Can I Drive in Phuket with an EU Licence?
You can drive a rental car in Phuket on a licence from any EU country, provided an International Driving Permit issued in that same country and your passport travel with it. The pink EU card is valid across Europe, but Thailand is not in Europe and not every European licence is equal here: outside ASEAN, the card needs the permit. For most EU drivers the second change is the road, since Thailand keeps left.
Updated 2 October
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Is an EU driving licence valid in Thailand?
Valid with a permit, not without one. Inside the EU your card works everywhere, which makes it easy to assume the same abroad. Thailand, though, only takes licences by themselves from ASEAN countries. Everyone else, EU drivers included, carries an International Driving Permit next to the card.
The permit is not an EU document. Each country issues its own, through the authority or automobile club that handles licences there, and only for licences it issued. A Spanish licence needs a Spanish permit; an Italian one, an Italian permit. Moved from one EU country to another and swapped your licence? The permit comes from whichever country printed the card you now hold.
Country pages
For the most common cases we go into detail on the German licence in Thailand, the French licence in Thailand and the Dutch licence in Thailand. The rule underneath is the same for every member state.
What that means for renting a car
At handover every driver shows the card, the permit and the passport, and is named in the agreement. Drivers must be 21 or older with a year of experience; premium cars and large SUVs need 23. A driver who is not on the agreement is not insured, which matters on a holiday where partners share the wheel.
Every car we deliver is an automatic, and for drivers from right-hand countries that is half the adjustment solved: the left hand only steers. The indicator usually moves to the right stalk, so the first turn tends to start the wipers.
Whichever European airport you started from, the car can wait at the Phuket terminal exit or be brought to your hotel or villa at any hour. First-class commercial insurance is included, the deposit of 5,000–30,000 ฿, depending on the model, comes back with the car, and one total for your dates is agreed in chat. Tell us the dates and the drivers in the chat, or book through the form.
Categories, the permit and what we check at handover: driving licence rules in Thailand.
ImportantA permit from one EU country does not cover a licence from another, and neither document works alone. Carry the card with the matching permit, or the car cannot be driven legally and the rental insurance does not apply.
What changes on the road for European drivers?
Most of you switch sides. You sit on the right, keep left, look right first when pulling out, and go round roundabouts clockwise, giving way to traffic already on them from the right. Drivers from Ireland, Malta and Cyprus skip this part, since they already keep left at home.
Speeds are modest: 80 km/h in towns, 90 outside and 100 on divided roads with two lanes each way, with any lower sign taking priority. Thai law draws the alcohol line at 50 mg% (20 mg% for temporary licences); the rental insurance draws it at zero.
The part no European road prepares you for is the density of scooters. They pass on both sides and treat the road edge as a lane, so check both mirrors before every turn.
- Get the IDP in the country that issued your card — it is not issued in Thailand
- Match the permit to the licence — one country for both
- Bring the physical card — a digital licence on a phone is not accepted here
- Name every driver in the agreement — an unlisted driver is uninsured
- Keep card, permit and agreement in the glovebox — checkpoints ask for all three
A calm first drive
After a long-haul flight, the first kilometres on the left are best done rested and in daylight. The airport is at the northern end of the island, and the wide central road south has traffic lights and few bends, unlike the coast road that climbs over the hills above the bays.
Heavy rain arrives quickly. In the first minutes the tarmac turns slick as oil rises, so slow down, double the gap and let the worst pass before a hill descent.
Parking works differently too. There are few pay-and-display machines and plenty of kerb colours: red and white means no parking at all, yellow and white is for a short stop, and cars left on the beach roads of Patong or Kata in the evening are towed. Hotel car parks and shopping centres are the stress-free option, and shade beats proximity in this heat.
What do police ask for?
The licence and the permit first, then the rental agreement that ties you to the car. Keep the originals together and a stop is short. A forgotten permit cannot be fixed on the spot; the only fix is at home, before the trip.
Irish licences and the NDLS permit
Among EU licences, an Irish licence has the shortest adjustment on the road, because Ireland keeps left like Thailand. The paperwork is its own: in Ireland the 1949 Convention IDP comes from the National Driving Licence Service, by appointment, issued on the day and valid for one year. The details are on the page about the Irish licence in Thailand.
Cars for this question
Easy automatic cars for a first drive in Phuket:
Common questions
Is my EU driving licence enough to rent a car in Phuket?
No. Thailand accepts licences on their own only from ASEAN countries, so an EU card needs an International Driving Permit and your passport alongside it.
Where do I get the IDP for an EU licence?
In the EU country that issued your licence, through the authority or automobile club that handles licences there. It cannot be obtained in Thailand.
I live in Spain but my licence is Italian. Which permit do I need?
An Italian one. The permit must come from the country that issued the card you drive on.
Do Irish drivers find Phuket easier?
On the side of the road, yes. Ireland, Malta and Cyprus keep left like Thailand, so only the traffic around the car is new.
What is the speed limit for cars in Phuket?
Eighty km/h in towns, 90 outside them and 100 on divided roads with two lanes each way. A lower posted sign always applies.
Can two of us share the driving?
Yes, if both of you are named in the agreement with your own card, permit and passport. Add the second driver when you book.
Write to us — we will find the right car
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