# Can I Drive in Phuket with an Australian Licence? Page URL: https://kolesio.com/en/faq/australian-driving-licence-in-thailand/ Yes, you can drive in Phuket on an Australian state licence, provided you carry an International Driving Permit from your state motoring club and your passport with it. A digital licence on your phone does not count here, so the physical card has to travel with you, and without it the permit is worthless. **A week from 5 145 ฿ total** — economy car 735 ฿/day · crossover from 9 555 ฿ · refundable deposit from 5 000 ฿ · live search, 7 days from 2 November, pick-up in Patong. [Ask on WhatsApp: Can I Drive in Phuket with an Australian Licence?](https://kolesio.com/go/wa/?p=%2Fen%2Ffaq%2Faustralian-driving-licence-in-thailand%2F) ## In short - Card + IDP + passport — the three documents asked for together - State motoring club — where Australians get the IDP, at home - Physical card only — a licence in a phone app is not accepted - Left-hand traffic — the same side of the road as in Australia Kolesio Car Rental Phuket — car rental in Phuket. Booking and support by Kolesio on WhatsApp +66 99 647 8676. Checked 19 October. ## Short answer Thai police and the insurer read an Australian licence through the IDP. The permit restates what your state licence already allows in a format recognised abroad, and the passport ties both documents to the person behind the wheel. None of the three works alone: a permit without the card is not a licence, and a card without the permit is not enough for a visitor. ### Where Australians get the IDP The permit comes from your state motoring club, part of the AAA network, and it is arranged at home before you fly. Nobody in Phuket issues one against an Australian licence, so this errand decides the whole driving side of the trip. When it arrives, check that the name on it matches the card and the passport, because the three are compared side by side. ### The digital licence question Several states now put the licence in an app, and at home the phone replaces the plastic in your wallet. In Thailand it does not: the roadside check and our handover both need the physical card you can hold out and have copied. If the card stays in a drawer in Brisbane or Perth, plan the trip as one without a licence. ## What that means for the rental Traffic in Thailand keeps to the left, as it does at home, so the driver's seat on the right and the give-way habits feel familiar from the first metre. What changes is the mix around you: scooters filter along both sides of the car and fill every gap at the lights. Our notes on left-hand driving cover the scooter habits worth knowing before the first drive. The cars are automatic. On the hills between the west-coast beaches and in stop-start traffic around town, that leaves your attention free for the mirrors rather than the gears. A travel partner who will share the driving is added to the agreement in advance with their own card, IDP and passport. An unlisted driver at the wheel voids the insurance, even for a short run to the shop; the page what insurance is included explains where the cover stops. If your flight lands late at night, the car can still be waiting at arrivals, or we bring it to your hotel, villa or apartment at any hour: first-class commercial insurance, a refundable deposit, the total for your dates fixed in chat. Send the dates on WhatsApp or through the booking form; the car rental in Phuket page has the rest. ## Step by step Most of the work happens in Australia; the rest takes a few minutes when the car arrives. - Apply for the IDP through your state motoring club before you fly — it is not issued in Thailand - Pack the physical licence card, not only the app — the digital version is not accepted here - Check that card and permit are both in date — one without the other does not let you drive - Carry card, IDP and passport in the car together — they are checked as one set - Send the names of all drivers when you book — each one needs the same documents - Go round the car with us before signing — the state of body, tyres, air conditioning and fuel is written down - Read the sticker inside the filler flap before refuelling — a wrong grade is paid for separately ## Common mistakes Australians rarely struggle with the road itself. The trouble sits almost entirely in the paperwork. The first mistake is flying with the app and leaving the card at home. The second is skipping the IDP because driving on the left feels normal, as if the side of the road were the only rule. The third is carrying the permit while the card sits in the hotel safe: the IDP alone is not a licence. A fourth is taking an unfamiliar hill road in a tropical downpour at home speed; the surface turns slick fast and braking has to start before the bend, not in it. > Leave the physical licence behind, or let someone who is not on the agreement drive, and the insurance stops applying. A dented bumper then becomes the driver's own repair bill. ## Related questions ### Can Australians drive in Thailand on the IDP alone? No. The permit only works next to the national licence it was issued against. For the wider picture by country, see do I need an IDP to rent a car in Phuket and our driving licence rules page. ### What if I forgot the IDP? It cannot be arranged in Phuket. Taxis and Grab are the fallback, or a listed driver with the full set of documents takes the wheel. If you are still comparing options, the page how the deposit works explains what is held at handover. ### Does the permit cover everything on my licence? The IDP repeats the categories printed on your state licence and adds nothing to them. A car licence gives you a car in Phuket; a class you do not hold at home is not unlocked by the permit, and the insurance reads the documents the same way the police do. Across the Tasman, [New Zealand drivers](/en/faq/new-zealand-driving-licence-in-thailand/) have a page of their own. ## What Smartraveller says Smartraveller, the Australian Government's travel advice service, says on its Thailand page that to drive a car or motorcycle you need a valid International Driving Permit and your Australian driver's licence for the type of vehicle you are using. The same page warns that Australian digital licences may not be accepted, which is why the physical card comes with you. It also notes that riding a motorbike needs a valid motorcycle licence, so a car licence does not cover a scooter. ## Cars for this question Easy automatic cars for a first drive in Phuket: - [Toyota Vios: an economy sedan for the airport run](https://kolesio.com/en/cars/toyota-vios-rental-phuket/) - [Honda HR-V: a crossover with a higher seat and a clear view](https://kolesio.com/en/cars/honda-hr-v-rental-phuket/) - [MG 3: a city hatchback with a simple automatic](https://kolesio.com/en/cars/mg-3/) - [Nissan Note: a hatchback that is easy to drive in town](https://kolesio.com/en/cars/nissan-note-rental-phuket/) ## FAQ ### Can I use my Australian driving licence in Thailand? Yes, with an International Driving Permit from your state motoring club and your passport. The licence card on its own is not enough for a visitor. ### Where do Australians get an IDP for Thailand? From the state motoring club at home, before the trip. The permit is not issued in Thailand. ### Is a digital driver licence accepted in Phuket? No. Bring the physical card; the version in a phone app is not accepted at the roadside or at our handover. ### Is driving in Thailand hard for Australians? The side of the road is the same, so the seat position and give-way habits feel familiar. The adjustment is scooters, which pass on both sides and fill every gap at the lights. ### Can my partner drive the rental car too? Yes, once added to the agreement in advance with their own licence card, IDP and passport. An unlisted driver voids the insurance. ### What does Smartraveller say about driving in Thailand? That you need a valid International Driving Permit together with your Australian licence for the type of vehicle, and that digital licences may not be accepted. --- Source: kolesio, https://kolesio.com/en/faq/australian-driving-licence-in-thailand/. The canonical version of this page is the HTML at this address.