Guest Posted May 28, 2001 Report Share Posted May 28, 2001 Greetings- I will be staying in Thailand for about a month, and will be renting a car while there. As the subject heading suggests, do I need an international license, or will my license from Japan do the trick(as I no longer hold a U.S. license)? Cheers. Drew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samak Posted May 28, 2001 Report Share Posted May 28, 2001 if you rent from an international company, there is a probability, that they will ask to see the international license. the local company just ask for the cash.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 28, 2001 Report Share Posted May 28, 2001 That's an interesting point. How do you go about getting an international licence anyway? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted May 29, 2001 Report Share Posted May 29, 2001 It's sort of strange. I was in Phuket with a friend a few years ago and the rental agency would not accept his international licence or UK licence. But I had a Thai licence, which they accepted. So I drove the jeep off the lot and couple of miles away. Then I moved over and let him drive after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 29, 2001 Report Share Posted May 29, 2001 Greetings- Thanks for the reply. I will go ahead and get one, to play it safe, although renting in Pattaya, I have a feeling it will most definitely be "cash and carry." To answer another poster's question, they can generally be picked up at any auto club, like AAA in the States. In Japan, it is the JAF. In Japan, one can drive on an int.l license for 1 year, and then face a 1,000 U.S. fine if caught after the expiration date. Recently, they changed the law back again to not worrying about the date. I guess their intention was to help stem the flow of Japanese people from picking up a U.S. license while in the states, and then transferring it into a Japanese license when coming back. They did this roundabout procedure to save yen, as it can be 3,000 U.S. dollars and upwards to drive here(you must go through a very expensive driving school before one can take the test). Ah, life in Japan.....but I digress. Cheers. Drew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatbastard Posted May 30, 2001 Report Share Posted May 30, 2001 Play it safe by all means, but you don't need a IDL !! I have rented and owned cars here for 12 years and use my Aust Driving licence. At the moment I ride a 1100cc motor bike every day, it sticks out like dogs balls amonst the Honda Dreams and Tenas etc so get checked a bit, cops always been happy to accept the Aust Drivers licence but could be a libary card for all they know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALHOLK Posted May 30, 2001 Report Share Posted May 30, 2001 Hi! Fatbastard AFAIK the IDL is a legal requirement. A national drivers licence will work fine until you are involved in an accident and then you ar fucked. regards ALHOLK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samak Posted May 30, 2001 Report Share Posted May 30, 2001 quote: Originally posted by ALHOLK: Hi! Fatbastard AFAIK the IDL is a legal requirement. A national drivers licence will work fine until you are involved in an accident and then you ar fucked. you are fucked anyway if you are involved in an accident in thailand whether you have a IDL or not.... regards ALHOLK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene1944 Posted May 30, 2001 Report Share Posted May 30, 2001 quote: Originally posted by samak: if you rent from an international company, there is a probability, that they will ask to see the international license. the local company just ask for the cash.... I called Avis and Hertz in Bangkok about a month ago to inquire about whether a US Drivers license was enough to rent a car. They said no problem with just a US Drivers license but do not know about Japanese DL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palatkik Posted May 30, 2001 Report Share Posted May 30, 2001 quote: Originally posted by gene1944: I called Avis They said no problem with just a US Drivers license but do not know about Japanese DL. I usually use Avis every couple months - they never request and International license. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.