Driving in Thailand With a UK Licence

Yes — but not on its own. A British photocard licence needs the 1968 version of the International Driving Permit with it, and you have to buy the permit before you leave the UK. It costs £5.50, takes about ten minutes over a shop counter, and is the cheapest piece of paperwork described anywhere on this site.

What an IDP actually is, and how Thailand treats foreign licences generally, are covered in the full IDP guide and in which licence Thailand recognises. This page is only the British answer: which booklet, where it is sold now, what your photocard does and does not entitle you to, and what the Foreign Office says.

• Convention that appliesThe 1968 Vienna Convention — Thailand and the UK are both parties to it
• Booklet you needThe 1968 IDP, not the 1949 one
• How long it lastsThree years from issue, or until your UK licence expires, whichever comes first
• Where to get itIn person in the UK, at a shop with a PayPoint terminal, £5.50

Why the British answer is 1968 and the American answer is not

Thailand is a party to both United Nations road traffic conventions — the 1949 Geneva one since 1962, and the 1968 Vienna one since 1 May 2021. The UK ratified the 1968 Convention in March 2018. Because both countries are parties to it, the 1968 Convention governs between them and the 1968 permit is the one that matches. GOV.UK's own country table says the same thing in one word: against Thailand, it prints 1968.

That is also why an American or Australian reader will be told to get a 1949 booklet and will be right. Their countries never joined the 1968 Convention, so Thailand's older obligation to them still stands. Different nationality, different booklet, both correct.

Where you buy one now — this has changed

For years the answer was "your local Post Office". That is no longer right. Since April 2024 Post Office branches have stopped issuing International Driving Permits, and GOV.UK now directs applicants to shops carrying a PayPoint terminal — typically convenience stores rather than anything that looks like a government office. The fee is £5.50 and you walk out with the booklet.

You need a valid Great Britain or Northern Ireland driving licence to be issued one. Take the photocard, a passport-style photograph and the money. And note GOV.UK's flat instruction about timing: "You cannot buy an IDP outside the UK, so get one before you travel." There is no counter at Suvarnabhumi and no Thai office that will issue you a British permit. The websites selling "international driving licences" as instant PDFs are not issuing anything a Thai police officer or a claims handler is obliged to look at.

What your photocard actually entitles you to

An IDP is a translation, not an entitlement. Article 41(5) of the Convention is explicit that an international permit is issued only to the holder of a domestic one and dies with it. Everything you may drive in Thailand comes from what is printed on the back of your photocard, and nothing else.

For most British readers that means category B — cars. It does not mean motorcycles. Categories AM, A1, A2 and A are separate entitlements, and if none of them appears on your card then you have no motorcycle entitlement to translate; the permit will simply be issued without category A.

This catches British visitors constantly, because the machine in question is usually a 110cc or 125cc automatic that feels like a bicycle with an engine. Thailand closed the last theoretical gap here: when it joined the 1968 Convention it declared under Article 54(2) that it treats mopeds as motorcycles. There is no lighter "it's only a moped" tier. A car-only licence does not cover a 110cc scooter, whatever the rental shop says and whether or not anyone checks. Our guide to the Thai motorbike licence and engine sizes goes through the categories properly.

Two smaller points. If a hire company wants proof of your entitlements, the DVLA "share driving licence" service produces a check code. And if you hold a digital licence in a phone wallet, carry the plastic anyway — a digital document depends entirely on the person in front of you recognising it, and at a rural checkpoint that is not a bet worth making.

What the Foreign Office says

The Thailand travel advice is unusually specific about driving. Its key lines: "You'll need to carry both the 1968 version of the international driving permit (IDP) and your UK driving licence while driving." On hire vehicles: "Motorcycles and scooters for hire in tourist areas are often unregistered and cannot be used legally on a public road." And on the small print: "Before you hire a vehicle, make sure your travel insurance covers you and check the small print of the lease agreement, paying particular attention to any limits on engine size and necessary licences."

If you are staying longer than a holiday

Article 41(6) of the Convention lets a country decline to recognise a foreign permit held by someone who normally lives there. That is the real reason long-stayers stop relying on the British licence and go and get a Thai one, rather than any fixed number of days. If Thailand has become where you live, how to get a Thai driving licence sets out the process.

Frequently asked questions