How much is the fine for not having a driving licence?

[banagan]

Is it 200baht?

 

And, if you're pulled over, and they demand 500 baht, you can just say you'll pay the fine, right?

 

So, what happens after that? They write you a ticket? You drive to the station with them in toe? 

 

You pay it at the traffic police station near the flower market?

[Thailand]

Get a driving licence and then the question is irrelevant?

[banagan]

Sure, I'll just pop down to 7 11 and pick one up.

 

In the meantime, a helpful answer would be appreciated.

[Jdietz]

Problem is -when- you get into an accident, your insurance is void, and paying that off won't be a 200 baht fine.

 

And yes, getting one is almost equivalent to going to 7-11, only different store.

 

[banagan]

Problem is -when- you get into an accident, your insurance is void, and paying that off won't be a 200 baht fine.

 

And yes, getting one is almost equivalent to going to 7-11, only different store.

 

 

Are you talking about travel insurance?

[banagan]

I'm really just wondering how much the tea money is?

 

I've read on here people paying 500 baht, 300 baht, 200 baht... I have a feeling the actual fine is 200baht, does anyone actually know how much the real fine is?

 

 

[sfokevin]

Official fine is 200 baht... and "you pay now dai mai" is usually 100 baht... 

Edited August 7, 2014 by sfokevin

[banagan]

Official fine is usually 200 baht... and you pay now is usually 100 baht... 

 

Thanks

[AnotherOneAmerican]

400bht according to the list of fines posted on the door of the traffic police office outside the market and beside the big bridge.

All the fines were doubled last year.
The cheapest is disobeying police instructions, a bargain at only 300bht. Edited August 7, 2014 by AnotherOneAmerican

[NE1]

I got a ticket about 10 years ago and on the back it was printed " no license 1,000 baht "

[true blue]

to be honest(lol)it looks as mostfines are around 400bht,if u go to the police station,must admit when got done on a u turn the other month,i slipped the guy 500bht,could not be bothered bargining or going to the station and anyway i never had any less moneys must admit he was very gratefull.

[Oscar2]

 

Problem is -when- you get into an accident, your insurance is void, and paying that off won't be a 200 baht fine.

 

And yes, getting one is almost equivalent to going to 7-11, only different store.

 

 

Are you talking about travel insurance?

 

no, he is saying that if you get into an accident and you don't have a valid drivers license then your vehicle insurance is invalid. if you injure someone then chances are you will go straight to jail at the Mae Ping Police Station in Nong Hoi. if you kill someone then the stakes are higher. and you will be liable for untold sums of money.

 

[fvw53]

 

 

Problem is -when- you get into an accident, your insurance is void, and paying that off won't be a 200 baht fine.

 

And yes, getting one is almost equivalent to going to 7-11, only different store.

 

 

Are you talking about travel insurance?

 

no, he is saying that if you get into an accident and you don't have a valid drivers license then your vehicle insurance is invalid. if you injure someone then chances are you will go straight to jail at the Mae Ping Police Station in Nong Hoi. if you kill someone then the stakes are higher. and you will be liable for untold sums of money.

 

....except if you are the owner of an energy drink empire and you drive a super expensive sportscar

 

 

 

 

[banagan]

 

 

Problem is -when- you get into an accident, your insurance is void, and paying that off won't be a 200 baht fine.

 

And yes, getting one is almost equivalent to going to 7-11, only different store.

 

 

Are you talking about travel insurance?

 

no, he is saying that if you get into an accident and you don't have a valid drivers license then your vehicle insurance is invalid. if you injure someone then chances are you will go straight to jail at the Mae Ping Police Station in Nong Hoi. if you kill someone then the stakes are higher. and you will be liable for untold sums of money.

 

 

 

I got hit by a Thai drunk driver, smashed into the back of me.... he was fined 400 baht.

 

He had to pay to fix my bike, 3,000 baht, that took 2 days negotiating in a police station to sort, he actually wanted me to pay to fix the front of his car!

 

I probably could have faked an injury and taken him to the cleaners, but it's not my style, I'd like to think if I was unlucky enough to hit someone, they'd do the same... but, I imagine it would be a sizeable pay off... jail, I doubt it, how would they get money from me if I go to jail?

Edited August 7, 2014 by banagan

[Chiengmaijoe]

 

 

Problem is -when- you get into an accident, your insurance is void, and paying that off won't be a 200 baht fine.
 
And yes, getting one is almost equivalent to going to 7-11, only different store.
 

 
Are you talking about travel insurance?
 

no, he is saying that if you get into an accident and you don't have a valid drivers license then your vehicle insurance is invalid. if you injure someone then chances are you will go straight to jail at the Mae Ping Police Station in Nong Hoi. if you kill someone then the stakes are higher. and you will be liable for untold sums of money.
 
....except if you are the owner of an energy drink empire and you drive a super expensive sportscar
 
 
 

 

Not necessarily true. About ten years ago I had a head-on crash that was not my fault. That's when the myth "you're a foreigner so it's your fault" was disproved for me. No-one suggested it was my fault and although I only had a UK licence, and technically I should have had a Thai licence, nothing was made of it and consequently my hospital fees and paying for my car, which was a write-off, were all paid for by my insurance. I think the other driver didn't have insurance, so I'm not sure how the insurance company got their money back, but I didn't really care enough to find out. It's not something I would recommend, but it seems that for some insurance companies, in some circumstances, a driving licence from back home will suffice. These were the days when a UK licence was accepted by the local police, which obviously doesn't apply now. Whether that's also true of the insurance company is open to debate.

[Chiengmaijoe]

I got hit by a Thai drunk driver, smashed into the back of me.... he was fined 400 baht.
 
He had to pay to fix my bike, 3,000 baht, that took 2 days negotiating in a police station to sort, he actually wanted me to pay to fix the front of his car!
 
I probably could have faked an injury and taken him to the cleaners, but it's not my style, I'd like to think if I was unlucky enough to hit someone, they'd do the same... but, I imagine it would be a sizeable pay off... jail, I doubt it, how would they get money from me if I go to jail?

Although you didn't feign injury and make a false claim, I don't regard that as something commendable. Being decent and honest should be the norm, but these days most people would consider you as being stupid for not claiming for whiplash and god knows what else, particularly in the civilised west. It's a sign of the times , I suppose, were lying and making false claims become the norm and not doing so is considered as being foolish.

If I had had my accident in Europe, I would have been claiming for all sorts of disabilities. The reality is that although my foot had multiple fractures and I had many months on crutches I managed to make a full recovery and eventually get back on the tennis courts. Given the choice of feigning injury and claiming thousands or being honest, I'd go for honesty every time. I needed further surgery a year later to remove the plate in my foot, which I paid for, so the accident actually left me out of picket, but, given the choice, I prefer that to being a liar and a cheat. Edited August 7, 2014 by Chiengmaijoe

[wolf5370]

400 - plus whatever offense you were pulled over for. E.G. illegal U-Turn is 400 also, so together for legit ticket is 800, or in tea money 500.

 

If you have an accident, could be as much as 10 million baht (damage plus court costs plus court imposed fine - car insurance is void). Likely too that where it is 50:50 (or perhaps even in any event), you would get stuffed with the full blame due to no license, so (to cops) you should not have been there in the first place for it to have happened.

[bristolgeoff]

all depends on the police who catch you at the time.,but  could be anything,easier to get a thai license

[AnotherOneAmerican]

400 - plus whatever offense you were pulled over for. E.G. illegal U-Turn is 400 also, so together for legit ticket is 800, or in tea money 500.
 
If you have an accident, could be as much as 10 million baht (damage plus court costs plus court imposed fine - car insurance is void). Likely too that where it is 50:50 (or perhaps even in any event), you would get stuffed with the full blame due to no license, so (to cops) you should not have been there in the first place for it to have happened.

Not true.
They are only allowed to fine you for one offence at a time.
Until you have paid that ticket, you cannot be fined again.

If you have personal experience of multiple fines at the same time, a scan of the receipt from the police office, posted here, would be most welcome.

[laolover88]

Headmaster Speaking
Go and get a Thai Licence.
Presume you do have a licence from wherever you are from?
Takes 15 minutes at traffic office in Hang Dong!
Also means you have ID in your wallet so don't have to stuff passport/copy in your pants

[jaapfries]

 

Problem is -when- you get into an accident, your insurance is void, and paying that off won't be a 200 baht fine.

 

And yes, getting one is almost equivalent to going to 7-11, only different store.

 

 

Are you talking about travel insurance?

 

 

 

NO; we're talking about Car-Insurance: if you're silly enough to NOT have a driver's license and you DO have an accident, then your are NOT covered by any insurance ! !  -  Don't think lightly about this, because this could run in the millions of Baht which you may have to fork-out ! ! !

[FolkGuitar]

 

400 - plus whatever offense you were pulled over for. E.G. illegal U-Turn is 400 also, so together for legit ticket is 800, or in tea money 500.
 
If you have an accident, could be as much as 10 million baht (damage plus court costs plus court imposed fine - car insurance is void). Likely too that where it is 50:50 (or perhaps even in any event), you would get stuffed with the full blame due to no license, so (to cops) you should not have been there in the first place for it to have happened.

Not true.
They are only allowed to fine you for one offence at a time.
Until you have paid that ticket, you cannot be fined again.

If you have personal experience of multiple fines at the same time, a scan of the receipt from the police office, posted here, would be most welcome.

 

 

Excuse me, but are you sure that doesn't read 'you cannot be fined again for the same offense? That seems more reasonable.

Otherwise, it doesn't make much sense to me, legally.  It probably doesn't happen often, but is there really a provision in the law that prohibits being fined for two different offenses?

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Excuse me, but are you sure that doesn't read 'you cannot be fined again for the same offense? That seems more reasonable.
Otherwise, it doesn't make much sense to me, legally.  It probably doesn't happen often, but is there really a provision in the law that prohibits being fined for two different offenses?

As I said, if anyone has a scan of the receipt for more than 1 fine at the same time, I would like to see a post of it.
Certainly CM police operate 1 fine at a time policy.
As for the law, who could tell, nobody in the CM police force knows the law.

Also, the mechanics of the fine process, they give you a ticket and take your Thai DL.
How could they issue another ticket when they already have your DL?
Nope, you show your existing ticket, and they wave you on.

1 ticket = 1 fine = 1 week of free traffic offences. Edited August 8, 2014 by AnotherOneAmerican

[garyinhuahin]

I'm really just wondering how much the tea money is?

 

I've read on here people paying 500 baht, 300 baht, 200 baht... I have a feeling the actual fine is 200baht, does anyone actually know how much the real fine is?

 

 

 

The fine is what they say it is, unless you want to go downtown and discuss it. I've paid 200 and I've paid 300.

 

Of course, it is all paltry compared to what would happen to you if caught driving without a license in a Western country. Smile and pay up.

 

Real problem, as mentioned, is if you get in an accident. Any insurance you might have won't cover anything and any liability of the other party will be nulled. If you cause someone injury, it can be very very expensive and they're likely to hold you in jail to ensure you don't flee.

 

If you must drive without a Thai or international office, be really careful.

 

 

[Alexander Joo]

I just rented a bike for a few months, and the shop owner told me this:

 

No Thai license, the fine is 400THB. I have an International license, but he said the process is the police will take that from me and I'd have to follow him to the police station to sort out and retrieve. So it's fine to use as a license, but the hassle isn't worth it so better to just leave it at home.

 

You can simply give the police 200THB instead. Though the way to do this is NOT to give it into his hand, but to have 200THB in your seat (trunk), so when he opens it for inspection he will see the money and take it himself. They no longer take bribes by hand because of all the spectators that have recorded this on their mobile phones! So this is now the way to bribe officers.

 

Also, it's not that easy to get a Thai license. You can't be on a tourist visa, for one. You also have to make a trip to your embassy to get a letter stating your resident address here, as well as a physical from a health centre. It's not difficult, but it's not as hassle-free as some people here are saying. http://www.thaivisa.com/thai-driving-license.html

 

[cariden]

ok guys, be nice to me now, cuz i do not know, does an international license cover you in thailand? and if you rent a motobike, how or where do you get insurance for it???

 

Also i doesn't take 15 minutes to get a driver's license in thailand it took me 2 days and about 2-4 hours each day.. that did not include the 30 minutes to get to the license station and it did not include the 45 minutes to go to doctor and immigration to get the paperwork to do..

Edited August 8, 2014 by cariden

[anto]

Somebody that hired a bike from my wife was done in MaiThong for no licence and no helmet .Somehow she left the scene without paying the fine .We only found out when it came to us taxing the bike at the transport office .I had to make a trip myself to Mai Thong to pay the fine B700 ,and then we could tax the bike .

My question is how she got away without paying at the time  ? When i am stopped for any offence they either kept my licence or the vehicle keys untill i went to the station and payed up .

[yasmarbi]

Driving without a licence - you're as bad as some Thais.

Good luck with that - the penalties can be HUGE.

 

To get mine - 

I had to have a certificate of residency and a doctors certificate - easy to get.

Then showed current Australian licence and international licence.

1 hour later - and 550 baht - I have a Thai licence.

[Strangebrew]

go to Khao Son road 300 baht international license. when asked say pay at station they take license you pickup at station. But if you go and pickup your an idiot. so 300 baht.

[cariden]

who are you calling an idiot??? man, ask a question and all you "experts" have to take a shot.. i went and got a driver's license in pattaya, my time and what i said is correct and anyone that disagrees with it is just wrong.. i did not have an international license so the first day i had to watch about 2 hours of films in a stuffy little room and then took a test and had to come back the next day to do the driving test.. this was for a motobike license only..also the license is good for one year, then you come back and get another year and finally after that you get a 5 year license..  And make sure you have a shirt with sleeves or you get to come back the next day with a shirt with sleeves to restart your first day all over and be there at 9 am to take the driving test.