On this page
In short
- Do I need a licence to rent a scooter in Thailand? By law, yes: a motorbike licence. A car licence is not enough.
- Visitors also need an International Driving Permit that shows the motorbike category (A).
- Pattaya Bike Trip rents with any valid driving licence. That does not make you legal on the road.
- Without the right licence: a police fine of up to ฿2,000, and often no travel insurance.
- Helmets are the law, for rider and passenger. The fine is up to ฿2,000.
- Carry your licence, your permit, a passport copy and the rental agreement.
What the law asks for
Thai law says you need a driving licence for the kind of vehicle you drive (Motor Vehicle Act, section 42).
A scooter is a motorbike in Thai law, whatever its engine size. So you need a motorbike licence. A car licence does not cover a scooter.
A visitor is legal with one of these:
- A motorbike licence from your own country and an International Driving Permit that shows the motorbike category.
- A motorbike licence from another ASEAN country. No permit is needed.
- A Thai motorbike licence.
This is for visitors. If you live in Thailand, get a Thai licence.
How long a visitor may ride on a foreign licence is not clear. Sources say 60 days, 90 days or the length of your stay. We found no official text that settles it. Staying longer than two months? Ask the Department of Land Transport.
The International Driving Permit
The International Driving Permit is a small booklet that translates your licence. It only works together with your national licence. Carry both.
Get it in your own country before you travel. You cannot get one in Thailand.
The motorbike category. An International Driving Permit for Thailand must cover the motorbike you ride. Check that category A is stamped. A permit with only category B (cars) does not cover a scooter.
Category A1 covers bikes up to 125 cc only. Many rental scooters are 150 or 160 cc.
Which version. There are two: the 1949 Geneva Convention permit (valid 1 year) and the 1968 Vienna Convention permit (valid up to 3 years). Thailand is a party to both. It ratified the 1968 convention on 1 May 2020, and it has applied since 1 May 2021. Take the version your country issues. The UK government tells its drivers to bring the 1968 version.
ASEAN licences. Thailand recognises licences from the other ASEAN countries for a temporary stay, for the vehicle classes on the licence (1985 ASEAN agreement). No permit is needed.
Under the 1968 convention, a national licence in the convention’s format should be recognised without a permit. In practice Thai police and insurers ask for the permit, and the British, Dutch and Australian governments tell their citizens to carry it. Carry both.
What Pattaya Bike Trip accepts
At the counter, Pattaya Bike Trip asks for a valid driving licence from any country. A car licence is accepted.
Honda X-ADV 750: we ask for a full motorbike licence, not a scooter-only licence.
We photograph your passport and your licence at pick-up. You keep both.
A shop renting you a bike does not make you legal on the road. Holding the right licence is your responsibility.
If you rent with a car licence only, you ride without a valid licence under Thai law. Police fines are yours to pay, and your travel insurance may refuse a claim.
All our rules: Rental terms.
Police fines
Riding without a valid licence: the Motor Vehicle Act (section 64) sets a fine of up to ฿1,000. The same section allows up to one month in prison.
A licence for the wrong kind of vehicle counts as no licence.
Not showing your licence when police ask: a fine of up to ฿1,000 (section 66).
What you pay at a checkpoint varies. Police may fine you up to ฿2,000 on one stop.
Paying a fine does not make you legal. You can be stopped again.
Ask for the receipt.
Helmets
The helmet is the law in Thailand, for the rider and the passenger (Land Traffic Act, section 122).
The fine is up to ฿2,000. It was raised from ฿500 on 5 September 2022.
A rider who carries a passenger without a helmet can be fined double.
Police have enforced this strictly across the country since 1 June 2025. Fasten the strap: an open helmet protects nobody.
Police checkpoints
Checkpoints are common in tourist towns. Police mostly check the helmet and the licence. They also test for alcohol.
Carry these every time you ride:
- Your national driving licence, the original.
- Your International Driving Permit.
- A copy or photo of your passport: the photo page.
- Your rental agreement. It shows the bike is rented.
Stop when you are asked to. Stay calm and polite. Show your papers.
Never ride after drinking.
Insurance and your licence
Every bike we rent has the compulsory Thai insurance, Por Ror Bor (พ.ร.บ.), and nothing more.
Por Ror Bor pays medical costs for people hurt in a road accident, up to the legal limits: ฿30,000 at first, up to ฿80,000 in total. A serious accident costs far more.
It does not pay for damage to the bike, for theft, or for damage to another vehicle.
Travel insurance usually refuses a claim if you ride without the correct licence. Most policies ask for a motorbike licence that is valid at home and in Thailand, and a helmet. Many set an engine size limit.
The UK government’s travel advice says it plainly: riding in Thailand without a valid licence could invalidate your travel insurance.
Read the motorbike part of your travel insurance before you ride.
Last checked
We checked these facts on 1 October 2026. Rules and fines change. Competing websites often disagree, so we name our sources.
This page is information, not legal advice. Read your own government’s travel advice before you travel.