Can I Drive in Phuket with a Japanese Licence?
A Japanese licence is accepted for renting and driving in Phuket, on one condition: an International Driving Permit and your passport go everywhere with it. Japan is not an ASEAN member and the card is printed in Japanese, so the permit is what makes it valid and readable here, and it must be issued in Japan before the trip. The part that is easy for Japanese drivers is the road: Thailand keeps left, just like home.
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Is a Japanese licence accepted in Thailand?
With a permit, yes. Without one, no. Thailand accepts ASEAN licences by themselves, and Japan is outside that group, so your card needs an International Driving Permit next to it.
Why does it matter so much for Japanese drivers in particular? The licence is written in Japanese. A Thai officer at a checkpoint cannot read it, and neither can an insurance assessor after a scrape. The IDP carries the same details in a standard format, and that is precisely its job.
Get it in Japan
The permit is issued at home, through the licence authorities of your prefecture. It cannot be arranged in Phuket at any price. We would much rather you read this before booking the flight than at the arrivals exit, with the car keys in our hand.
What that means for the rental
Here is the easy part. Traffic keeps left, the wheel is on the right, the indicator and wiper stalks are usually where you expect them. Japanese drivers skip the day or two that Europeans spend getting used to the mirror image.
Our cars are automatics, which will also feel normal. The rental age is 21 with one year of experience, and 23 for the premium class and large SUVs. Each person who will drive is written into the contract with their own three documents, since insurance does not follow a driver who is missing from it.
Arriving from Tokyo or Osaka, you can pick the car up at the terminal or have it delivered to the hotel or villa at any time. First-class commercial insurance is included, a deposit from 5,000–30,000 ฿, depending on the model, is refunded on return, and the price for your dates is confirmed in chat beforehand. Contact us in the chat with your dates and driver names, or use the booking form.
ImportantThe IDP only counts together with the Japanese card. If the licence stays at home, driving in Thailand is not legal and the rental insurance does not apply, even with a valid permit in your hand.
What is different from driving in Japan?
Not the side of the road. The difference is the traffic around you. Scooters overtake on both sides, filter to the front at every light and appear in the mirror where no car would fit, and lane discipline is looser than you are used to. Check both mirrors before every turn and leave space.
Maximum speeds are set in three steps: 80 km/h in towns, 90 in open country, 100 on divided four-lane roads. Posted lower limits apply first. On Phuket's hill roads you will seldom reach 60 anyway.
Thai law allows 50 mg% of alcohol (20 on a temporary licence), while rental insurance allows none. The simplest rule is the Japanese one: if you drink, you do not drive.
- Get the IDP in Japan before the trip — it is not issued in Thailand
- Carry the original Japanese card — the permit is only valid next to it
- Name every driver on the agreement — an unlisted driver is uninsured
- Watch for scooters on both sides — they fill any gap in traffic
- Keep licence, IDP and agreement in the car — checkpoints ask for all three
Where should the first drive go?
Since the side of the road is familiar, the first drive is mostly about the island. From the terminal at the island's northern end, the inland highway is the straightforward route south, and the scenic west coast road with its climbs can come later. Hill descents are steep, so use the low position on the gear selector rather than riding the brake.
Heavy rain changes the roads fast. In the first minutes, oil lifts off the tarmac and stopping distances grow, so slow down and double the gap. At night most hill roads are unlit, which makes a first evening drive worth postponing.
Parking is the other adjustment. In high season Patong and Kata beach bays are full early, red and white kerb paint forbids parking, and cars left there in the evening get towed. Shopping centre car parks and your hotel's own spaces are the calm options, and shade matters more than distance: a car left in the sun for an hour needs a few minutes of full air conditioning before it is comfortable again.
What happens at a police checkpoint?
The officer will want your card and the IDP together, and then the rental paperwork. With the three together in the glovebox the stop is short. If the permit is missing, there is nothing to fix at the roadside.
Keeping left is not the whole story
Japanese drivers share more with Irish ones than the side of the road. Both countries keep left, and both arrive in Phuket with a permit from home next to the licence card: an Irish licence, for instance, comes with a 1949 Convention IDP from the NDLS. The familiar side of the road does not replace that paperwork.
Cars for this question
Easy automatic cars for a first drive in Phuket:
Common questions
Can I rent a car in Phuket with only a Japanese licence?
No. Japan is not in ASEAN, so you also need an International Driving Permit and your passport. The permit is issued in Japan before the trip.
Why is the IDP so important for a Japanese licence?
Because the card is printed in Japanese. The permit carries the same details in a standard format that police and insurers here can read.
Do they drive on the left in Phuket?
Yes, as in Japan, with the steering wheel on the right. Most Japanese drivers feel at home on the first day.
Can I get an International Driving Permit in Thailand?
No. It is issued only by the country that issued your licence, so it must be arranged in Japan.
What is the drink-driving limit in Thailand?
Fifty mg% for most drivers and 20 mg% on a temporary licence. The rental insurance, however, does not cover a driver who has drunk anything.
What deposit is taken for a rental car?
A refundable deposit of 5,000–30,000 ฿, depending on the model. It is held at handover and returned when the car comes back.