No — and unlike every other page in this series, the answer does not end with "get an International Driving Permit". A mainland Chinese driving licence cannot be used in Thailand, and there is no Chinese IDP to pair with it, because the People's Republic of China is not a party to either of the United Nations road traffic conventions. There is nothing for Thailand to recognise, and nothing a Chinese licence holder can buy at home to fix it.

The machinery behind that conclusion — what a permit is, and how Thailand recognises foreign licences at all — is set out in the full IDP guide and which licence Thailand recognises. This page explains why China falls outside it, where Hong Kong and Macao differ, and what a Chinese visitor's realistic options actually are.

What the depositary record actually shows

The United Nations Treaty Collection keeps the authoritative list of parties to both conventions, and it is worth being precise here, because a great deal of published advice is vague.

The 1949 Geneva Convention's participant list contains no entry for China. What it does contain, in the notes, is the record of two territories: the United Kingdom had extended the Convention to Hong Kong and Portugal had extended it to Macao, and on resuming sovereignty in 1997 and 1999 the Chinese government notified the Secretary-General that the Convention would continue to apply to the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions. The same notes record that the PRC regards the 1957 accession made in the name of "China" by the Taiwan authorities as null and void.

The 1968 Vienna Convention's participant list contains no Chinese entry at all — only a footnote recording a 1969 signature made on behalf of the Republic of China, never followed by ratification. So the conventions run in Hong Kong and Macao, and not in the mainland.

Why that leaves no route at all

Thailand recognises foreign driving entitlements in two ways. Under the 1968 Convention, a contracting party must recognise a domestic permit or an international permit issued by another contracting party. Under Thai domestic law, the Motor Vehicle Act's provision on foreign licences turns on there being a treaty between Thailand and the foreign government on mutual acceptance of driving licences.

A mainland Chinese licence satisfies neither. China is not a contracting party to either convention, so the treaty route is closed; and we could not find an official Thai or Chinese source establishing a bilateral driving licence agreement. There are claims online of a mutual arrangement — none verifiable from a government source, so do not travel on the strength of them.

Neon shop signs in Chinese and Thai script above a busy Bangkok street after dark
Mario Scheibl / Unsplash

Hong Kong and Macao are genuinely different

If your licence is a Hong Kong one rather than a mainland one, you are in a completely different position and the rest of this site's advice applies to you normally. The Hong Kong Transport Department issues an International Driving Permit under the 1949 Convention. The fee is reported at HK$580 and the permit runs for one year from issue. You must hold a valid full Hong Kong driving licence — one expired not more than three years is also accepted — and probationary licence holders are not eligible.

A Hong Kong permit is therefore a 1949 booklet, and 1949 is the right convention for Thailand in relations with a 1949-only jurisdiction, exactly as it is for an American or an Australian. Carry the Hong Kong licence with it; a permit is never a licence on its own. Macao's position is the same in principle; check the current procedure with the Macao authorities before you travel.

What a mainland licence holder can actually do

There are three honest options, and one non-option.

Do not drive. This is not a defeatist answer for Thailand. Grab covers the cities and most tourist areas, metered taxis are cheap, and a car with a driver removes the entire problem — including the risk. Driving yourself or taking Grab in Thailand sets out where each option wins.

Get a Thai licence. This is the real route, and it is a long-stay proposition rather than a holiday one. The Department of Land Transport issues a temporary private car or motorcycle licence valid for two years, replaced on renewal by a five-year one. A foreign applicant needs a passport with the visa page and latest entry stamp, a residence certificate, a medical certificate, photographs and the application form — and both certificates must have been issued within the last thirty days. There are theory and aptitude tests. How to get a Thai driving licence walks through it.

One caution. The Department of Land Transport was reported in 2025 as consulting on a change under which a foreign licence or international permit would no longer be accepted as supporting evidence for a Thai licence application, with all foreign applicants sitting the written test. That was a draft under consultation when reported, and practice varies by office, so treat it as a reason to check your own DLT office's current requirements rather than as a settled rule.

Hold a licence from somewhere else. If you also hold a licence from a country that is party to one of the conventions, that is what you should travel on, together with the permit issued by that country.

The non-option: buying an "international driving permit" from a website. There is a large online trade in documents sold as international driving licences to people from countries that cannot obtain a real one, aimed squarely at this situation. They are not convention documents, are not issued by any authority, and carry no standing whatsoever — not at a Thai checkpoint, not at a rental counter, and above all not in an insurance claim. Driving without a recognised entitlement puts you outside your travel insurance in a country where a serious motorcycle injury means a private hospital bill and possibly an air ambulance. Riding without a licence in Thailand sets out what that costs.

The other thing worth knowing before you consider a scooter

Even for visitors who do have a valid entitlement, Thailand draws a hard line between cars and two wheels: car and motorcycle licences are separate documents, both conventions carry motorcycles as one undivided category A, and Thailand declared on joining the 1968 Convention that it treats mopeds as motorcycles. A car entitlement never covers a 110cc scooter. Rental shops in tourist areas frequently rent scooters without checking anything at all — widely reported, and it does not change the legal or insurance position by a millimetre. See the Thai motorbike licence and engine sizes.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use my Chinese licence with a translation?

A translation does not create an entitlement. The 1968 Convention's provision about a domestic permit with a certified translation applies between contracting parties, and mainland China is not one. A notarised translation may make a rental company comfortable, which is not the same as making you legal.

Is there a China–Thailand agreement on driving licences?

We could not verify one from any official source. Claims of a mutual arrangement circulate online; none of the sources we found were governmental. Until there is an official statement, do not plan a trip around it.

My licence is from Hong Kong. Same position?

No — a much better one. The 1949 Convention applies in Hong Kong, and the Transport Department issues a 1949 permit against a full Hong Kong licence. Get one before you travel and carry it with the licence.

What happens if I drive anyway?

The roadside penalty is small — a statutory maximum of around ฿1,000. What matters is insurance and liability: after a collision, an uninsured foreign driver carries the cost of the other vehicle, the injuries and whatever is settled at the scene.

Can I hire a car with a driver instead?

Yes, and for many visitors it is the better answer regardless of paperwork. A car and driver for a day trip is a normal service in every Thai tourist region, and it removes both the licensing problem and the risk of driving on unfamiliar roads on the left.