International Driving License

[geeit]

Am i able to use an international driving lisence from uk. in Thailand to have my own car on the road there?

[phennecke]

Hi geeit,

Yes, You are. I am told, they want to reduce this right to 4 weeks only, because a tourist must not stay longer than this time.

If you intend to stay for longer, it is not a bad idea, to get a national driver's licence here in Thailand. With your international driver's licence you need a paper from the Immigrations, where you live, copies from your passport and visa, testimony from a doctor, that you are o.k. (no problem, You are, when you are able to step into his office!!) and 2 one by one inch photos With these papers you go to the traffic-licence- office, or however they call it, and the only test will be, whether you can recognize Red, Green and Yellow.

This licence will give you the opportunity to be handled like a Thai in many cases. For instance, when you pay only 20 Baht instead of 200 Baht entrance to the National Parks. You need one licence each for Motorbyke and car. Costs 160 Baht alltogether.

Peter

[dr_Pat_Pong]

One hurdle...an applicant MUST have a Non-Immigrant visa to get a licence.

[geeit]

so is it easyer to get a international lisense first if i want to stay there for longer than 4 weeks and exchange it. Or is it just as easy to get a new thai lisence while im there?

Thanks

Geeit

[Khutan]

Do they ask you to surrender your Non-Thai Drivers lisence ?

Is that the only test if you can tell Red-Yellow-green ?

I might go and get one.

Could be a good laugh when I get pulled up in Sydney......

[KevinN]

No ,They do not make you surrender your license.

And I had to take both motorcycle and car written and driving tests even with a valid license in posession when applying.

But it is like everything else,,no hard and fast rules,just how they feel when you are there.

[Axel]

Yeah, just do it. It is easy and it's true, what tests you need to do depends a bit on the mood of the officer in charge.

I once presented my licence from home, refused with the argument that they only accept USA and UK-licences and International driving permits. So said,hold it, I come back as I have an international one in the car. (No question how I could drive there without licence

Came back and presented one, issued in HKG, which gave a shock. Here I quoted the officer, 'you said... and this is an international one'. After a bit of mumbling accepted, had to do the colour test and got the Thai licence within the hour.

One caution repeated. If you have an accident you might run into trouble on your insurance coverage. Many Thai policies do have in the small print a reference that the insured must have a valid Thai licence.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

One hurdle...an applicant MUST have a Non-Immigrant visa to get a licence.

Don't forget

[fat_bald_farang]

yes i have a thai driving licence and i had to produce all the mentioned paperwork and it was a easy thing to do.

however, i also wanted a motor cycle licence and had to take a written test.

i have tried 4 times to take this test and failed, the main problem is that the english is so dire, i couldn't really understand the questions. (well that's my excuse)anyone had a similar experience? oh and by the way the last time i went there i took my wife to act as translator but they wouldn't let her translate from thai to english!

fatty

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Take a bottle of black label when you next go for another test.

[Begs]

Take a bottle of black lable when you next go for another test.

To be drunk before, or after the test?

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Take a bottle of black lable when you next go for another test.

To be drunk before, or after the test?

During if the examiner keeps on being tough

[Roger13]

Am i able to use an international driving lisence from uk. in Thailand to have my own car on the road there?

Hi Geeit,

I thought the main point of your question was

that you will be driving your *OWN* car in Thailand.

So that if you were stopped by police the worry would

be the apparent anomaly of driving a Car Registered in

Thailand in your name with an overseas licence.

Although I doubt that such an anomaly would be detected

- I do find the situation to be interesting.

The implication seems to be that in that situation you

would be expected to hold a Thai Drivers Licence.

I do not know the answer to that.

But it is very easy to get a Thai Licence

- as Dr PP has pointed out - if you have a

Non Imm visa - but then I thought you needed that to

Register a Car in your name - so where is the Problem?

Roger

[Khutan]

Roger;

an interesting point, so if the car is in my wife's name then that is ok I assume.

Looks like I should have a trip to get a new Thai Lisence.

Does anyone have a suggestion on insurance and how all that works, my wife has taken care of it, and now I read this thread, I am a little less comfortable now.

[harry]

i insured my wif'e car for making damage to other with an AIG agent for about 3000!

i feel more comfortable driving now!

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Roger;

an interesting point, so if the car is in my wife's name then that is ok I assume.

Looks like I should have a trip to get a new Thai Lisence.

Does anyone have a suggestion on insurance and how all that works, my wife has taken care of it, and now I read this thread, I am a little less comfortable now.

Get a Thai license asap. You MAY find that your insurance is invalid without one.

[Khutan]

Dr Pat;

Thanks, will do. I will let her drive in her typical and worrying manner (Far far too slow).

I am always someone will run up the back of us, but she is worried the car will fall apart if she goes faster than 60.....

[dr_Pat_Pong]

This time I think you'll get a one year license. Next year a 5 year one. Good luck

[royar2002]

I went to licenceoffice with my eu international car drivinglicense to get a Thai international driving licence. The officer want to see my non o wisa and adress, but he dont understand if my license was for bike or car and told me to go to a translater so he can read my licence. I went to an authorised translater, but he just asked me about my licence. I say its for everything, because in europe its hard to get a drivinglicence. I dont now what he wrote in the translatepapers, but I gave it to the officer an 30 minute and 150 bath I came out with licence for motorcyckle, car, and TukTuk. After one year I can come back and obtain licence valid for 5year. I bring all my paper and permit to own a car and went to a carshop, pay 60 000, (my wife and her mother sign for me) and I now have BMW

worth 600 000 bath, finance at 2.9 interest and in my name and all the paper I need.

Easy

[manfromoz]

If the original question was pertaining to driving your own car, you also need a work permit to have the car in your name. Or a Company to own it.

Also, for the license, in addition to an international driving license, you are supposed to have a letter of residency from the immmigration department to get a thai driving license.

If the officer can see from your license that it is valid and for a particular vehicle, ie a car or motorbike, then it all seems to go pretty easily. I hear that some US states have licenses that do not state what the owner can drive so they tend ot have more problems.

The thai license acts as a form of ID so your need to take your passport with you diminishes somewhat. It also works to get thai discounts at tourist attractions, just show it and they give you the thai rate as you are obviuosly a resident and not a tourist.

Has many advantages.

[ZZZ]

A few notes on international drivers’ license:

Thailand only recognizes International drivers licenses issued under the 1949 years convention. There is another license issued under the 1968 years convention which is NOT valid. Some countries accept both, many countries issue both, make sure you tell them where you are going when get one.

Most Asian countries will only accept the 1949 years convention, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Laos. Indonesia is one of the few accepting both.

1949 years convention licenses are only valid for one year, 1968 years convention license is valid for three years.

The vast majority of international licenses offered on the internet are not accepted, they will only get you in trouble.

An international license is only valid together with the national license, always carry both when driving.

It’s advisable to go to the Land Transport office (where they issue drivers licenses in Thailand) and have them check and stamp the International License. Think they charge 20 Bath for this service and then there will be no problems with the police.

You are only allowed to drive on your international license in Thailand for 6 months, after this you have to get a local license.

If you have had a Thai national license for over a year you can get an international license issued on this license and use this when driving anywhere outside Thailand.

[Axel]

zzz thanks for this. Straight forward and to the point.

Still, I look forward to somebody in the nearest future who claims having a friend of a friend who knows differently

It’s advisable to go to the Land Transport office (where they issue drivers licenses in Thailand) and have them check and stamp the International License. Think they charge 20 Bath for this service and then there will be no problems with the police.

This quote is interesting. I did it in other countries, but was not aware it was done in LoL. This would solve the problems with the insurance-coverage

[Roger13]

If the original question was pertaining to driving your own car, you also need a work permit to have the car in your name. Or a Company to own it.

Also, for the license, in addition to an international driving license, you are supposed to have a letter of residency from the immmigration department to get a thai driving license.

I would like clarification about the necessity

for a work permit in order to Register a Car in your name.

Does that mean that someone on a Retirement Visa is not

allowed to own a Vehicle in Thailand ?

Secondly a letter of residency from the immmigration department

is just one alternative. You can produce a Letter from your

Embassy instead.

Roger

[opalhort]

zzz thanks for this. Straight forward and to the point.

Still, I look forward to somebody in the nearest future who claims having a friend of a friend who knows differently

It’s advisable to go to the Land Transport office (where they issue drivers licenses in Thailand) and have them check and stamp the International License. Think they charge 20 Bath for this service and then there will be no problems with the police.

This quote is interesting. I did it in other countries, but was not aware it was done in LoL. This would solve the problems with the insurance-coverage

ZZZ is right, but only as far as driving license is concerned.

When it comes to insurance, many, if not most, insurance companies REQUIRE a Thai driver's license! See the small print (of course in Thai) on the last page of the policy!

An international driver's license is OK if you hire a car from a reputabe company, but if you drive your own car in Thailand get a Thai DL a.s.a.p. for insurance purposes!

opalhort

[dr_Pat_Pong]

If the original question was pertaining to driving your own car, you also need a work permit to have the car in your name. Or a Company to own it.

Also, for the license, in addition to an international driving license, you are supposed to have a letter of residency from the immmigration department to get a thai driving license.

I would like clarification about the necessity

for a work permit in order to Register a Car in your name.

Does that mean that someone on a Retirement Visa is not

allowed to own a Vehicle in Thailand ?

Secondly a letter of residency from the immmigration department

is just one alternative. You can produce a Letter from your

Embassy instead.

Roger

You need a non-iimigrant visa of any category.

[phuket Mike]

Here's my experience...

I came to Thailand on a non-imm B visa with a international driving licence I obtained from the Uk Post Office (1949 Convention).

I bought a car and two motorbikes in my name using only my International License, Passport and Letter from immigration proving my address (300 baht).

At the time I did not have a work permit.

I drove with this license for 11 months in which time I was stopped by the Police 4 times, nicked for speeding once and nicked for parking in the wrong direction in Phuket Town. On all occassions I only showed my International License.

While I was teaching the wife to drive she hit the gate post, because she did not have a license I had to tell the insurance company I was driving. Again I successfully claimed using only my International License.

A couple of weeks before my International License expired I went to the Transport Office in Phuket and exchanged my Int License for both Thai car and motorbike licenses. All I had to do was pass a the colour blindness test.

Phuket is very strict now because of the number accidents here, and they do check your International License very carefully to make sure it covers you to drive both car and motorbike.

Good Luck

phuket Mike

[dr_Pat_Pong]

The rules are sometimes applied without consistency. T i T

[Maverick]

Roger;

an interesting point, so if the car is in my wife's name then that is ok I assume.

Looks like I should have a trip to get a new Thai Lisence.

Does anyone have a suggestion on insurance and how all that works, my wife has taken care of it, and now I read this thread, I am a little less comfortable now.

At the time I was on a tourist visa and using a UK driving license. As Dr Pong states they wouldnt give me a thai drivers license on a tourist visa so...........got the insurance company to confirm in writing that a UK license was acceptable under the policy.