Can I Drive in Phuket with a New Zealand Licence?
Yes, a New Zealand licence lets you rent and drive a car in Phuket once an International Driving Permit from the AA and your passport go with it. New Zealand sits outside ASEAN, so the card alone is not enough in Thailand, and the permit can only be issued at home. Kiwis get one thing for free: traffic here keeps left, exactly as in New Zealand.
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Ask on WhatsApp: Can I Drive in Phuket with a New Zealand Licence?
Do New Zealanders need an IDP in Thailand?
Yes. It surprises people, because the NZ card is in English and looks perfectly readable. But the rule in Thailand isn't about language: licences from ASEAN countries are accepted as they are, and every other licence travels with an International Driving Permit.
In New Zealand you get the permit from the AA. Do it before you fly. Phuket can't issue one, and every season we meet someone at arrivals who assumed the plastic card would cover it.
Three documents, not two
The set is licence, IDP and passport, for every person who will drive. The permit is only a translation of your card, so it is worthless if the card stays in Auckland, and the card alone doesn't count here either.
What that means for renting a car
Drivers must be 21 or older with at least a year of driving, and 23 for premium cars and large SUVs. Every driver goes on the agreement by name with their own papers. An unlisted friend at the wheel voids the insurance, however short the drive.
Our cars are automatics, and with the wheel on the right and traffic on the left, the controls will feel normal from the first minute. The difference from home is what surrounds the car, not the car itself.
It's a long haul from Auckland, so we can meet the flight at the terminal, or drop the car at your hotel or villa once you've slept. First-class commercial insurance is included, the deposit is 5,000–30,000 ฿, depending on the model, and refundable, and the total gets locked in over chat. Flick us the dates and who's driving in the chat, or fill in the booking form.
ImportantAn AA permit is not a licence. Without the New Zealand card with you, driving in Thailand is not legal, and the first-class commercial insurance included with the rental stops covering you.
What is different from driving at home?
Scooters, above everything. Expect them on your left and your right at once, squeezing to the head of every queue and hugging the road edge. A glance in each mirror before every turn becomes second nature within a day.
You're looking at 80 km/h in towns and 90 on the open road, with 100 reserved for divided highways that have two lanes each way. Lower signs trump the lot. On the hills between Phuket's bays you'll rarely see 60 on the dial.
The legal blood alcohol limit is 50 mg%, dropping to 20 on a temporary licence; for your rental cover, though, even one drink is too many. Plan the evening around a taxi and leave the car at the hotel.
- Get the IDP from the AA before you fly — it is not issued in Thailand
- Bring the plastic licence card — the permit only works next to it
- Put every driver on the agreement — an unlisted driver has no insurance
- Look in both mirrors before every turn — scooters overtake on either side
- Keep licence, IDP and agreement in the glovebox — checkpoints ask for all three
What do Phuket's roads feel like to a Kiwi driver?
Familiar in shape, different in detail. The island is hilly, and the roads over the passes between the beaches wind like a smaller version of the roads back home, with steep descents where the brakes heat up if you ride them. Use the low position on the gear selector going down.
Rain arrives fast and hard. In the first minutes the tarmac turns slick as oil comes to the surface, so slow down and double the gap. At night most hill roads are unlit, and scooters sometimes run without a rear light, so a first drive is better done in daylight.
Roundabouts give way to the right, as at home, so they will feel natural. Parking is the one real puzzle: beach spaces go early in high season, and a red and white kerb means no parking at all.
Where is a good first drive from the airport?
The terminal is at the northern end of the island. If you're heading south after a long flight, the main road through the middle of Phuket is the calm choice: wide lanes, traffic lights, few bends. The west coast road is prettier and shorter on the map, but it climbs and drops over several passes above the bays.
Before you pull away, find the lights and the wipers while the car is still parked, and put the address into the map app. Then take it easy for the first afternoon; the island is small, and nothing on it is far enough away to be worth hurrying for.
What happens at a police check?
The officer asks for the licence and the IDP, then the rental agreement. Hand them over together and the stop is short. A missing permit can't be sorted at the roadside, which is why the AA visit before the trip is the one step you can't skip.
Other keep-left licences
New Zealand shares left-hand traffic with Thailand, the UK and Ireland, but each country issues its own permit, and only that permit goes with its licence. An Irish licence, for example, travels with a 1949 Convention IDP from the Irish NDLS; a New Zealand licence travels with the permit issued in New Zealand.
Cars for this question
Easy automatic cars for a first drive in Phuket:
Common questions
Is a New Zealand licence valid in Thailand?
Only together with an International Driving Permit and your passport. New Zealand is not an ASEAN country, so the card alone does not cover driving here.
Where do New Zealanders get an International Driving Permit?
From the AA, before the trip. It is issued only in the country that issued your licence, so it cannot be arranged in Thailand.
Do they drive on the left in Thailand like in New Zealand?
Yes. The wheel is on the right and traffic keeps left, so the basic layout is the same as at home.
My licence is in English. Do I still need the IDP?
Yes. The rule in Thailand depends on ASEAN membership, not on the language of the card.
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 on the agreement with your own licence, IDP and passport. Add the second driver before the trip.