Fines in Phuket: What You Get Stopped For and What It Costs
The police in Phuket stop drivers regularly, and most fines tourists collect are for the same thing — no international driving permit. Here is what people actually get fined for, how a check works, what to do with a ticket, and which offences go far beyond a fine.
Обновлено 10 сентября 2026 г.
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Speed cameras stand on the straight stretches: on the road from the airport, on the bypass at Thalang, on the highway to Chalong. Limits change often, the signs are small, and the habit of going with the flow does not save you here — the flow is speeding too.
Parking is a story of its own. In Patong, along the seafront and on the side streets in the centre, the kerb markings mean specific rules: a red and white kerb means no parking, and the tow truck arrives without warning. Getting the car back from the pound costs more time and money than finding a paid space.
A fine can be paid at the district police station or through a 7-Eleven using the ticket number. If the notice reaches the rental company after you have left, they will take the amount from the deposit or send you an invoice by messenger.
How to avoid collecting fines: keep to the speed on the sign rather than the speed of the traffic, do not cross a solid line on a climb, and do not leave the car anywhere there are no other cars parked. An empty convenient space in a tourist area almost always means it is forbidden.
When you collect the car, photograph the odometer and the fuel level, and do the same on return. That removes half the disputes that later surface along with the fines.
What people are fined for most
First place by a wide margin: driving without an international permit. A national licence alone has no force in Thailand, and as far as the police are concerned you are driving with no licence at all.
Second: no helmet on a scooter. It is checked by eye and fined on the spot, with no discussion.
Speed and cameras
Speed is enforced by cameras and checkpoints. A speeding ticket goes to the rental company, because the car is registered to it, and is then passed on to the renter. Ignoring such tickets makes no sense — they are attached to the car, not to you personally.
After that come the smaller things that still get noticed: stopping on yellow and white markings, using a phone at the wheel, an unfastened seatbelt.
How a document check works
There are checkpoints on the roads out of the beach areas and on the main roads. They stop people selectively, more often scooters and cars with tourists. They ask for the licence and the vehicle documents.
With an international permit the check takes a minute. Without one, a fine is written out and paid on the spot or at the station.
How to behave
Calmly and politely, handing over documents when asked. Arguing, raising your voice or trying to drive off is the worst possible strategy: it turns an everyday situation into a serious one.
СоветKeep the international permit in the car, not in the hotel safe. The most annoying fine is the one you get when you do have the licence, but it is in your room twenty minutes away.
What happens to the fine afterwards
A fine written on the spot is closed by paying it and that is the end of it. Keep the receipt until the end of the rental.
A camera ticket goes to the owner of the vehicle, that is the rental company, with a delay of several weeks. In those cases we contact the renter and pass on the details — the amount and the place are on the ticket.
If the ticket arrives after you have left
It happens: the camera caught you in the last days of the rental and the ticket arrived later. It is settled remotely, with no consequences whatsoever for entering the country.
Offences that cost far more than any fine
Alcohol at the wheel is not an administrative matter but a criminal one. That means an actual arrest rather than a ticket, and no insurance works afterwards. The limit is zero, with no exceptions and no one beer with dinner.
Leaving the scene of an accident turns the situation from an insurance claim into a criminal case, even if you were not at fault.
Driving without a licence when there is an accident
Formally it is the same fine. But in an accident, no licence means the insurance does not apply: repairs to the car, damage to other people property and the treatment of anyone injured are on you. The difference between a fine and the cost of the damage is the difference between a nuisance and a ruined trip.
ВажноBefore your trip, check that the right category is open on your international permit: B for a car, A for a scooter. The mark is on the page of pictograms.
Частые вопросы
What are tourists in Phuket fined for most often?
For driving without an international permit. A national licence alone has no force in Thailand, and the police treat it as driving without a licence.
Do they really check documents?
Yes, checkpoints stand on the roads out of the beach areas and on the main roads, and they stop people selectively. With an international permit the check takes a minute.
Where does a camera ticket go?
To the owner of the vehicle, that is the rental company, with a delay of several weeks. It is then passed on to the renter with the amount and the place.
What happens over a glass of wine with dinner?
In Thailand alcohol at the wheel is a criminal offence with an actual arrest, not a fine. The limit is zero.
What if the ticket arrives after I have left?
It is settled remotely and has no effect whatsoever on entering the country in future.
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