International Driving Permit. Quick Update

[laolover88]

Went to get a new IDP

Have a 5 Year Thai Licence

Had to change the address on the licence as we moved house

Had copy of the paper of Notification of Alien's address from my mother in law and copy her ID card and Tabian Baan

New licence issued in 10 minutes. Had to be copied

IDP in 20 minutes.

No further proof of residence required.

Importantly, for me, the IDP says: Domicile: Thailand

Checked with the lawyer.

His view is that if that is written it cannot be asserted that you are a UK resident and therefore could only drive in the UK for a year as a "returning resident"

Interested if there is another view

[Koosdedooes]

Do you have a UK license ?

I am somewhat confused abut the domicile bit, if you dont have a UK license, but you are a UK pp holder, you can drive on foreign license for upto 12 months anyway, nationality or domicile doesnt come into it

If you have a current UK license, then you shouldnt be driving on your Thai one or IDP

Edited May 17, 2016 by Koosdedooes

[stevenl]

Went to get a new IDP

Have a 5 Year Thai Licence

Had to change the address on the licence as we moved house

Had copy of the paper of Notification of Alien's address from my mother in law and copy her ID card and Tabian Baan

New licence issued in 10 minutes. Had to be copied

IDP in 20 minutes.

No further proof of residence required.

Importantly, for me, the IDP says: Domicile: Thailand

Checked with the lawyer.

His view is that if that is written it cannot be asserted that you are a UK resident and therefore could only drive in the UK for a year as a "returning resident"

Interested if there is another view

Di you have a UK licence as well? If so, you are according to UK licence law a UK resident.

[awayego]

Went to get a new IDP

Have a 5 Year Thai Licence

Had to change the address on the licence as we moved house

Had copy of the paper of Notification of Alien's address from my mother in law and copy her ID card and Tabian Baan

New licence issued in 10 minutes. Had to be copied

IDP in 20 minutes.

No further proof of residence required.

Importantly, for me, the IDP says: Domicile: Thailand

Checked with the lawyer.

His view is that if that is written it cannot be asserted that you are a UK resident and therefore could only drive in the UK for a year as a "returning resident"

Interested if there is another view

Di you have a UK licence as well? If so, you are according to UK licence law a UK resident.

What determines whether or not you are "Resident" or "non-Resident" is not UK "licence law".

It is HMC&R rules, under taxation legislation, that determine residence.

If HMC&R categorise you as 'Non-Resident' (as I am) you are NOT supposed to hold a UK driving licence (since you require to be 'Resident' in the UK at the address on your licence).

If you still hold a UK driving licence (because you still have a UK address) and are Non-Resident then I should keep that to yourself!

[Stray]

Getting a little off track as my post relates to Australia.

I am an Australian citizen but I am not a resident (I do not even have an Australian residential address). I am the holder of Thai driving licences (car and motorcycle). I am also the holder of an Australian licence which has my Thai address stamped on it.

I cannot claim to know anything about UK driving licences but an Australian citizen is permitted to hold an Australian driving licence with a foreign address.

With renewals of my Australian driving licence, the paperwork is sent to my Thai address, after filling it out, the paperwork and photo (if it requires updating) is taken to the Australian embassy for certification and then sent to the Australian department of licencing (in my case, VicRoads). They then send my new licence to me, in Thailand.

[stevenl]

Went to get a new IDP

Have a 5 Year Thai Licence

Had to change the address on the licence as we moved house

Had copy of the paper of Notification of Alien's address from my mother in law and copy her ID card and Tabian Baan

New licence issued in 10 minutes. Had to be copied

IDP in 20 minutes.

No further proof of residence required.

Importantly, for me, the IDP says: Domicile: Thailand

Checked with the lawyer.

His view is that if that is written it cannot be asserted that you are a UK resident and therefore could only drive in the UK for a year as a "returning resident"

Interested if there is another view

Di you have a UK licence as well? If so, you are according to UK licence law a UK resident.

What determines whether or not you are "Resident" or "non-Resident" is not UK "licence law".

It is HMC&R rules, under taxation legislation, that determine residence.

If HMC&R categorise you as 'Non-Resident' (as I am) you are NOT supposed to hold a UK driving licence (since you require to be 'Resident' in the UK at the address on your licence).

If you still hold a UK driving licence (because you still have a UK address) and are Non-Resident then I should keep that to yourself!

And that means your UK licence is officially not valid. Pitentially big consequences if in an accident.

[Jerry Mandering]

Can I ask about the IDP, my understanding is this was only necessary if you don't have a Thai driving licence and were using a European one, but not living in Thsiland.

I've been living driving here for 5/6 years and had a couple of accidents and stopped at check points and no one wanted to see a IDP only a (Thai) licence.

[sandyf]

Can I ask about the IDP, my understanding is this was only necessary if you don't have a Thai driving licence and were using a European one, but not living in Thsiland.

I've been living driving here for 5/6 years and had a couple of accidents and stopped at check points and no one wanted to see a IDP only a (Thai) licence.

An IDP issued in Thailand is only necessary to support a Thai licence abroad, not needed within Thailand. You are quite right that if driving in Thailand on a foreign licence you should have an IDP to support your national licence. As it happens I have just been looking at car hire in Malta and the major car hire firms say that licences from outside the EU must have an IDP.

There is some controversy over the need for an IDP for some nationalities in Thailand so it is a question of what you read, who you listen to or what you come up against.

I am from the UK and I know for a fact that when I went for my Thai licence they didn't even look at my national licence, only interested in the IDP.

[Eneukman]

Do you have a UK license ?

I am somewhat confused abut the domicile bit, if you dont have a UK license, but you are a UK pp holder, you can drive on foreign license for upto 12 months anyway, nationality or domicile doesnt come into it

If you have a current UK license, then you shouldnt be driving on your Thai one or IDP

As I understand it, if you are resident outside the UK (EU?) on a permanent basis, as I and i suspect the OP are, a UK driving licence is no longer valid and should not be used when driving in the UK. A Thai driving licence is, as noted above, valid for a period of one year in the UK.

Alan

[tails]

Getting a little off track as my post relates to Australia.

I am an Australian citizen but I am not a resident (I do not even have an Australian residential address). I am the holder of Thai driving licences (car and motorcycle). I am also the holder of an Australian licence which has my Thai address stamped on it.

I cannot claim to know anything about UK driving licences but an Australian citizen is permitted to hold an Australian driving licence with a foreign address.

With renewals of my Australian driving licence, the paperwork is sent to my Thai address, after filling it out, the paperwork and photo (if it requires updating) is taken to the Australian embassy for certification and then sent to the Australian department of licencing (in my case, VicRoads). They then send my new licence to me, in Thailand.

Hi Stray

I'm also an Australian and have been here 4 years and am now Non-O based on marriage. In the first few years I paid for the international license from WA, but for the past 2 years I haven't bothered. Am I in fact driving illegally?

Does this depend on residency status, i.e. more than 180 days per year out the country according to the ATO?

Is it a case of...

... if you're an Australian resident for tax purposes, you drive on your Australian license or you drive on your Australian license + an internal driving permit?

... if you're not an Australian resident for tax purposes, you get a Thai license or get an Australian license with a Thai address or both?

... or is it nothing to do with tax / residence status?

I don't drive a lot so never really bothered getting it right, but since this article came up I thought I'd ask...

Police have checked me a few times and they just looked at my Australian license with an Australian address and didn't care, even though I don't even live at that address anymore, it was just the house I rented before coming here...

Edited May 18, 2016 by tails

[Stray]

Getting a little off track as my post relates to Australia.

I am an Australian citizen but I am not a resident (I do not even have an Australian residential address). I am the holder of Thai driving licences (car and motorcycle). I am also the holder of an Australian licence which has my Thai address stamped on it.

I cannot claim to know anything about UK driving licences but an Australian citizen is permitted to hold an Australian driving licence with a foreign address.

With renewals of my Australian driving licence, the paperwork is sent to my Thai address, after filling it out, the paperwork and photo (if it requires updating) is taken to the Australian embassy for certification and then sent to the Australian department of licencing (in my case, VicRoads). They then send my new licence to me, in Thailand.

Hi Stray

I'm also an Australian and have been here 4 years and am now Non-O based on marriage. In the first few years I paid for the international license from WA, but for the past 2 years I haven't bothered. Am I in fact driving illegally?

Does this depend on residency status, i.e. more than 180 days per year out the country according to the ATO?

Is it a case of...

... if you're an Australian resident for tax purposes, you drive on your Australian license or you drive on your Australian license + an internal driving permit?

... if you're not an Australian resident for tax purposes, you get a Thai license or get an Australian license with a Thai address or both?

... or is it nothing to do with tax / residence status?

I don't drive a lot so never really bothered getting it right, but since this article came up I thought I'd ask...

Police have checked me a few times and they just looked at my Australian license with an Australian address and didn't care, even though I don't even live at that address anymore, it was just the house I rented before coming here...

G'day tails,

I hope laolover88 doesn't mind us going off on a tangent from the original post (thank you for posting as I'm sure there are some that will read it and take on board some of the excellent information from your experience).

To maintain an Australian licence, you must give the licencing authority your current address details. Whether that be your Thai address or your mate's place, in Australia. The Australian residency requirement (180 concurrent days out of Australia), isn't a factor. As your Australian driving licence is, in effect, a form of Australian ID, the details must be current and correct. In the case of using your mate's place, from that address, you can be located and contacted.

In Victoria, updating to an international address is quick and easy (I'm not talking about the 'returning to Australia in 6 years option' which can be done online). I visited a VicRoads office and the change of address process took less time than finding a car parking space in Melbourne's CBD.

A bonus in using my Thai address is that, while I still must vote in federal elections, I am no longer eligible to vote (and pay fines for failure to vote) in council and state elections. I also had ready proof for changing the address of Australian bank accounts, employment related matters (Australian issued permits and licences) etc.

I am not going to get into the argument about what countries can drive in Thailand without requiring an IDP. The simple fact of the matter is, if the police pull you over and request/demand you show an IDP and you can't, you may be fined. So, prior to obtaining my Thai driving licences, I was using my Australian driving licence (with Thai address) and using an Australian IDP. The reason being that I no longer had a valid Australian address and had not bothered to look into the requirements for obtaining a Thai driving licence.

As an Australian licence appears to be easier to use, over a Thai licence, when renting and driving in other countries, I will retain my Australian driving licence and have kept it current.

[Koosdedooes]

Went to get a new IDP

Have a 5 Year Thai Licence

Had to change the address on the licence as we moved house

Had copy of the paper of Notification of Alien's address from my mother in law and copy her ID card and Tabian Baan

New licence issued in 10 minutes. Had to be copied

IDP in 20 minutes.

No further proof of residence required.

Importantly, for me, the IDP says: Domicile: Thailand

Checked with the lawyer.

His view is that if that is written it cannot be asserted that you are a UK resident and therefore could only drive in the UK for a year as a "returning resident"

Interested if there is another view

Di you have a UK licence as well? If so, you are according to UK licence law a UK resident.

What determines whether or not you are "Resident" or "non-Resident" is not UK "licence law".

It is HMC&R rules, under taxation legislation, that determine residence.

If HMC&R categorise you as 'Non-Resident' (as I am) you are NOT supposed to hold a UK driving licence (since you require to be 'Resident' in the UK at the address on your licence).

If you still hold a UK driving licence (because you still have a UK address) and are Non-Resident then I should keep that to yourself!

Er HMRC rules, determine whether one is resident or not for TAX purposes only which has absolutely nothing to do with this question, this question is not even under the remit of HMRC, so your comparison is completely useless, dont believe me send an email to HMRC and ask them

1. British pp holder doesnt hold a valid UK DL - can drive in the UK on a valid Thai DL for 12 months same as everyone else coming into the country

2. British citizen holding a current UK license, irrespective of where they are living cannot drive in the UK on "another" license

Thats the answer..so if the OP is maintaing a UK address, keeps his UK license and intends using a Thai DL and IDP in the UK he is doing so illegally irrespective that his domocile is noted as Thailand on the IDP

[Stray]

laolover88, a quick question.

Do you still have a UK driving licence, or just the Thai licence?

I assume that you only have the Thai licence, hence, obtaining a Thai IDP for driving in the UK.

In my case, as you have already probably noted, I have licences issued from both Thailand and Australia (with Thai address). I use my Thai licence when driving in Thailand and my Australian licence for all other countries.

[Koosdedooes]

Do you have a UK license ?

I am somewhat confused abut the domicile bit, if you dont have a UK license, but you are a UK pp holder, you can drive on foreign license for upto 12 months anyway, nationality or domicile doesnt come into it

If you have a current UK license, then you shouldnt be driving on your Thai one or IDP

As I understand it, if you are resident outside the UK (EU?) on a permanent basis, as I and i suspect the OP are, a UK driving licence is no longer valid and should not be used when driving in the UK. A Thai driving licence is, as noted above, valid for a period of one year in the UK.

Alan

Not if as a lot of people do maintain a UK address to get things like pension increases and renew things like UK DL's

Referring to earlier remarks about HMRC and resident/non resident thing, even though it has nothing to do with this question per se, someone maintaining an address in the UK and lets say bank accounts may be considered resident in the UK even though they live in Thailand in the eyes of HMRC, but its a case for case determination as one is maintaining ties with UK which would constitute residency

[connda]

Just curious, but where did you get an IDP here in Thailand. I have a Thai license, but need an IDP for driving in some countries outside of Thailand.

[Jonmarleesco]

Given Thais can, unbelievably, drive in the U.K. on a Thai licence, you can. And since, so far as the U.K. is concerned, you can only have one domicile at a time, then, unless you have given up your British one - not easy - then you are not domiciled in Thailand; merely resident.

[GOLDBUGGY]

Well I am not sure about the UK but in Canada you cannot drive for a year on an ID License as a "Returning Resident". In Canada Drivers Licenses are handled by the Province you are living in but as a rule you can drive for 90 days on an ID License and by then expected to get your Provincial Drivers License. Since I can do that anyway for 90 days on a Thai Drivers License, I really don't need to do that.

The key words used here are "Returning Resident", meaning you are taking up residency again in your home country. If I went for a visit and stayed with friends, and was considered to be a Non Resident, in that I did not have a job their, then maybe I could drive for a year. As it stands now, if I return to Canada for good, I have to retake both my Written Exam and Road Test, as my Canadian License is past 5 years renewed and a Thai Licenses in not interchangeable with a Canadian one. Yet if you have a Valid Drivers Licenses from the UK, USA, or Europe, you can swap licenses and get you Canadian one without testing. Go Figure?

You best option, if you are not sure, is to go to your home country licensing agent and check with them. The ID License is accepted almost anywhere, and I get that every time I leave to someplace new, but your country laws about driving at home, and especially for Resident Citizens, can be a lot different than what it says on your ID License.

[GOLDBUGGY]

Given Thais can, unbelievably, drive in the U.K. on a Thai licence, you can. And since, so far as the U.K. is concerned, you can only have one domicile at a time, then, unless you have given up your British one - not easy - then you are not domiciled in Thailand; merely resident.

In Canada the only time you have to give up your foreign license is when you apply for a Canadian one. They won't even let you have 2 of them from different countries or even from different provinces. But since they would make me rewrite the written test, and do the road test again, as in Canada you can't swap your Thai License for a new Canadian one, then they will get nothing back from me except my expired Canadian License.

An Odd thing really. I can legally drive to my Learner License Written Test with my ID License, but even if I fail this test I can also legally drive away. I am not expected to have to turn in my foreign license right away, as I don't do that until they issue me a new Canadian one, which I have to do the Road Test first to pass that. So I can legally drive to my Road Test, and even if I fail that I can legally drive home again.

Why to Government Employees and Manager make things so difficult and complicated all the time? If I was good enough to pass the first Canadian Tests, and still have a valid drivers license form anther country, meaning I am still driving, so why should I have to do all these test all over again?

I think the World Best Pickpocket is my Government.

[GOLDBUGGY]

laolover88, a quick question.

Do you still have a UK driving licence, or just the Thai licence?

I assume that you only have the Thai licence, hence, obtaining a Thai IDP for driving in the UK.

In my case, as you have already probably noted, I have licences issued from both Thailand and Australia (with Thai address). I use my Thai licence when driving in Thailand and my Australian licence for all other countries.

Sounds to me like Australia is sensible about this. Because it makes good sense. They also get to collect money from people they normally wouldn't, by there strict rules, like from people like you, who are willing to pay to keep it.

Not so in Canada and it sounds like the UK either. In Canada you need a Canadian Address and you could even be asked to prove that through electrical bills or work.

Personally if I could renew my Canadian Drivers License from here I would do so, just to have it and not have to redo all the test if I decide to come home one day to live. Or even on a long visit. As you also mentioned having a License from Canada is also better in driving in other countries or even getting a license there. I can swap my Canadian License to any in Europe and the UK or USA, without having to redo some exam, but I can't do that with a Thai one.

[Koosdedooes]

Just curious, but where did you get an IDP here in Thailand. I have a Thai license, but need an IDP for driving in some countries outside of Thailand.

I get mine from Mo Chit traffic dept, you need a full Thai DL, ie the 5 year one

[Jip99]

Do you have a UK license ?

I am somewhat confused abut the domicile bit, if you dont have a UK license, but you are a UK pp holder, you can drive on foreign license for upto 12 months anyway, nationality or domicile doesnt come into it

If you have a current UK license, then you shouldnt be driving on your Thai one or IDP

As I understand it, if you are resident outside the UK (EU?) on a permanent basis, as I and i suspect the OP are, a UK driving licence is no longer valid and should not be used when driving in the UK. A Thai driving licence is, as noted above, valid for a period of one year in the UK.

Alan

Not if as a lot of people do maintain a UK address to get things like pension increases and renew things like UK DL's

Referring to earlier remarks about HMRC and resident/non resident thing, even though it has nothing to do with this question per se, someone maintaining an address in the UK and lets say bank accounts may be considered resident in the UK even though they live in Thailand in the eyes of HMRC, but its a case for case determination as one is maintaining ties with UK which would constitute residency

Not quite right.

I have bank accounts and a UK address but I am non-resident.

RDR3 will give specific direction on the Statutory Residence Test.

As stated, I can continue to drive in the UK on my UK licence during it's validity and cannot use mt Thai DL.

[sandyf]

Given Thais can, unbelievably, drive in the U.K. on a Thai licence, you can. And since, so far as the U.K. is concerned, you can only have one domicile at a time, then, unless you have given up your British one - not easy - then you are not domiciled in Thailand; merely resident.

Depends what you are driving. This is from the Avis/Budget website.

Drivers license and ID requirements

Each driver must show photographic proof of identity and their passport at the start of the rental. All drivers must present a full and current driving licence which has been held for at least 2 years. The licence must be valid for use in the renting country.

If your licence was issued outside the European Community you must provide an International Driving Licence.

If you have a corporate or contracted agreement with us the requirements may be different. Please check your contracted terms and conditions.

[billrose]

Given Thais can, unbelievably, drive in the U.K. on a Thai licence, you can. And since, so far as the U.K. is concerned, you can only have one domicile at a time, then, unless you have given up your British one - not easy - then you are not domiciled in Thailand; merely resident.

Depends what you are driving. This is from the Avis/Budget website.

Drivers license and ID requirements

Each driver must show photographic proof of identity and their passport at the start of the rental. All drivers must present a full and current driving licence which has been held for at least 2 years. The licence must be valid for use in the renting country.

If your licence was issued outside the European Community you must provide an International Driving Licence.

If you have a corporate or contracted agreement with us the requirements may be different. Please check your contracted terms and conditions.

As Jonmarleesco says, you do not need an IDP to drive in UK on a Thai licence, as your Thai licence is in English. An IDP is purely a translation of your Thai licence which is already in English.

https://www.gov.uk/driving-nongb-licence/y/a-visitor-to-great-britain/any-other-country

The above requirement from Avis/Budget is just their requirement. Other hire companies do not make the same stipulation! I have hired cars in UK using my Thai Licence many times.