Can i use my thai drivers licence in the u.s. or do i need an international drivers licence

[john 111]

I'm a u.s. citizen living in thailand for many years. i only have a thai drivers licence and no u.s. licence. Do i need an international licence to drive in the u.s. when i go for a visit? Or can i use my thai drivers licence? And if i need an international licence, where in Chiang Mai can i get one, and can i present my thai licence as proof of residence? Thanks very much for your help!!

[marin]

5 year Thai license in English and you are good to go. I have used mine the last 3 times home. Going on Thursday and picking up a car from Dollar, no worries. 

[HaoleBoy]

I rented a car in SF and I showed both my CA DL and Thai and the lady told me that using my Thai license would be cheaper.  There is some extra tax added for locals (local to the SF BayArea).  I used my Thai license with no problem ...

[JackGats]

The problem is, the US apparently only recognizes the one-year IDP (Geneva). So if you get it in Thailand it will only be valid one year anyway.

 

Good news if the US allows you to drive with the Thai driving license only, which makes sense since all the info on it is in English.

 

In Europe some countries like Belgium will recognize the Thai driving license because it is in English, other countries (France, Germany) will want you to carry a certified translation in the national language. Of course in Europe they accept the 3-years Vienna convention IDP, which makes getting a IDP in Thailand for Europe less of a waste of time than getting a one-year IDP eg for the US or Japan.

 

I got the IDP for driving in Europe even where my Thai driving license in English is officially accepted. It's not so much the police I was afraid of as of an overzealous car rental employee.

[impulse]

While it is legal by treaty (and I used my Thai license when I became a Covid refugee in Texas), be aware that a lot of cops don't know the rules. 

 

I'd suggest downloading and printing an authoritative looking summary from a US gub'ment or other website to show any cop that may pull you over.  In fairness to the cops, they may wonder why a US citizen would have a foreign license (too many DUI's back home?  Is it real?, etc.)  On the flipside, there are cops that are just itching to give people tickets for technical fouls, like an old address on your US license.  (Been there, done that)  Best to be as ready as you can be, especially as easy as it is to make a printout.

 

In my case (speaking of not knowing the laws), the Texas DMV lady made me surrender my Thai license when she issued my Texas DL.  She said I wasn't allowed to have 2 valid licenses at the same time.  I would have fought it, but my Thai DL had just a few months left on it and I didn't expect to ever use it again.

 

Edited May 14 by impulse

[Yagoda]

where can I buy one

[WhatMeWorry]

This info is very interesting. I did not realize that a Thai drivers license could be legal in the U.S.  What about insurance polices in the U.S.? Do insurance companies cover if a person has a Thai drivers license?

[dick turpin]

Tell them you are a sovereign citizen,

always seems to go well over there.

[fredwiggy]

20 minutes ago, WhatMeWorry said:

This info is very interesting. I did not realize that a Thai drivers license could be legal in the U.S.  What about insurance polices in the U.S.? Do insurance companies cover if a person has a Thai drivers license?

If you're renting a car and do not live there , you will get daily coverage for the car that's extra.

[Smokin Joe]

I do not vouch for the accuracy of this info but this is a list of requirements by state. I'd take it with a grain of salt

 

IS IDP Required in USA?

[pgrahmm]

3 hours ago, WhatMeWorry said:

This info is very interesting. I did not realize that a Thai drivers license could be legal in the U.S.  What about insurance polices in the U.S.? Do insurance companies cover if a person has a Thai drivers license?

It can be done but you have to go to (find) an independent broker.....

I tried to restart my AAA coverage = they couldn't but sent me to a local broker....It ended up about $800 to cover my 4Runner....We logged over 5k miles as we RV'd about...

I did get an IDP = nobody paid any attention to it, however, it's my understanding that certain states absolutely require it while others do not....

I got it just for backup & will for the next trip too....

I did take a paper copy of my TH auto insurance, so they couldn't claim I was driving uninsured. It wasn't used - but I'll continue to do this as an ounce of prevention....

[SamSanuk]

6 hours ago, marin said:

5 year Thai license in English and you are good to go. I have used mine the last 3 times home. Going on Thursday and picking up a car from Dollar, no worries. 

Did you get the license in Chiang Mai? And if so, where did you go? Thanks in advance.

[novacova]

2 hours ago, SamSanuk said:

Did you get the license in Chiang Mai? And if so, where did you go? Thanks in advance.

They sell them at the driver license shop in hangdog, pretty cheap too.

[watchcat]

20 hours ago, Yagoda said:

where can I buy one

 

Your nearest DLT office

[novacova]

…& that shop is in hangdong 

Edited May 15 by novacova

[john 111]

On 5/14/2024 at 10:44 AM, marin said:

5 year Thai license in English and you are good to go. I have used mine the last 3 times home. Going on Thursday and picking up a car from Dollar, no worries. 

Thank you for your response. Both my licence car and motorcycle here have the main info first in thai and then in english.  Is this what you mean? So i don't need to get the international drivers licence at all for the U.S.? Again thanks.

 

[john 111]

21 hours ago, novacova said:

They sell them at the driver license shop in hangdog, pretty cheap too.

Thanks for your response. Do i need to bring proof of residence, or can i just use my thai licence as proof?

[john 111]

On 5/14/2024 at 2:42 PM, pgrahmm said:

It can be done but you have to go to (find) an independent broker.....

I tried to restart my AAA coverage = they couldn't but sent me to a local broker....It ended up about $800 to cover my 4Runner....We logged over 5k miles as we RV'd about...

I did get an IDP = nobody paid any attention to it, however, it's my understanding that certain states absolutely require it while others do not....

I got it just for backup & will for the next trip too....

I did take a paper copy of my TH auto insurance, so they couldn't claim I was driving uninsured. It wasn't used - but I'll continue to do this as an ounce of prevention....

Thank you.

[SamSanuk]

One question: It’s my understanding you first receive a temporary DL, and that you have to wait for one or two years before it can become permanent.

 

However, if I went back to the US with a temporary DL, do you think that would work with car rentals?

 

 

[Yellowtail]

On 5/14/2024 at 11:18 AM, WhatMeWorry said:

This info is very interesting. I did not realize that a Thai drivers license could be legal in the U.S.  What about insurance polices in the U.S.? Do insurance companies cover if a person has a Thai drivers license?

 

The Thai license is only good for a limited period, not indefinitely. 

 

When I rent cars in the US and use the Thai license, it is always cheaper, and the insurance has always been included with the rental. 

 

 

[john 111]

Hi Everyone, thank you for your comments. So i'm about to try and book a rental for august in the U.S. I'm a U.S. Citizen but have lived in Thailand for the last 10 years, so only have my Thai licence. Do i select that i am a "Resident" of Thailand when booking. And also it seems many of the rental companies are not stating what the insurance costs are? Thank you for your help. Bit overwhelmed by this. Thanks!!

[novacova]

Your residence is Thailand, unlike here the insurance is incorporated into the rental, varies from company to company and state to state, though the minimum is liability I do believe.

[JackGats]

I book cars in Europe and my only valid driving license is the Thai driving license. I book with my Thai address. Why would you want to book with any other address? The insurance comes with the rental. If you lie about your residence couldn't this cause problems if you have accident?

 

I never book direct with the rental brand (Hertz, Alamo, Avis etc.). I always book through third-party websites like Autoeurope. On such websites it's usually clear what the insurance covers. You can opt for total waiver etc.

 

Some providers like rentarcars.com have turned me down as a customer because  live in Thailand. Message: "sorry but we don't accept customers who live in your country of residence".

 

You should find out whether the Thai driving license on its own (without the international driving permit) is accepted in the US. It most probably is since the Thai driving license is in English.  You should print out the page where it says the Thai driving license alone is OK, in order to have something to show to the rental agency and/or to the police.

 

 

[john 111]

On 7/12/2024 at 10:25 PM, JackGats said:

I book cars in Europe and my only valid driving license is the Thai driving license. I book with my Thai address. Why would you want to book with any other address? The insurance comes with the rental. If you lie about your residence couldn't this cause problems if you have accident?

 

I never book direct with the rental brand (Hertz, Alamo, Avis etc.). I always book through third-party websites like Autoeurope. On such websites it's usually clear what the insurance covers. You can opt for total waiver etc.

 

Some providers like rentarcars.com have turned me down as a customer because  live in Thailand. Message: "sorry but we don't accept customers who live in your country of residence".

 

You should find out whether the Thai driving license on its own (without the international driving permit) is accepted in the US. It most probably is since the Thai driving license is in English.  You should print out the page where it says the Thai driving license alone is OK, in order to have something to show to the rental agency and/or to the police.

 

 

Thank you very much JackGats

[JackGats]

On 5/15/2024 at 12:53 PM, SamSanuk said:

One question: It’s my understanding you first receive a temporary DL, and that you have to wait for one or two years before it can become permanent.

 

However, if I went back to the US with a temporary DL, do you think that would work with car rentals?

 

 

The first Thai driving license has a validity of two years. Then you can get 5-year extensions. In any case it shouldn't matter as long as your driving license is still valid through the rental (until you return the vehicle). There's no difference between a 2-year Thai driving license and a 5-year Thai driving license, except the expiry date.