Do you need a license in Thailand, and which one
You need a license in Thailand for anything with an engine, including a 110 cc scooter. Rental shops usually ask for one, and police in Phuket check regularly. A foreigner has two legal options: a home license together with a valid International Driving Permit (IDP), or a Thai license. Anything else counts as driving without a license at a checkpoint.
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What Thai law says
Driving without a license is covered by section 64 of the Motor Vehicle Act of 1979: a fine of up to 1,000 ฿, up to one month in prison, or both. Driving on an expired license raises the fine to 2,000 ฿. If you hold a license but don't have it with you, the fine is up to 1,000 ฿.
Categories are separate in Thailand. A car license doesn't cover a motorcycle, and the other way round. An IDP with category B only is not valid for a scooter.
The amounts and what happens after you're stopped are covered in the guide to the fine for driving without a license in Phuket.
Is a home license alone enough
There is no single answer, and sources disagree. Thailand signed the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic back in 1968, and since May 2021 it has issued Vienna-format international permits to its own citizens. On that basis some publications say a foreign national license is enough. Others, including a number of embassies, say that driving on a home license alone is not legal.
In practice, police at checkpoints in Patong, Karon and Kata look for the pair "national license + IDP". We wouldn't ride in Phuket on a home license alone: how a checkpoint goes, and what the insurer decides after an accident, depends on how one particular person reads the document.
When an IDP is enough
If you're here on holiday and have an IDP, you don't need a Thai license. Check three things before you ride:
- the IDP hasn't expired;
- it covers the right category for your vehicle: A for a bike or scooter, B for a car;
- you carry your home license with it, because an IDP isn't valid on its own.
An IDP is issued in your home country before you travel. You can't get one in Phuket or renew one in Thailand. If it runs out halfway through a long stay, the only legal way to keep riding is a Thai license. More in the guide to the International Driving Permit in Thailand.
When you need a Thai license
A Thai license is for anyone whose IDP is missing, expired or for the wrong category. That is the largest group among our clients. Holders of a Russian license have it easier: they don't need an IDP for conversion, and the Thai license is issued on the Russian one in a single visit.
Others choose a Thai license because they are staying for months. It doesn't depend on an IDP, it is renewed in Thailand, and it is valid across ASEAN without an international permit. There is a separate guide on where a Thai license works.
Scooter, moped or motorbike: which license
Thai law treats petrol scooters and mopeds as motorcycles. Any of them needs category A in your IDP or a Thai motorcycle license.
So the answer to "do I need a license for a scooter in Thailand" is the same as for a motorbike. How to get one on the island is on the motorcycle license in Phuket guide.
Which license you need: a short table
| Situation | What makes it legal | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Holiday, valid IDP with the right category | Home license + IDP | Nothing more |
| Russian license, no IDP or an expired one | Thai license | Conversion on the Russian license: from 5,500 ฿, one visit |
| Other license, no IDP or an expired one | Thai license | New license from scratch: from 10,000 ฿ |
| Valid IDP, categories match, staying for months | Thai license | Conversion: from 5,500 ฿, one visit |
| Only category B, you want a bike | Thai motorcycle license | New license from scratch |
| You already have a Thai license that is about to expire | Renewal | Renewing a Thai license |
How to get a Thai license in Phuket
There are two routes. Conversion is for holders of a valid IDP with matching categories, and for Russian license holders without an IDP: no exam, one visit, from 5,500 ฿. A new license from scratch is for everyone else: no driving school, from 10,000 ฿, legally and in the shortest time on the island.
Both need the same set of papers: passport and copies, a medical certificate and a residence certificate from immigration. The medical and residence certificates are valid for 30 days, so you can't get them at home in advance. Doing it yourself costs about 600 ฿ in fees, but means trips to immigration and a clinic, and before that a TM-30 notification filed by your landlord. Every step is in the guide how to get a Thai driving license.
As part of getting a license with us, you can hand the paperwork over for a fixed 1,500 ฿. Terms and the process are on the homepage.
