Driving in Thailand as an American
Thailand drives on the left, and a US license alone isn't accepted. Get your IDP from AAA before you fly.
If you're planning to rent a car in Thailand, two facts shape the trip. Thailand drives on the left. And your US driver's license isn't accepted on its own.
Both are easy to sort out before you fly. One is paperwork. The other takes practice.
Which side of the road Thailand drives on
Thailand drives on the left. The cars are right-hand drive, so you sit on the right, with most of the car on your left.
The car itself is the easier part. The pedals and the gear pattern are where they are at home. Your seat, your shifting hand and possibly the turn signal are not. Our post on driving a right-hand-drive car for the first time walks through ten minutes in the rental lot that sorts all of it.
Your US license isn't enough on its own
The U.S. Embassy in Thailand puts it plainly: "An international driving license is accepted as long as it is valid, but a foreign license is not accepted in Thailand."
Thailand's own embassy says an international license is required by law, for cars and for motorcycles. When you're asked, you show it together with your passport and your home license.
So carry three things whenever you drive:
- your International Driving Permit (IDP)
- your US driver's license
- your passport
Get the permit before you fly
In the US, AAA issues the permit. AAA says it is one of two organizations the State Department authorizes to issue it.
Three details matter for timing:
- It has to come from home. AAA's page says a permit that goes with a US license can only be issued in the USA. It's printed and mailed, and there's no digital version.
- Not too early. AAA won't issue one more than six months before you need it.
- Not too late. Ordered online, it takes about five business days plus shipping. A AAA branch office is the faster route.
AAA lists the permit fee as $20, and lists the countries that honor its permit under the 1949 Geneva road traffic convention. Thailand joined that convention in 1962.
If your trip is less than six months away, order it now.
Watch for motorcycles
The UK government's travel advice says Thailand has a high number of road traffic accidents, "particularly with motorcycles".
If you rent a scooter, the permit rule covers it too, and a helmet is required by law.
For the first drive in a car, my own advice is simple. Rent an automatic if you can, don't start tired, take it slowly, and pause before every turn.
The part a permit won't fix
The first time I drove on the left, I had an accident while taking a right turn. I looked the wrong way for oncoming traffic.
I knew the rule. The problem was habit.
The permit covers the paperwork. It doesn't stop your brain from behaving as if you're at home. That shows up in a few predictable moments:
- Right turns. On the left, a right turn crosses oncoming traffic. That's the turn I got wrong.
- After the turn. Your instinct pulls you toward the right side of the new road. You keep left.
- Pulling out. Leaving a rental lot or a gas station, there's no traffic to copy, so you choose the left side yourself.
Practice before you fly
LeftLane puts you in a right-hand-drive car in your browser and rehearses those moments. It isn't a Thailand course. It rehearses the habits that come back on any road that keeps left.
Start with First Drive, then T-Junction Right Turn, Main Road to Side Road Right Turn and Parking-Lot Exit. All four are free. The Empty Car Park is a free warm-up with no traffic and no score, where you just sit on the right and move the car.
Ten scenarios are free forever, no signup and no card. Twenty more come with a one-time pass. It runs in your browser on a computer, tablet, or phone held sideways.
Quick answers about driving in Thailand
Does Thailand drive on the left?
Yes. Traffic in Thailand keeps left, and cars are right-hand drive, with the steering wheel on the right.
Can I drive in Thailand with a US driver's license?
Not on its own. The U.S. Embassy in Thailand says a foreign license is not accepted, and an international driving license is. Carry the permit with your US license and your passport.
Where do Americans get an International Driving Permit?
From AAA, which says it is one of two organizations the State Department authorizes to issue it. It's printed and mailed, and AAA won't issue it more than six months before you need it.
Can I get an International Driving Permit after I arrive in Thailand?
Not for a US license. AAA says a permit that goes with a US license can only be issued in the USA, so order it before you fly.
Do I need a permit to ride a scooter in Thailand?
Yes. Thailand's embassy says the permit rule covers motorcycles as well as cars, and the UK government notes that a helmet is required by law.
Where these facts come from
- U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Thailand, "Driving in Thailand", on foreign licenses and the international driving license.
- Royal Thai Embassy, The Hague, "Driving in Thailand", on the permit rule for cars and motorcycles and the documents to show.
- AAA, "International Driving Permit", on who issues the permit for Americans, the six-month limit, processing time and the fee.
- United Nations Treaty Collection, Convention on Road Traffic, Geneva, 19 September 1949, on Thailand's accession in 1962.
- GOV.UK, "Thailand travel advice: safety and security", on motorcycles and the helmet law.
- "Left- and right-hand traffic", Wikipedia, on which side Thailand drives on.