Driver's licenses in Thailand: useful information

What license do you need in Thailand for a bike/scooter/motorbike? Are Russian and international licenses valid? Do you need a license to rent a scooter in Thailand? Information for 2019 and step-by-step instructions on how to get a Thai driver's license for a bike in 2 days and for 555 baht on the island of Samui or in Phuket, Thailand.

In this article we look at driver's licenses in Thailand and answer the following questions:

• Do you need a license in Thailand to ride a motorbike/scooter?
• Are Russian licenses valid in Thailand?
• Is an international driving permit (IDP) valid in Thailand?
• Do you need a license when renting a scooter in Thailand?
• How do you get a license in Thailand to ride a motorbike?

Do you need a driver's license in Thailand to ride a bike/scooter?

The vast majority of Thai so-called “mopeds and scooters” are full-fledged motorcycles in terms of engine size (from 125cc). So to ride this kind of vehicle you need a license with categories A/A1 (the new Russian category M won't do).

Will my Russian license be valid in Thailand?

No, it won't. Neither the new type (issued after March 1, 2011) nor the old one — it makes no difference. Even if category A/A1 is open (and if your license only has category B/B1, you have no right to ride a motorbike even in Russia). How can that be, you ask? Didn't both countries sign the Vienna Convention?

In general, in theory, under the Vienna Convention our new-type Russian licenses should be accepted too, but, as practice shows, at the moment Thai police officers don't recognize them and demand the international permit booklets. So keep that in mind. You are unlikely to prove anything to the police by citing international conventions.

Is an international driving permit (IDP) valid in Thailand?

Yes, it is. Our international driving permits are accepted in Thailand. Under the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, the countries that signed it accept the IDPs of other countries that have also signed it. Naturally, the required categories must be open and the IDP booklet must have the corresponding stamps. For motorcycles this is A/A1. Cars — B/B2. Just like in Russian licenses.

Do you need a license to rent a scooter in Thailand?

By law, every conscientious rental owner of scooters/motorbikes must rent out vehicles only to people who hold a license for that type of vehicle. But, as you have already gathered, tourists with category A in their IDP or with a local Thai license can be counted on one hand, so it won't be hard to rent a motorbike or a scooter without any license at all. Yes, you do come across committed law-abiding rental owners who refuse to rent without a license, but there are so few of them that after walking 50 meters to the nearest competitor you will still become the owner of a two-wheeled friend.

All of the above describes what you need to have by law to be fully legal on the roads of Thailand and to feel completely calm and confident that if you are stopped by the traffic police or, God forbid, have an accident, you won't be given a fine or a bill for driving without a license.

The main fines in Thailand as of 2019:

The reality, though, is that most tourists don't have the required license, and that doesn't stop them from riding around the country in huge numbers. And your charisma, positivity, and sociability may help you avoid fines at stops/raids.

How to avoid a fine for not having a license:

How to get a license in Thailand to ride a motorcycle?

Is it worth getting a Thai license?

Or can you get by with a Russian one (a Russian international one)?

1. If you don't have any license to ride a motorcycle (for example, an IDP with category A), then you shouldn't be on the roads of Thailand on a motorcycle either. In that case any Thai traffic police officer has every reason to fine you 1000 baht;
2. In any accident, without the appropriate license you will by default be found at fault;
3. You cannot count on any medical insurance after falling off a motorbike;
4. When visiting various sights around the country, a Thai license gives you the chance to pay the local price for admission. At the vast majority of sights in Thailand, admission prices are split by nationality — the minimum price for Thais and a price multiplied up to 20 times for foreigners. A Thai license can help you avoid this injustice. 
5. With a Thai driver's license you can legally drive in the 10 countries that make up ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations).
6. A Thai motorcycle license can be exchanged in Russia to open category A/A1 in your license.
7. If you plan to stay in Thailand for more than 1 month, it makes sense to get a local Thai license, especially since the procedure is fairly simple and won't hurt your wallet.

So, you have decided that you do need a Thai driver's license after all. What does it take?

Documents needed to apply for a Thai license

For your first visit to the local DMV (Provincial Transport Office) you will need the following documents:

1. Passport;
2. A copy of the passport page with the visa and/or entry stamp;
3. A copy of the passport photo page;
4. Certificate of residence;
5. Medical certificate.

The first 3 items are ridiculously simple. But what is a certificate of residence, and where do you get a medical certificate?

Certificate of residence

A certificate of residence (residence certificate) is something like your temporary registration in Thailand. This certificate is issued at any immigration office. To get it, you need to submit to immigration a copy of the extract from the house registration book (Blue Book), a copy of the owner's passport, and a business card with the full address of where you are staying. Hotel/apartment staff should know what documents are needed for immigration. But, as practice shows, not all of them do :) At small guesthouses they may not understand what you need. Then you come with these documents to one of the 2 immigration offices (in Patong or in Phuket Town) and within 30 minutes you get the coveted certificate.

The immigration office in Patong, Phuket, on the map:

Medical certificate

A medical certificate for the DMV can be obtained at any clinic/hospital and serves as confirmation that you are physically fit to drive a motor vehicle. Most likely they won't do any tests or examinations of your body. At most, they will measure your blood pressure.

We got our certificate on Samui, and the cheapest clinic we found is:

A clinic not far from Lamai Beach. 100 baht for a medical certificate for the DMV. On the map:

The procedure for getting a driver's license in Thailand

Once you have collected all the necessary documents, you need to come to the local DMV office on any working day between 9 and 10 a.m. and hand all the papers in at the window.

The DMV office (Provincial Transport Office) on the map of Samui:

At the DMV, as at all government offices in Thailand, there is a certain dress code — you won't be let in wearing shorts and a tank top. Your legs and shoulders must be covered by clothing. When you arrive at the office, you need to take a number card yourself from the ones hanging at the first window. This will be your number in the queue.

 

After your documents are accepted, you will be sent to the second floor for physical tests. This testing consists of 3 stages:

 

• A color blindness test — you will be shown circles of different colors (yellow, green, and red), and you have to name the color correctly. In English;
• A depth perception test — you need to use an electronic control to line up two sticks;
• A reaction time test — you press the gas pedal with your foot, and when a red light comes on, you have to hit the brake quickly.

 

None of the 30 people managed to fail even one of the tests… So it's all simple here.

After the tests we were scheduled to take the theory test at 15:00 the same day.

Taking the theory test for a Thai license

Since 2015 the Thai DMV has made the theory test for a Thai driver's license harder. Whereas before the test had 20 questions with a passing score of 75%, now it is 50 questions, and 90% of the answers must be correct. According to the internet, the entire question bank is 1000 questions. The only preparation materials in English are the following 3 PDFs, with 30 questions each. You can download them right here:

The correct answers are in bold.

In fact, to pass the test it is enough to learn these 90 questions, since the DMV question bank consists of a dozen recurring questions — rephrased or with the answer options shuffled.

We go into the room, they give us an access card for the test, we go to our assigned station (a chair with a computer unit), insert our card, and start the test. You get 1 hour for all 50 questions. After you pass, you are given a slip inviting you to the practical test the next day at 14:00.

The practical test: riding a motorcycle on the course

You arrive at the DMV at the appointed time, pick up your personal card at the first window, and take it to the course behind the DMV building.

The practical test for a Thai license is taken on your own vehicle (you arrive without a license :) A helmet and the standard dress code for government offices are, as always, mandatory.

The practical test for a motorcycle consists of 3 stages:

1. Riding the course with signs and a small bridge. The main thing here is to use your turn signals, stop before the STOP sign, and put both feet on the ground when you stop.
2. Slalom. Just a slalom through cones in both directions. As simple as it gets.
3. Riding along a straight, narrow concrete strip 20 cm wide, slightly raised. Probably the hardest part of the whole test. This is the one both Europeans who took the test with me failed. If you have enough experience riding two-wheelers, you shouldn't have any problems.

After you successfully complete all the exercises (if you fail, you get another try the next day), the inspector signs your slip. You take it back to the first window, have your photo taken, pay the government fee of 155 baht, and 5 minutes later you get your license.

That's it. Now we are legal for 2 years on the roads of 10 countries in Asia, we have a charm against racism when visiting the country's sights, and down the road we will be able to exchange this license for the Russian category A.

In total we spent:

• 555 baht:
  • Medical certificate — 100 baht;
  • Certificate of residence — 300 baht (it also worked when buying a bike, although many people assured us that we would need to get another one);
  • Government fee 155 baht.
• 2 days + a visit to the clinic and to immigration.

And we got a Thai driver's license for a motorbike (category A):

Getting a Thai license again

upd: in November 2018 I got a Thai driver's license for a motorbike again, in Phuket. The procedure for getting a Thai scooter license again is much simpler than getting a license for the first time — you don't have to take any tests on knowledge of the traffic rules or any exams. All you need is:

• Certificate of residence (300 baht at the immigration office in Phuket Town)
• A certificate from a clinic (100-150 baht)
• Your previous license (they keep it)
• A copy of your passport (the main page and the page with the visa/stamp)

With these documents you come to the Transport Office in Phuket Town, pay 105 baht, take a formal test for reaction time and color blindness, have your photo taken, and they immediately print you a new license for 2 years:

Exchanging a Russian international driving permit (IDP) for a Thai license

If you have an open motorcycle category in your Russian license, you can get a Thai license on the basis of your IDP booklet without exams or tests (you only need to take the formal reaction time and color blindness test). The procedure is the same as getting a Thai license again on the basis of an old Thai license (described in the section above). Only instead of the old Thai license, you attach a copy of your IDP to the documents.

And here is the video we made from our scooter trip through the countries of Southeast Asia: