With the transport office temporarily suspending the renewal of driving licenses due to Covid and the police saying that anyone driving on an expired license will be given a waiver, how are the member's insurance companies addressing this? I understand that in the event of an accident, possession of a valid (current) driving license is an integral part of being insured.

 

Thanks,

NL

Thai insurance regulations are very archaic... you have to read the Thai version, and interpretation is extremely literal.  

 

The regulations state that you must have been legally licensed, it does not state anything about which country/authority has given you the license, and/or if the license is still valid.  

 

By OIC regulation, any claim cannot be invalidated on the license exclusion, unless you have never been legally licensed to drive.  If you have received any written claim rejection, proceed (with a Thai spekaer to assist) to OIC directly, as the insurance will be in breach of the regulations regarding "prawing" (delayed payment and failure to honor the insurance contract), which will result in a heavy fine and public record against the insurer.

 

Please note that this regulation does not apply to the legal motor code, therefore failure to drive with a recognized license may subject you to a (small) fine by police (typically 500 THB).