Buying A Car In Phuket... On A Tourist Visa

[petercallen]

Travel insurance will not cover you if you drive or ride anything that requires a license to operate and you do not have the necessary license

Earlier in this thread i said what i beleive was required in 2006 and the laws could have changed or did you miss reading that Steven

We must get together one day it would be interesting to see how quick you can think when not sitting behind a computer

Peter, doesn't matter what you believe is required, let alone what you believed was required in 2006.

You claim for jetski license is required and insurance will be void if using one without license. Please point to anything supporting these 2 claims you made.

Regarding IDP; seems you missed the whole of the post by Nomadjoe, considering the length of the post not easy to miss that one.

I was given the information about the requirement to have license to ride jetskis when a member of the VTP they gave members this information because of the continuous problems with jekskis, its called a bosons ticket

Check with your insurance company if they will cover you in case of accident if you ride or drive anything without the necessary license if one is required

[NomadJoe]

Doesn't really matter whether people agree or disagree, the only thing that matters is the law. And again, there is no requirement for an IDP in the law.

You need a license to drive a jet ski here although the operators will not tell you this and travel insurance will not cover you if you have a accident without having the necessary license

Ok, looking forward to 1) information about the Thai law that states license is required and 2) any proof of travel insurance not covering jet ski accidents.

When I looked into buying a ski boat here, I learned and can confirm that to operate a Thai flagged vessel you need a Thai captains license. I don't have the law handy but this is fairly common knowledge and I don't believe a rumor. You can find officials having made this comment in the newspapers when speaking about Jet ski's in Thailand. I also learned that it is very easy to get a Thai captains license. No restrictions on foreigners. It's just a pay and get thing.

As for the issue of insurance, the idea of not being covered in a jet ski accident because you don't have a Thai captains license is absurd. Whether you will be covered depends on the insurance you get. Some will cover, some won't. One of the things I do here is work at a recompression chamber and so I deal often with insurance, and am often in the position to determine if someones insurance covers treatments for "extreme sports" such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Diving, jet skiing, rock climbing...at's all seen as the same by these insurance companies. The national health care systems of Europe, Scandinavia etc cover everything no questions. It makes my job so easy. The pain in the ass is when I get American patients as so many are uninsured, under-insured, or have huge deductibles, special clauses etc. The US insurance industry is a mess so most buy secondary travel insurance. I can tell you that in my experience most secondary travel insurance will cover such things, but there are also specific "sport travel insurance" plans that specifically cover adventure sports as well.

[NomadJoe]

Get yourself Thai licenses its not hard and can save you having a lot of problems

Yes, that works for expats but is not really a workable suggestion for tourists. They only need their home license (valid for the vehicle they're driving and in English).

Not only that, but it is very very hard to impossible (but never say never in Thailand) to get a Thai DL if you are on a tourist visa/visa exempt stamp. This whole conversation is about tourists, not residents like you and me.

[NomadJoe]

You need a license to drive a jet ski here although the operators will not tell you this and travel insurance will not cover you if you have a accident without having the necessary license

Ok, looking forward to 1) information about the Thai law that states license is required and 2) any proof of travel insurance not covering jet ski accidents.

When I looked into buying a ski boat here, I learned and can confirm that to operate a Thai flagged vessel you need a Thai captains license. I don't have the law handy but this is fairly common knowledge and I don't believe a rumor. You can find officials having made this comment in the newspapers when speaking about Jet ski's in Thailand. I also learned that it is very easy to get a Thai captains license. No restrictions on foreigners. It's just a pay and get thing.

As for the issue of insurance, the idea of not being covered in a jet ski accident because you don't have a Thai captains license is absurd. Whether you will be covered depends on the insurance you get. Some will cover, some won't. One of the things I do here is work at a recompression chamber and so I deal often with insurance, and am often in the position to determine if someones insurance covers treatments for "extreme sports" such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Diving, jet skiing, rock climbing...at's all seen as the same by these insurance companies. The national health care systems of Europe, Scandinavia etc cover everything no questions. It makes my job so easy. The pain in the ass is when I get American patients as so many are uninsured, under-insured, or have huge deductibles, special clauses etc. The US insurance industry is a mess so most buy secondary travel insurance. I can tell you that in my experience most secondary travel insurance will cover such things, but there are also specific "sport travel insurance" plans that specifically cover adventure sports as well.

RE Thai Captains license, I just found this quote from pagalim from back in 2009 :

The licence is actually a 2nd Class Helmsman certificate, which is valid for vessels up to 30 tonnes. Probably the best thing is to visit the Marine 5 office just inside the Deep Water Port at the end of Cape Panwa, and ask about registering the jet ski, and also the 'boat licence'. I got my certificate in about 30 minutes, and like the Thai driving licence, is valid for 1 year initially. The only things that I needed were passport copies, photographs, and Certificate of Residence (obtained from Immigration Office - though beware, they are now enforcing evidence of residence i.e. rental/lease agreement along with copy of property owner's Thai ID card, and signature!).

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/297158-private-water-jets-in-phuket/

Edited September 10, 2012 by NomadJoe

[stevenl]

Thanks for that. Information applicable to residents, but no bearing on rental of jetski's.

[Maestro]

The last time I needed an International Driving Permit (IDP), for the Philippines, was about 40 years ago and it was a booklet with something like 50 pages, with text in some three dozen languages (didn't keep it). Nowadays, it has only five pages. My wife got one in 2005.

IDP.pdf

Then there is also the Driving Licence Translation (DLT), which I needed for driving in the USA because that country does not accept the IDP. This is only four pages.

DLT.pdf

The international convention mentioned by NomadJoe talks about both the IDP and the DLT and I gather Thailand recognises both as valid for driving in Thailand. I see no indication of the language into which the translation has to be but it seems to be English. Therefore, if the original of the foreign driving licence (DL) is already in English, no translation is necessary and Thailand lets you drive with either this English-language home-country DL or with an IDP, whereby the use of one or both may be limited in time. My Swiss DL is in German, French and Italian, which means that I would need a DLT or IDP in Thailand if I did not already have my Thai DL.

Edited September 10, 2012 by Maestro
added PDF files

[NomadJoe]

Thanks for that. Information applicable to residents, but no bearing on rental of jetski's.

Well, except that it means no tourist will ever be able to operate a jet ski legally in Thailand.

[NomadJoe]

The last time I needed an International Driving Permit (IDP), for the Philippines, was about 40 years ago and it was a booklet with something like 50 pages, with text in some three dozen languages (didn't keep it). Nowadays, it has only five pages. My wife got one in 2005.

IDP.pdf

Then there is also the Driving Licence Translation (DLT), which I needed for driving in the USA because that country does not accept the IDP. This is only four pages.

DLT.pdf

The international convention mentioned by NomadJoe talks about both the IDP and the DLT and I gather Thailand recognises both as valid for driving in Thailand. I see no indication of the language into which the translation has to be but it seems to be English. Therefore, if the original of the foreign driving licence (DL) is already in English, no translation is necessary and Thailand lets you drive with either this English-language home-country DL or with an IDP, whereby the use of one or both may be limited in time. My Swiss DL is in German, French and Italian, which means that I would need a DLT or IDP in Thailand if I did not already have my Thai DL.

Fairly certain IDP and DLT (Drivers license translation) are synonymous in this context and in all the various documents on the subject. An ID is a translation. You can also get a translation of your license from your home embassy, but that is obviously not what we are talking about here, as no tourist has ever done this.

EDUT: Just realized that when I relied, two attachments appeared that were not visible to me in your original post (may be my adblock software) But when I click on the attachments I can see in your quote bubble in my reply they say I don't have permission to view . .

Edited September 10, 2012 by NomadJoe

[stevenl]

Thanks for that. Information applicable to residents, but no bearing on rental of jetski's.

Well, except that it means no tourist will ever be able to operate a jet ski legally in Thailand.

Yes, but that is purely theoretical.

[NomadJoe]

Travel insurance will not cover you if you drive or ride anything that requires a license to operate and you do not have the necessary license

Earlier in this thread i said what i beleive was required in 2006 and the laws could have changed or did you miss reading that Steven

We must get together one day it would be interesting to see how quick you can think when not sitting behind a computer

Peter, doesn't matter what you believe is required, let alone what you believed was required in 2006.

You claim for jetski license is required and insurance will be void if using one without license. Please point to anything supporting these 2 claims you made.

Regarding IDP; seems you missed the whole of the post by Nomadjoe, considering the length of the post not easy to miss that one.

I was given the information about the requirement to have license to ride jetskis when a member of the VTP they gave members this information because of the continuous problems with jekskis, its called a bosons ticket

Check with your insurance company if they will cover you in case of accident if you ride or drive anything without the necessary license if one is required

Here is a reply from Jade Stanly Insurance www.jsinsurance.co.uk, (they even have a drop down box to select jet skiing in Thailand on their website)

"Dear Joe

Thanks for your email.

I am not aware of any requirement for a license for jet skiing in Thailand. Our policies are governed by UK law.

You would be covered under our policy for jet skiing."

And here is AXA's policy. Jet ski's are covered and nothing about licenses.

http://http://www.holidayhypermarket.co.uk/InsuranceInfo/AXA_Insurance_Policy.pdf

[NomadJoe]

Thanks for that. Information applicable to residents, but no bearing on rental of jetski's.

Well, except that it means no tourist will ever be able to operate a jet ski legally in Thailand.

Yes, but that is purely theoretical.

Yeah, well isn't it all.

[Maestro]

The last time I needed an International Driving Permit (IDP)...

I forgot to add examples of the IDP and Driving Licence Translation (DLT) and have done now in the above-quoted post.

[Maestro]

EDUT: Just realized that when I relied, two attachments appeared that were not visible to me in your original post (may be my adblock software) But when I click on the attachments I can see in your quote bubble in my reply they say I don't have permission to view . .

That was my mistake. Got it sorted out now:

http://www.thaivisa....25#entry5653474

[Maestro]

Just for the record: stevenl was right when he posted that a foreigner does not need an IDP to drive a motor vehicle in Thailand. The law (Thai text), from which momadjoe kindly posted an English translation of the relevant sections, says:

In case there's a treaty between the Thai government and a foreign government regarding mutual acceptance of driver's license, an alien who doesn't have an immigrant visa may drive a motor vehicle with a driver's license issued by such a foreign government, or an automobile association authorized by such a foreign government.

Therefore, you must read the law and the treaties in combination in order to know whether you need an IDP. Some foreigners will certainly need it, or alternatively an English translation of their home country's driving licence, for example foreigners from countries whose licence does conform to Annex 8 of the international Treaty on Road Traffic, eg does not include English text. My Swiss licence, for example, has only German, French and Italian and my Thai licence is only in Thai. I'd like to see a Swiss police officer read a Thai licence. I don't know what the licences of Greece, Russia, Japan, Uruguay, etc look like.

Conlusion: There is no law to say you need and IDP, but there is the above-linked law that makes it crystal clear that unless your country and Thailand have a treaty regarding the mutual acceptance of driving licence you need either an English translation of your licence or an IDP.

[NomadJoe]

Travel insurance will not cover you if you drive or ride anything that requires a license to operate and you do not have the necessary license

Earlier in this thread i said what i beleive was required in 2006 and the laws could have changed or did you miss reading that Steven

We must get together one day it would be interesting to see how quick you can think when not sitting behind a computer

Peter, doesn't matter what you believe is required, let alone what you believed was required in 2006.

You claim for jetski license is required and insurance will be void if using one without license. Please point to anything supporting these 2 claims you made.

Regarding IDP; seems you missed the whole of the post by Nomadjoe, considering the length of the post not easy to miss that one.

I was given the information about the requirement to have license to ride jetskis when a member of the VTP they gave members this information because of the continuous problems with jekskis, its called a bosons ticket

Check with your insurance company if they will cover you in case of accident if you ride or drive anything without the necessary license if one is required

Here is a reply from Jade Stanly Insurance www.jsinsurance.co.uk, (they even have a drop down box to select jet skiing in Thailand on their website)

"Dear Joe

Thanks for your email.

I am not aware of any requirement for a license for jet skiing in Thailand. Our policies are governed by UK law.

You would be covered under our policy for jet skiing."

And here is AXA's policy. Jet ski's are covered and nothing about licenses.

http://http://www.ho...ance_Policy.pdf

One More from Essential Travel Insurance UK:

Hi Joe,

Thanks for your enquiry. I passed this to our Underwriters and they have replied as follows:

The insurance covers the activity itself not anything to do with licencing.

Regards,

Caroline

Essential Travel

Edited September 11, 2012 by NomadJoe

[NomadJoe]

I emailed several websites that list an IDP as required in Thailand with the above info and was just looking over some of the emails I got back from some them and I noticed something very interesting, but something I always suspected. The auto clubs claim they use the consulate/embassy websites as a source of their information on IDP's, and the consulates/embassies claim they use the auto clubs as a source for their information on IDP's!!

Edited September 11, 2012 by NomadJoe