Driving in Thailand on a Foreign Licence
Reviewed by Greg Berryman, 7 September 2026
Getting behind the wheel legally in Thailand is its own process, and where you start from depends on your home country.
You can also skip it entirely. Grab and Bolt cover every city on this site, and plenty of retirees here never drive at all.
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Where do you get an International Driving Permit?
Get one before you leave, from your country's authorised issuer. None of the five hand these out at a post office. That is a common assumption and it is wrong across the board.
| Country | Where to get an IDP |
|---|---|
| Australia | A state motor club, NRMA, RACV, RACQ or similar, or online through Service NSW |
| New Zealand | AA New Zealand |
| United Kingdom | A PayPoint store. The Post Office stopped issuing them in April 2024 |
| United States | AAA |
| Canada | CAA |
An IDP is not a licence on its own. It is a translation of your home licence. Both documents have to be valid, and you carry both.
The permit also has to cover the right vehicle category. A car entitlement does not let you ride a motorcycle.
How long is an IDP valid for in Thailand?
Most sources online state 90 days per entry. A few state 60. Neither figure appears in the law.
The Motor Vehicle Act B.E. 2522 (1979), section 42 bis, allows a foreigner on a temporary stay to drive on a recognised foreign licence without setting a day limit, provided the stay is lawful and both documents remain valid.
In August 2026 I asked a Phuket visa agency to check the current position with the Department of Land Transport. They could not find a current DLT rule setting either period. Until the DLT states one, treat 90 days as unconfirmed.
What happens if you ride without a licence in Thailand?
A lot of people here ride without the right licence, or without one at all. The enforcement and the real cost are two different things.
Under the Motor Vehicle Act B.E. 2522 (1979), driving without a licence carries up to one month in prison, a fine of up to 1,000 baht, or both. What happens at a roadside stop is a ticket, and you carry on your way.
I have been pulled over on both counts at once, no licence and no helmet. The ticket is 1,000 baht for the licence and 2,000 baht for the helmet. The officer wrote the pair up at 2,500. That was one stop with one officer, and being polite and respectful counts for more at the roadside than anything else you can do.
The helmet fine doubles to 4,000 baht if the rider and the passenger are both without one.
The fine is the small part. Riding outside your licence category can put you outside your insurance, and the UK government states this directly in its Thailand travel advice. A serious motorcycle injury here means a private hospital bill, and possibly an air ambulance, paid by you.
How do you get a Thai driving licence?
For anyone on a retirement visa, converting to a Thai licence is the long-term answer. The process changed materially in June 2025:
- Foreign licences and IDPs can no longer be directly exchanged for a Thai one
- Everyone now sits a written test
- The practical test can be waived, depending on your home licence and the specific office, but expect to actually be tested rather than just handing over paperwork
What you will need:
- Passport with a valid non-immigrant visa
- Residence certificate from Thai Immigration, or a work permit
- Medical certificate from a Thai clinic
- Certified translation of your existing licence
No law sets a deadline for converting. The reasons to do it anyway are insurance and enforcement. Insurers can apply stricter conditions to a long-term resident still driving on a foreign licence, and a Thai licence removes any argument at a checkpoint.
The residence certificate comes from Immigration and is a separate errand. Which visa you hold determines whether you can get one, covered on the retirement visa options page.
Riding schools
For a motorcycle licence, a riding school is the straightforward route. Honda runs four safety riding centres in Thailand, at Samut Prakan, Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket. The Phuket one is at Si Sunthon in Thalang.
The licence course costs around 2,000 baht and runs over two days, covering both the practical and the written test. Places can book out a long way ahead, so ask early.
The riding school certificate is one document in the pile you take to the Provincial Transport Office. You still need the residence certificate, the medical certificate and your passport.
I am doing the course at the Phuket park next week. This section will be rewritten from experience afterwards.
Riding a motorbike in Thailand
A car licence does not cover a motorbike, on your home licence, on your IDP, or on a Thai licence. They are separate entitlements and you need the motorcycle one to ride legally.
This catches people out because renting a scooter here takes about four minutes and nobody at the shop asks what you are licensed for. Your insurer will ask afterwards.
Related
Grab, Bolt and what it is like to get around day to day are on living in Thailand, practical questions answered. What happens to your health system back home is on the home country health system page. To work out whether the move fits your situation, take the free assessment. Something here not covered? Ask me.
Sources
The fines on this page are ones I have paid myself. I ride a motorbike here but have not converted to a Thai licence yet, so the rest is research. Here's where it came from:
- Motor Vehicle Act B.E. 2522 (1979), English translation, sections 42 bis and 43
- Motorist Thailand, penalties for driving without a licence
- Driving in Thailand, traffic fines and what they cost
- Time Out, increased fines for riding without a helmet
- Phuket S.T. Honda, driving licence course cost and format
- Schengen Traveler, International Driving Permit issuers by country
- Expat Focus, Thailand Driving Licences
- Zagdim Overseas, Converting an IDP to a Thai Driver's Licence
- TDL Service, Using a Foreign Licence in Thailand