Can you use a Thai Driving Licence in UK? More importantly, can you rent a car in UK using a Thai driving licence?

A Thai (full) 5-year licence is accepted by car hire companies in the UK. I've been renting cars every year for the past 15 years on my Thai licence.

There may be issues if you only have a 2-year (provisional) licence.

 

Thanks. I have a 5 year licence. So I just hope there is no variation in application by different rental company offices; I usually hire from Hertz in Edinburgh, (previously on my UKDL, which is about to expire). 

I have rented a number of cars in the UK using my Thai drivers license. Never had a problem.

53 minutes ago, Barty said:

I have rented a number of cars in the UK using my Thai drivers license. Never had a problem.

Did you also need to have a Thai international drivers permit?

40 minutes ago, simple1 said:

Did you also need to have a Thai international drivers permit?

Not required by law. I don't think there are any rental companies in the UK that require this.

I rang Hertz UK and asked whether I could use a full 5 year Thai licence. They didn't say "no", and they said that as a Gold Plus member, they thought there wouldn't be an issue. The guy then read out their blurb, which suggested that it was wise to have an IDP. So, not exactly a definitive answer, but based on others' experience, I guess, you can use a Thai DL when renting a car in UK. 

Thai licence have English and Thai so no need for a translation ( IDP )

I have been renting cars in the UK for the last 20 years on a full Thai DL. No problems.

I have never been asked for an IDP. I took one with me to Portugal last year - no one asked to see it.

Thai DL seems to be good everywhere.

You can get a Thai driver's license and be licensed to drive in the UK? Wow. I just lost respect for the UK. I really just can't even comprehend that this is true. 

What would a thai visitor to the UK do, use his thai licence. Rental companies are there to rent to tourists.

Technically if you no longer reside permanently in the UK, your UK driver's licence is no longer valid so you would have to have a licence from the country you do reside in.  I don't know if anyone has ever tested this in the event of an insurance claim.

As I have mentioned before on TVF, on my last trip to the UK, Enterprise car rentals would not accept my UK driving license as I was not on the electoral role at the address on license. They accepted my 5 year Thai license.

58 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Technically if you no longer reside permanently in the UK, your UK driver's licence is no longer valid so you would have to have a licence from the country you do reside in.  I don't know if anyone has ever tested this in the event of an insurance claim.

I think that comes from the issue of the plastic card licence and the change from the old paper licence. To get the new type it seems you need to prove a permanent address in uk to get one, show a couple of utility bills in your name etc.

Re Thai licence in uk. My wife wouldn't believe anyone that an IDP wasn't needed with a Thai licence ( 5 year ). When she handed both over at Avis in UK the guy gave her back the IDP and said you don't need that, all the details we need are in english on your Thai licence.

If you are Thai and move long term to uk you can use your Thai licence for one year then you must take a UK driving test.

PS.

Its very likely a 2 year Thai licence won't be acceptable. The word temporary on it is taken as provisional in UK.

You can use a Thai license for up to one year in the UK....

Of course you can.

You can use it as decoration against the wall.

I have also used my Thai drivers licence successfully in the UK but what I want to know is does your Thai drivers licence have to have 6 months left on it as with a passport?

I am planning to go to the UK ( my home country ) next year but will only have approx. 3 months left to run on my Thai licence.

Do I need to get a new Thai drivers licence and to that question I add CAN I renew my Thai licence early?

Thanks

On 1/27/2020 at 1:48 PM, simple1 said:

Did you also need to have a Thai international drivers permit?

No, just the Thai license.

On 1/28/2020 at 8:57 AM, brewsterbudgen said:

Technically if you no longer reside permanently in the UK, your UK driver's licence is no longer valid so you would have to have a licence from the country you do reside in.  I don't know if anyone has ever tested this in the event of an insurance claim.

 

This is the answer I expected and it is the right one.

Pay attention to insurance issues.
A rental company will rent you what you want; then it will be up to you to prove that you are using the right driver's license.
  If you do not live in Thailand, your Thai license is theoretically unusable outside this country therefore unusable in UK. (Even if the renter does not tell you anything, he is not there to enforce the Law)
It is necessary that on your passport it is indicated an address in Thailand, which is the case for me but not for many holders of a Thai license when they do not live there.

8 minutes ago, Assurancetourix said:

 

This is the answer I expected and it is the right one.

Pay attention to insurance issues.
A rental company will rent you what you want; then it will be up to you to prove that you are using the right driver's license.
  If you do not live in Thailand, your Thai license is theoretically unusable outside this country therefore unusable in UK. (Even if the renter does not tell you anything, he is not there to enforce the Law)
It is necessary that on your passport it is indicated an address in Thailand, which is the case for me but not for many holders of a Thai license when they do not live there.

"  If you do not live in Thailand, your Thai license is theoretically unusable outside this country therefore unusable in UK. " Not true, Thailand does not have the same requirements for this as the UK does.

"It is necessary that on your passport it is indicated an address in Thailand, which is the case for me but not for many holders of a Thai license when they do not live there." Also not true, in many countries' passport there is no address mentioned at all.

5 minutes ago, Assurancetourix said:

 

This is the answer I expected and it is the right one.

Pay attention to insurance issues.
A rental company will rent you what you want; then it will be up to you to prove that you are using the right driver's license.
  If you do not live in Thailand, your Thai license is theoretically unusable outside this country therefore unusable in UK. (Even if the renter does not tell you anything, he is not there to enforce the Law)
It is necessary that on your passport it is indicated an address in Thailand, which is the case for me but not for many holders of a Thai license when they do not live there.

Not sure that is correct, the hire co.'s insurance co. will reqire a valid license to cover the car..

I have a Thai license because you can only use your home license for 3 months in LOS, plus, I am in LOS as a guest because my visa says I am not an immigrant..

On 1/27/2020 at 9:21 PM, sucit said:

You can get a Thai driver's license and be licensed to drive in the UK? Wow. I just lost respect for the UK. I really just can't even comprehend that this is true. 

The reality is what driving licence do you use, if you don't use your Thai driving licence? if you are resident here, aged over 65, you cannot have a UK licence.

7 minutes ago, transam said:

I have a Thai license because you can only use your home license for 3 months in LOS,

 

It's right , me too ;

And this is the case in reverse;
a Thai who lives in UK must have a UK permit, his Thai permit will only be valid there for the first 90 days (maybe the first 181, but this is to be verified);
Same in France and, I suppose but not sure, in all other countries.

I persist in what I have written;
and to be certain, it is best to ask the question to an insurance company, yours for example, is your Thai license valid in UK if you do not live in Thailand?

 

 

7 minutes ago, transam said:

plus, I am in LOS as a guest because my visa says I am not an immigrant..

You are, like me, Non Immigrant;
but if your passport shows your address in Thailand, the car rental and auto insurance companies will know that you are using the right driver's license, that of the country where you live because you are not there as a tourist.

On 1/27/2020 at 9:21 PM, sucit said:

You can get a Thai driver's license and be licensed to drive in the UK? Wow. I just lost respect for the UK. I really just can't even comprehend that this is true. 

It's exactly the same as you using your UK licence elsewhere, it doesn't matter how lacking in skills you may be, your licence will be accepted, even if you can't comprehend it.

8 minutes ago, Assurancetourix said:

 

It's right , me too ;

And this is the case in reverse;
a Thai who lives in UK must have a UK permit, his Thai permit will only be valid there for the first 90 days (maybe the first 181, but this is to be verified);
Same in France and, I suppose but not sure, in all other countries.

I persist in what I have written;
and to be certain, it is best to ask the question to an insurance company, yours for example, is your Thai license valid in UK if you do not live in Thailand?

 

 

You are, like me, Non Immigrant;
but if your passport shows your address in Thailand, the car rental and auto insurance companies will know that you are using the right driver's license, that of the country where you live because you are not there as a tourist.

I thought any nationality can drive in the UK for one year on their home license...

https://mocktheorytest.com/resources/drive-uk-foreign-licence/

36 minutes ago, Assurancetourix said:

If you do not live in Thailand, your Thai license is theoretically unusable outside this country therefore unusable in UK. (Even if the renter does not tell you anything, he is not there to enforce the Law)
It is necessary that on your passport it is indicated an address in Thailand, which is the case for me but not for many holders of a Thai license when they do not live there.

"It is necessary that on your passport it is indicated an address in Thailand..."

Nonsense, passports do not show addresses.

 

"If you do not live in Thailand, your Thai license is theoretically unusable outside this country..."

Where is that stipulated?

14 minutes ago, Assurancetourix said:

 

It's right , me too ;

And this is the case in reverse;
a Thai who lives in UK must have a UK permit, his Thai permit will only be valid there for the first 90 days (maybe the first 181, but this is to be verified);
Same in France and, I suppose but not sure, in all other countries.

I persist in what I have written;
and to be certain, it is best to ask the question to an insurance company, yours for example, is your Thai license valid in UK if you do not live in Thailand?

 

 

You are, like me, Non Immigrant;
but if your passport shows your address in Thailand, the car rental and auto insurance companies will know that you are using the right driver's license, that of the country where you live because you are not there as a tourist.

You can persist all you want in what you have written, you're still wrong.

15 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

Nonsense, passports do not show addresses.

Explain to me why my address in Thailand is written on my French passport ....

 

 

5 minutes ago, Assurancetourix said:

Explain to me why my address in Thailand is written on my French passport ....

 

 

Because you didn't tell them you are classed as a non immigrant in LOS perhaps..