving licence, following recommendations from the Medical Council of Thailand. The colour-vision test is now required only for first-time applicants, not for renewals. Drivers aged 55 or under whose licence has lapsed by no more than a year are also exempt from the foot-reaction (brake-response) test, needing only the peripheral-vision and depth-perception checks; drivers over 55, and anyone whose licence has been expired for more than a year, still sit the full set of tests, including the foot-reaction test.

The change applies to anyone renewing a Thai driving licence, foreign residents included, and is aimed at cutting queues and renewal time at transport offices rather than changing who is eligible to drive. It does not affect first-time applications, including a foreigner’s first conversion of an overseas licence, which still requires the full fitness-test battery.

Anyone with a Thai licence due for renewal should find the process faster than before, but should check which exemptions apply based on their age and how long their licence has been expired before visiting a transport office.