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

[cariden]

hey guys can you answer a question if i rent a motobike from a little local guy how do i get insurance?? can i get insurance or does the guy that rents it to me cover it??? i'll be in thailand for 6 months so help please?

 

[onthedarkside]

You won't get any form of insurance other than the compulsory insurance (which cover zero mechanical damage and very small medical cover) from 'a little local guy'. I suggest you sign up for a comprehensive tourist cover in your home country.

[Mapguy]

This post seems to have evolved into something far removed from the initial post.  The initial quesion desreves only one knowledgeable response.  The rest is irrelevant.

Edited August 9, 2014 by Mapguy

[Mapguy]

Relative to some earlier posts, hard to play by the rules, huh ?!    

Edited August 9, 2014 by Mapguy

[82addi]

i´m wondering is that not okay to have an internatinoal driver lisense just asking

[onthedarkside]

off topic post removed

[yasmarbi]

i´m wondering is that not okay to have an internatinoal driver lisense just asking

 

A thai licence or an international licence.

your pommy or US or wherever licence not good enough.

[GOLDBUGGY]

I am pretty sure the fine is about 200 Baht. But if you hit a Thai Kid crossing the road to fetch his ball, it is about 10 years in a Thai Prison. I wouldn't chance it.

 

You can drive on your Foreign Drivers License for awhile, but I am not sure how long or how they keep track as I got my Thai License right away. Just be careful as one wrong move on a fun night out could put you in a Thai Jail for a very long time. Especially after a few beers.   

[opalred]

you are allowed to drive motorbike on overseas licence if under 200cc china can drive under50cc
be smart let wife drive

[DaamNaam]

you are allowed to drive motorbike on overseas licence if under 200cc china can drive under50cc
be smart let wife drive

Without a Thai or International licence your insurance becomes null and void in a Thai court. No matter what the "Mr Beer" type motorbike rentals say.

[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.

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.

 

I do have experience - no receipt though as I sent a family member to sort it out for me (a police officer ). The offences were: Illegal U-Turn and not having a license (I did have a license, but it was not on me at the time - was at home). One ticket, with two offences written ion it (from guy in the police box at intersections). 400 baht each - 800 total (I paid 500 baht total via my proxy).  It was not a scam as I had top pay at the main police station not at road side. I had my passport with me, which they took in lieu of my license (which they did not ask to see at the station) - cop said he would have taken my car keys if I did not have the passport either, so that was lucky. Cop was high ranking, although it was an underling that gave the ticket (on order) - high ranking cop was not in the box, but was approaching the crossing with his daughter (I presume) when he saw me U-turn - and stopped me. Told me to stay put and went to the box and dragged the cop out. Believe me or not - it matters little really.

 

//Edit: (after seeing later post about CM). This was in CM - at the Airport Plaza intersection - U-Turn was on the end of the Hang Dong Road from to town, to away from town. After leaving the mall, I U-Turned to go back to Hang Dong. Mea Culpa. This was about 3 years ago or thereabouts.
 

Edited August 15, 2014 by wolf5370

[wolf5370]

 

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.

 

 

Again, this negates the scenario of two offenses AT THE SAME TIME.

[dickyknee]

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

And residence letter is not available if you only have a Tourist Visa or 30 day visa free entry.

have they changed the rules on this recently?

[cariden]

i only had a tourist visa and i got a license, i got a letter of residency from the condo i stayed in, doctor slip and take to immigration and they get you  a 90 thai driver's license letter and that was that.. i had to take to the testing place and jump through some hoops.

 

[DaamNaam]

i only had a tourist visa and i got a license, i got a letter of residency from the condo i stayed in, doctor slip and take to immigration and they get you  a 90 thai driver's license letter and that was that.. i had to take to the testing place and jump through some hoops.

 

Here is a comprehensive list on what you need and where to do it.

 

http://donslifeinthailand.com/Thai-Drivers-License-2.html

[dickyknee]

i only had a tourist visa and i got a license, i got a letter of residency from the condo i stayed in, doctor slip and take to immigration and they get you  a 90 thai driver's license letter and that was that.. i had to take to the testing place and jump through some hoops.
 

when did you do that?

[deeks]

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

 

 

Why would you leave the license at home? If you get caught at a checkpoint the chances of getting finned are worse.Nothing stopping you from offering some tea money if you're stopped for a traffic violation anyway, ive done it when i had an international license, The thing is that if they wanted to see a license as well I could still show it.
 

[DaamNaam]

 

i only had a tourist visa and i got a license, i got a letter of residency from the condo i stayed in, doctor slip and take to immigration and they get you  a 90 thai driver's license letter and that was that.. i had to take to the testing place and jump through some hoops.
 

when did you do that?

 

In his / her / it's dreams.

[dickyknee]

 

 

i only had a tourist visa and i got a license, i got a letter of residency from the condo i stayed in, doctor slip and take to immigration and they get you  a 90 thai driver's license letter and that was that.. i had to take to the testing place and jump through some hoops.
 

when did you do that?

 

In his / her / it's dreams.

 

um, well, last time i went to renew my license on my VE stamp (march 2014), i didn't get a residence cert from immigration... they opened a new office and changed the process from a "lodge morning, pick up midday 500 baht", to a "lodge today, pick up in 5-8 working days" so f**k that, i went to my countrys honorary consul  and signed a stat-dec to say i was a resident, in-out with a bit of chit chat in 15 minutes. the year previously (february 2013), i got 2 residence-certs from immigration (lodge morning, pick up afternoon 500 baht)- i applied for 3: 1 to renew my licence, 1 to purchase a motorbike, 1 to open a bank account... they wouldn't give me the third for the bank account because i didn't have a non-imm visa (I was being cheeky knowing it would be declined), the others weren't an issue on a VE stamp.

 

thats right, license and green book on a tourist visa exempt stamp! all legal, no bullshit, approved by immigration and the department of land transport.

 

this is in no-ones dreams, don't mock it, it's fact. if the process has changed it is important and relevant information for those who don't have a non-imm visa, so please don't spare the details if you have new information. likewise, don't spread false or distorted information that could lead ignorant people into breaking the law.