Have you ever been stopped by the police and asked to pay a ticket for driving without a license?

[InterestedSugoya]

 How many of you have ever been stopped while on a scooter or motorbike and asked to pay a fine , or temporarily detained for not having a proper Thai motorcycle driver's license?

[vogie]

I have been stopped 3 times, showed them my Thai licence and very courtiously sent on my way. Why wouldn't you have a Thai licence, they are not difficult to get?

[cornishcarlos]

No, cause I have both car and bike licence... 

[BobBKK]

Isn't this how they make up their salary?  anyhow get a license.

[bert bloggs]

no

[robblok]

Never had it happen to me, i got the correct license right from the start. Its not that hard to get if your not a lazy sod that is. It takes about a day and sure its annoying to lose time but its mandatory. 

Edited April 28, 2018 by robblok

[NanLaew]

Mrs NL got done a couple of months ago when she couldn't produce her Thai DL. Ticket issued at the roadside by senior officer with a witnessing officer, 300 baht fine paid and receipt given. She was pissed off as her license was in the 'junk box' between the front seats all the time... but she had forgot.

 

Yesterday, after driving through the same police check point that she's been waived through every work day for the past month, she gets pulled over... and her DL is in her purse, back home and NOT in the truck. Same 300 baht rigmarole but now she's doubly pissed.

 

So yes, being stopped and being unable to show a Thai license will get you a ticket/fine, regardless of your nationality.

 

The OP specifically mentions motorbikes so without saying where his hypothetical ticketing situation is taking place, one's experience may vary. In Pattaya where it's quite easy to spot the 'resident farang' on a bike, I would assume a Thai DL is expected. Maybe someone with recent experience can advise if a foreign bike license gets a pass or not? Same for Bangkok where tourists on bikes are few and far between and any foreigners would be assumed to have some sort of long-term immigration status and should thus have a Thai DL.

[Rally123]

1 hour ago, BobBKK said:

Isn't this how they make up their salary?  anyhow get a license.

Thai police make up their salary (legally) in receiving 95% of the fine of the ticket issued. The money is pooled with other officers, from their station, who are likely to have office bound jobs. So really no need for the police to request tea money if they were to do their job and issue fines. I suppose by obtaining tea money they get to keep the lot instead of sharing. 

[KiChakayan]

I can just give you a real life story. Last year my wife got rear-ended by some Thai creep who was driving without license nor A1 insurance. Interestingly the police fined him only for causing a collision and not for driving without a license, as he could show a ticket proving that he had been fine for that earlier the same morning. When it comes to law enforcement and Thai/Farang issues this country is a "big joke".

I

 

[Farma]

Quote

Thai police make up their salary (legally) in receiving 95% of the fine of the ticket issued.

Just to clear this up a bit. http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/former-traffic-police-inspector-arrested-corruption/

 

Quote

Under the reward system, duty officer will be given 50% of the fine amount as a reward for making arrest of such vehicle at road checkpoints. However, in case that the arrest was made upon by traffic informer, the reward will be increased to 70% of the fine so that the duty officer and the informer will receive 35% each.

 

[canthai55]

Always had the correct license, in order to have valid insurance.

Even renting bikes years ago I had an IDP, and travel insurance which covered motorcycle riding for pleasure. Fixing the bike if I had an accident was the only caveat. Touch wood - never cost anything.

[55Jay]

No, but fair play, I would pay the (reasonable) fine because I'm in the wrong. 

 

The question then becomes, would that motivate me to get off my ass and go get a motorbike license afterward?

 

 

[Fruit Trader]

My dirt bike has no licence plate, tax or lights and plays a healthy 2 stroke tune. Police caught me using a public road and made a 400 Baht request for not carrying my bike licence. I gave them an extra 200 for hot day ice creams.

 

The fast track paperless fine service is truly amazing here.

[canthai55]

22 minutes ago, 55Jay said:

The question then becomes, would that motivate me to get off my ass and go get a motorbike license afterward?

Insurance validity

[wgdanson]

10 minutes ago, Fruit Trader said:

My dirt bike has no licence plate, tax or lights and plays a healthy 2 stroke tune

Are you bragging about this, or just showing you are a Richard head.

Edited April 28, 2018 by wgdanson

[Fruit Trader]

12 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

Are you bragging about this, or just showing you are a Richard head.

Are you sick  unwell or just a regular knob jockey?

Why would I brag about a tatty old dirt bike. The illegal bike was reference to the fine handed out.

 

Some fiction to make you feel comfortable ..... I was stopped on my old Honda which cost me only 5000 Baht bla bla yadda yadda.

 

 

[wgdanson]

5 minutes ago, Fruit Trader said:

Are you sick  unwell or just a regular knob jockey?

Why would I brag about a tatty old dirt bike. The illegal bike was reference to the fine handed out.

 

Some fiction to make you feel comfortable ..... I was stopped on my old Honda which cost me only 5000 Baht bla bla yadda yadda.

 

 

Sorry, I thought you said you were using the bike without plates and lights on a public road. I misunderstood.

[Fruit Trader]

Just now, wgdanson said:

Sorry, I thought you said you were using the bike without plates and lights on a public road. I misunderstood.

Yes I was moving between fields using a public road and bumped into a police checkpoint. The bike is not road legal but I only got fined for carrying no licence.

 

I often jump fields using the public road and sincerely apologise if this activity has caused distress to anyone.

[cornishcarlos]

12 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

Sorry, I thought you said you were using the bike without plates and lights on a public road. I misunderstood.

 

That's why Thailand is still a fun place to live, because you can :)

[scubascuba3]

I've been stopped 11 times in the last 7 months, they always look disappointed when they see my tax and thai driving licence

[BobBKK]

2 hours ago, Rally123 said:

Thai police make up their salary (legally) in receiving 95% of the fine of the ticket issued. The money is pooled with other officers, from their station, who are likely to have office bound jobs. So really no need for the police to request tea money if they were to do their job and issue fines. I suppose by obtaining tea money they get to keep the lot instead of sharing. 

The reason most of us pay is that we don't have to go to the Police Station. Anyway they are corrupt from the top down.

[Rally123]

52 minutes ago, BobBKK said:

The reason most of us pay is that we don't have to go to the Police Station. Anyway they are corrupt from the top down.

You lost me. Why would you have to go to the police station? A ticket is issued and you pay it the next time you're in town. It's not as if you get pulled in and failure to pay means a trip to the station. If you ain't done anything wrong and the officer doesn't give you a ticket you don't pay. And even if you did do wrong and the officer won't give you a ticket you still don't pay. Simple innit?

Edited April 28, 2018 by Rally123

[Mavrix]

Friend of mine's GF got pulled over last year.....no licence so a 300bht fine issued.

 

When they got home he asked her when she started riding motorbikes.....she said about 15. He then says "You are 35 now and been riding since 15, so for 20 years you have been riding a motorbike without a licence?"

 

"Yes" she responds

 

"Why" he asks

 

"Oiiiiiiii no hab time teerak"

[scubascuba3]

You lost me. Why would you have to go to the police station? A ticket is issued and you pay it the next time you're in town. It's not as if you get pulled in and failure to pay means a trip to the station. If you ain't done anything wrong and the officer doesn't give you a ticket you don't pay. And even if you did do wrong and the officer won't give you a ticket you still don't pay. Simple innit?

Sometimes they hold onto the bike until you pay so you have to go to the police station. You've not seen that before?

[wwest5829]

Ha! Joke was on me. I knew I needed to renew in 2018. Stopped 2 days after my birthday in February. Fined 200 baht. Went and got both 5 year licenses renewed!

[reargunnerph3]

Many years ago got stopped and fined Bt200 for no bike license, paid fine and rode the bike away. Easy.

[jacko45k]

Not me. because I have a proper Thai motorcycle driver's license?

[silver sea]

When I lived on Koh Samui, I was only ever stopped during the daytime if I was not wearing a helmet. I was then asked to show my driving licence. They never had a checkpoint just for licences.

 

At nighttime, there would be checkpoints where they would stop all bikes to check for weapons and/or drugs. On such occasions, they never asked to see your licence, and it was not a problem if you were not wearing a helmet.

 

 

At that time, I had only my UK car driving licence. If it was a helmet checkpoint, they were happy with my car licence. As I understood it, from other people, the car licence was valid to drive a bike for three months. Sometimes, I was on Samui for 9 months, but never had a problem whenever I showed my car licence. They didn’t ask to see my passport and visa to check whether I had been on the island more than three months.

 

On Samui, many many shops, hotels and businesses around the island rent out bikes. Virtually all tourists on Samui renting the standard automatic bikes, like Clicks and PCXs, do not have a bike driving licence, but they do have  a car licence, and that’s all they need to show to the owner to rent one of his bikes. If you were required to show a Thai or farang bike licence, the shops, hotels and businesses on Samui would never have any customers!

 

Last September, I finally got around to taking my bike test on Samui, and passed. I now have a Thai driving licence for bikes.

 

Last March I moved to Hua Hin. There, most days, there is one police checkpoint, but it is always at the same place and operates at the same time! They stop all bikes, even if you are wearing a helmet. They always ask to see your licence. The first time, I showed them my car licence by mistake. The cop told me it was not vald. I quickly showed him my Thai licence and was allowed to go on my way.

 

Most days, I drive the same route at the same time, and each time I get stopped and I am hapoy to show my licence.

 

Edited April 28, 2018 by silver sea
Correct typos

[connda]

11 years in Thailand - actually - never. 

[Rally123]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

Sometimes they hold onto the bike until you pay so you have to go to the police station. You've not seen that before?

Only if the police station is nearby. If not they will have a NCO placed adjacent to a stop, with a table and chair, so you can pay there and receive a receipt.