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The Phuket News
Tourists driving in Phuket: get legal, or get fined - or worse
Tourists from all over the world come to Phuket and rent a car or motorbike during their holiday, but are they allowed to use their license from their home country to drive a rental vehicle on the island?
tourism, transport, crime, accidents,
The Phuket News
Sunday 18 December 2016, 10:00AM
image: https://www.thephuketnews.com/photo/listing/2016/1481883004_1-org.jpg
No matter which country you hail from, police say that you must have a Thai license or an International Driving Permit in order to drive legally in Phuket. Photo: Tony Webster
No matter which country you hail from, police say that you must have a Thai license or an International Driving Permit in order to drive legally in Phuket. Photo: Tony Webster
QUESTION
I have been staying in Phuket a while but I am still not clear about whether or not foreigners can drive in Phuket using a driver’s license issued in their home country. Everyone knows at least one foreigner who has been caught out with this, regardless whether the foreigner has moved here or is just a tourist.
So, can foreigners use their license from home here in Phuket? Also, what if my license is already issued in English?
And to be clear, exactly what are the penalties if I am caught driving without a Thai license, and what happens if I am in an accident?
– Tilde Chimbote, Chalong
ANSWER
Foreigners wanting to drive in Thailand – but do not yet have a Thai driver’s license – must hold an “International Driving Permit” (IDP) issued in their home country.
Please note that the IDP is technically not a license, it is a translated version of a license issued by a country that signed the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (!968), which replaced the Convention on Road Traffic (1949).
Under the Convention notes that countries that signed the Convention recognise “any domestic driver’s licence drawn up in their national language or in one of their national languages, or, if not drawn up in such a language, accompanied by a certified translation.”
That means any person wanting to drive in Thailand by using a driver’s license not issued in Thailand – and especially those not issued in English -- must have BOTH a valid license issued in their home country AND an IDP in order to legally drive in Thailand.
This applies to foreigners staying in the country long-term and to tourists driving motorbikes or cars rented for their short holiday here.
Having a valid license is critical, not just to avoid being fined by police for breaking the law, but especially in case you are involved in an accident.
If you do not have a valid license and an IDP, you can be held fully responsible for any accident you are involved in and any insurance coverage may automatically become void as you were driving illegally.
– Chutinan Jindachuea, Chief, License Division, Phuket Provincial Transport Office
Read more at https://www.thephuketnews.com/tourists-driving-in-phuket-get-legal-or-get-fined-or-worse-60290.php#hAkrMsL7UTjKMOw1.99
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