How to Get an International Driving Permit (IDP) for Thailand
A practical guide to the IDP — why you need the motorcycle category, where to get one, how long it takes, and what happens if you ride without it.
An International Driving Permit — IDP — is a small booklet that translates your home driving licence into the languages of the 1949 Geneva Convention countries, including Thailand. It is not a licence on its own. It only works alongside your home licence. And for motorbikes in Thailand, the motorcycle category has to be ticked separately. That last detail is what catches most tourists out.
This guide is short on purpose: the IDP is one of those bureaucratic items where the simplest path is also the cheapest path.
Why this matters
Three independent reasons you want an IDP with the motorcycle category before you ride in Thailand:
- It's the law. Thai traffic police are entitled to ask, and an IDP with motorcycle endorsement is the only document a tourist can plausibly present.
- Police checkpoints are routine. Especially on the road between Patong and Karon, and around Pattaya's beach roads. The fine is ฿500–1,000 cash, paid on the spot. It's annoying, but not the worst part.
- Your travel insurance probably requires it. Almost every motorbike-friendly travel insurance policy says the rider must hold a "valid licence for the vehicle in the country of travel." That means an IDP with the motorcycle category. Ride without it, have an accident, and the policy will not pay.
Where to get one
You can only get an IDP in your home country, before you leave. Thailand does not issue them to tourists.
The issuing authority differs by country:
- USA: AAA or AATA, ~$20, walk-in, same day. Bring your driver's licence and two passport photos.
- UK: The AA or RAC at any major Post Office, £5.50, walk-in. You need a passport-style photo and your licence.
- Australia: AAA-affiliated state body (NRMA, RACV, RACQ, etc.), ~AUD $42, ~10 business days.
- Canada: CAA, ~CAD $25, walk-in.
- Germany: ADAC or local Bürgeramt, ~€16, walk-in.
- France: Online via ANTS, free, allow 2–6 weeks.
- EU other: Usually your national auto club; allow 1–3 weeks.
In every case, the form will ask which categories to print. You want Category A (motorcycles). If your home licence only has a car endorsement (Category B), the IDP can only mirror what your home licence allows — so you'll need to get the motorcycle endorsement on your home licence first.
The "but I rented one anyway" question
A lot of visitors rent without an IDP and never have a problem. Most days, you won't get stopped. That's how it works, until the day it doesn't. The downside isn't the police fine — it's the accident scenario. A foreigner with no IDP and no motorcycle endorsement on their home licence is, from the insurance company's perspective, an unlicensed rider. That means the policy doesn't pay, and a hospital stay in Phuket for a head injury easily runs to ฿200,000–500,000.
It's a ฿500 booklet that takes 10 minutes to apply for. Get it.
What the IDP doesn't do
The IDP is not magic. It does not:
- Override your home licence's restrictions. A car-only home licence + IDP still doesn't let you ride a motorbike.
- Cover engine sizes above what your home licence covers. UK A1 covers up to 125cc; A2 up to 35kW; A is unrestricted. The IDP just translates those restrictions.
- Last forever. The IDP is valid for one year from issue and cannot be renewed — you get a new one each year if you keep travelling.
Other paperwork
While you're sorting the IDP out, two other things to do before you fly:
- Make a colour photocopy of your passport — keep the original with you (see our safety tips) and carry the copy day-to-day. If a shop insists on a passport copy as part of the rental paperwork, the copy is what they should keep.
- Confirm your travel insurance covers the engine size you intend to ride. Most policies that say "motorbike rental" still cap at 125cc or 250cc. Read the certificate, not the marketing page.
Once you're in Thailand
Carry the IDP, your home licence, and your passport copy in a zip-bag in the seat compartment. If you're stopped, hand the officer the IDP first — it has the photo and the country translation. Be polite, smile, accept the situation. Most stops resolve in under five minutes.
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