Let's all hope this is just a typical case of a “Lost in Translation” error by a Thai authority.

"if you have a visa for less than one year"???

Perhaps they meant "if you have been issued a stay permit of less than one year" ?

It's typical of a mistranslation because this DLT text, just like the "technical jargon" of the Thai immigration authorities, contains typical INCORRECT technical English:

After you entered Thailand, you don't stay in their country “on a visa". You have gotten stamped in a "stay permit".

As soon as you use the correct term "your stay permit" instead of the incorrect term "your visa," the entire meaning of the sentence changes. 😂😎😂

Perhaps they meant, instead:

*** "As long as you have a one-year stay permit", everything is fine and you can extend your driver's license for five years.

The previous rule was that you were only issued a two-year extension if you had a stay permit issued for "less than one year" –

e.g. - if you entered either visa-exempt, on a 60-day tourist visa, on a METV, on a DTV, or on a 90-day Non-Immigrant visa – and had not yet received a one-year extension of your stay permit.

In that case, the two-year extension would be appropriate.

let's all hope that this is just a typical "Lost in Translation" example of a Thai authority.

“a visa less than one year” ???

Maybe they mean, as long as you are on a "1-year stay permit", you can get a 5-year renewal.

As this DLT text, same as Thai Immigration, contains the typical WRONG technical English - you are in their country not on a "visa" but on a stay permit.

So maybe they wanted to say: As long as you got a one-year stay permit, you are good.

Let's hope they wanted to say, if you are still on a stay permit that was issued for less than one year (like when you have entered visa exempt, on a METV, on a DTV, on a 90-days Non-Imm-visa class - and not yet got a one-year extension of the stay permit issued, you can only get a 2-year renewal

@John *********

- - - - - let's all hope that you are right and the DLT is just "Lost in Translation"

@Graham *****

"what they mean is a 12 month stamp not 12 months remaining" - - - - - let's all hope that you are right and the DLT is just "Lost in Translation"

@Dianne *********

if you already have a Thai bank account, then transfer 800,000 THB onto it from abroad, make sure it is coded as a foreign remittance. As soon as the money is in the account, make a border run, enter visa-exempt, then you can apply for the "change of visa type" from the exempt entry to a 90-days Non-Imm-O visa on Immigration for 2000 THB. You won't need an agent. It is however better to use an agent as they can make the process seamless and easy for you

@Jimmy ***

only in Ranong via Kawthoung, by boat. All other Myanmar borders are closed for foreigner

@Jan *****************

"you can enter on a 60 days visa exemption and apply for a Non O inside Thailand. You’ll probably need a visa agency to assist you as you’ll not be able to open a bank account without a long stay visa." . . . . . it is NOT POSSIBLE anymore, even with the help of any agent. All agencies discontinued offering "change of visa type" from a touristic entry to a 90-days Non-Imm-O visa. You need a Thai bank account for it, and even agents now cannot circumvene this process. Thai Visa Centre in Bangkok was the last one and they have stopped offering it

@David ******

that's a bargain price

@David ******

up to you how you proceed. But you need to be aware that once you start to ride the agent hamster wheel, you can't easily get away from it

@Max ************

I copied the Bangkok Post article from January this year when they warned foreigners of impeding accounts closings and impeding disabling of online banking. It's been in the Thai media from December thru March. A deadline was announced and this was April 30th you were given time to clear everything inside your local bank branch