The International Driving Permit Thailand asks for comes in two conventions, and which one you hold is decided by your own country. You carry it alongside your home licence and not instead of it: the permit is a translation and has no force on its own.
Roadside checks on Phuket are routine, particularly on the roads into Patong, and the officer asks for the permit. Driving without it is driving outside the terms of the agreement, and after an accident that can put an insurance claim at risk.
01
Which permit do you need, and where do you get it?
There are two international conventions on road traffic and Thailand is a contracting party to both: the 1949 Geneva, from 1962, and the 1968 Vienna, added in 2020. Which permit you carry depends on which one your own country issues.
Ireland, Australia and the United States are not party to the 1968 convention, so they issue the 1949 permit: AA Ireland in Ireland, the state motoring clubs in Australia, and AAA or AATA in the United States.
The United Kingdom is party to both, and its own guidance now lists Thailand under the 1968 permit, so a British driver is issued that one. Germany and Russia are party to both as well, so ask your issuer which one it gives for Thailand.
In the United Kingdom the permit is no longer sold at Post Offices. Since April 2024 it comes from shops that offer PayPoint, over the counter, for 5.50 pounds. Check PayPoint's list of documents to bring before you go.
Carry the permit your own issuer gives you for Thailand together with your licence, because it is checked at the handover on your Phuket airport car rental and at every other pickup point on the island. Do not try to obtain a convention your country does not issue, and do not assume a permit bought online from a third party is the same document.
The permit carries its own expiry date; go by that date.
Apply for it in the weeks before you fly. The permit is checked at the handover, the last step of how a booking runs from the search to the handover, together with the licence and the payment card if the listing requires one.
You cannot obtain one after you arrive in Thailand: no counter at the airport issues them and no supplier can provide one for you. Without it, do not drive the rental car. The permit is also asked for at roadside checks, which are part of what the roads are actually like on Phuket along with the scooter traffic and the hill roads.
02
What do you show when you collect the car?
Carry both documents together, every time you drive. The permit without the home licence has no force, and the home licence without the permit is not sufficient for a foreign visitor. Keep them somewhere reachable from the driver's seat rather than in a bag in the boot.
If your licence is not in the Latin alphabet, the permit serves as its translation.
The supplier will also want your passport at collection, and on the cars that hold a deposit, the cash or card the listing asks for. The full set is passport, home licence, permit, the payment card if the listing requires one, and the deposit where one is needed. The documents have to be originals valid to the end of the rental; the conditions reject copies and licences on a phone.
03
What age and experience do you need to rent?
The minimum is 18, and at least a year has to have passed since your licence was issued. Individual cars can ask for more, and where they do it is stated on the car in the search before you book, so for a younger or recently qualified driver the choice of car, class by class is narrower.
An additional driver must be named on the agreement, must meet the same age and experience requirements, and must produce the same documents including their own International Driving Permit. Any charge for adding one is set by the supplier and shown at booking. An accident with an undeclared driver at the wheel is excluded from cover.
If you are travelling with someone who cannot produce a permit, they are a passenger for the trip.
04
What happens if you drive without one?
At a checkpoint, an on-the-spot fine. You are still without the permit after paying it, and the same check can happen twice in a day.
If you have an accident while not legally entitled to drive, the insurer may refuse to pay for the damage to the rental car.
Some suppliers decline to hand over the car at all without the permit. That is their right under the agreement.
FAQ
Questions people ask
The conventions, the documents, additional drivers and the minimum age.
Yes. Thai law requires a valid IDP carried alongside your home licence for a foreign visitor to drive legally, roadside checks on Phuket are routine, and driving without one puts your insurance cover at risk.
Thailand is a contracting party to both conventions: it is a party to the 1949 Geneva convention and, since 2020, to the 1968 Vienna one. Which you hold is decided by your own country: Ireland, Australia and the United States issue the 1949 because they are not party to the 1968; the United Kingdom is party to both and its guidance lists Thailand under the 1968; Germany and Russia are party to both, so ask your issuer which one they give for Thailand. Carry the one you are given alongside your home licence.
Thailand is a contracting party to both the 1949 and the 1968 conventions. The supplier sets its own document requirement, which is stated on the car you are booking. If your permit is the 1968 one, confirm it with the supplier at the time of booking.
No. There is no airport counter that issues them and the rental supplier cannot provide one. It has to be arranged at home before you fly.
Yes, always. The permit is a translation of your licence and has no standing on its own. Carry both together and keep them reachable from the driver's seat.
Yes, if they are going to drive at all. They must also be named on the rental agreement, with their own documents produced at collection. Any charge for adding a driver is set by the supplier and shown at booking. An accident with an undeclared driver at the wheel is excluded from cover.
Eighteen, with at least a year since your licence was issued. That is the minimum; individual vehicles set their own minimum age and experience, which may differ between two similar models, and both figures are shown on the car in the search.
Ready to pick a car?
The permit cannot be arranged in Thailand, so get it at home before you fly. Each car's listing states its document requirements.
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