Driving in Koh Samui
 

Can anyoe let me know if an international drivers licence is required to rent a jeep in Koh Samui?
Also has anyone got any tips on where would be the best/cheapest place to rent one of these jeep things.

Thanks,

Oisin

it was not for me...i have a standard usa state license....you can save lots of money, about 50%, by renting through a travel agency once you get to samui...i used one on the main road just outside of bophut

US driver's license are not legal for driving in Thailand. If you have an accident and you don't have a Thai dirver's license or an international driver's license then you could be in trouble.

In Thailand, either a Thai license or an international license with home country license is required by law to drive.

Some places will rent to you without an international driver's licence to accompany your own country's...but be aware that it is not legal. If you have any sort of trouble...car breaks down, crash...insurance won't cover you without a valid licence for Thailand...if there is even insurance at all on this sort of rental.

If you plan to drive, I would strongly recommend renting from a reputable car rental agency. There are plenty of cheap vehicles for rent, but they may not be in the best of repair, and most importantly, insurance cover may not be adequate if it exists at all. We had very good luck renting from Budget in Koh Samui...cars in excellent shape, delivered to us at our hotel and picked up from our hotel when we were finished. Excellent insurance was included in our rate.

In the end, saving a few dollars on the rental fee won't seem worthwhile at all if you are involved in any way with traffic violations or accidents. Go for the reputable rental company and have the proper license.

Don't people go to the local police station on Samui and get a (souvenir) drivers' license? I thought I recalled hearing something about this.
Carol

I've heard about that sort of thing in Bali but not in Thailand.

And, I've done a google search, and found on Budget's website that a licence from your home country with English translation is OK in Thailand.

That said, also found that some insurance policies have a clause written in Thai that in order for the insurance to pay a claim the driver must be a holder of a valid Thai licence.

Hmmm.

As an international licence is dead simple to get and costs around $10.00 from AAA, I'd just get one to be safe. When we rented from Budget in Koh Samui we were asked for it.

The 'law' is an International driving Licence from your home countryif a visitor/tourist, as other have said many agencies never ask for it but you still need it.
If you get stoped without one that could be a minir resolveable problem, but if you were involved in an accident the fact of you 'not' having an International licence would see serious like 'serious' problem! Could also easily void all the insurance, worst though is you would be considored as 'driving illegally involed in an accident'!
Whether from US/Oz/NZ/Sa/Europe these things are so easy to obtain so just get one, usualy just your local license, photo and about 10 bucks/euros whether Europe/US/Oz etc

Kim, these large multinational rental companies are amiss as much as small roadside guys, when I was visiting Thailand from Australia before settling, this going back 12 years and more I rented from 'one of the top rental companies worldwide' on frequent ocassions and not once did they want anything more than my home license, it was years and years later I heard that the 'law' was that you had one, I think it very bad on their part that they do not make this clear.

this is all very interesting to me as i have rented several cars in thailand and it never has been mentioned...i have also rented cars in other places in asia as well...both avis and hertz as well as local companies...no one has ever mentioned it...i have also never read this before on fodors or on any other site...I DO NOT DOUBT YOU, ESPECIALLY WHEN JAMES SAYS IT, but it seems very odd to me....i surrender...when will the police arrive...will they accept a bribe??

i will not do it again!!!
sorry to have given misleading info (as some would say---yet again...)

That's right Bob, I was renting with my flashy Gold Card from a major rental operator in Thailand and all they wanted was to note down my Australian license, I never though one more thing about it, then a wise Phuket resident was talking about it with someone else and I learnt about the 'law'. When I went into the place in Australia that issued the Internationals I checked on what they had to say about countries as to whether 'required by law or not' Thailand was simple: Required ( !! )
On next visit the rental clerk smiled and pushed it away, just interested in my normal license.

Since being here of course I know all this, it's similar to the bike license and bike helmet laws, you can get fined and hassles for not wearing one, how many also know there are 'speed trap' cameras in Phuket these days ! Also drink/drive laws etc.

You want an international driving PERMIT, not an international driving license. The IDP is a translation of your license into several languages, and indicates that you have a valid driving license in your home country. It is easy and cheap to obtain from a AAA office. Take a look at http://www.aaasouth.com/travel_drivers.asp#idp for info.

A car rental agency may not care whether you have an IDP, but the Thai police will care, unless Thailand recognizes US drivers licenses as valid in Thailand, which is unlikely (see the US State Dept link below). I would get one for the latter.

An international driving LICENSE is a myth perpetrated by people trying to get you to pay them money for something that is worth nothing. For information on this scam, see what the US State Department has to say at http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/...9.html#permits

FYI, I hold a Swiss license and was recently in the US and rented a car. I also have a IDP issued in Switzerland (as required, it must be issued in the country in which your license is issued). I gave the Avis guy my Swiss license, which is only written in French, Italian and German. He did not bat an eye, and did not ask to see the IDP. I had the IDP in case I needed it for the police.

ttt

We had an international licence but were never asked for it when we hired a car on Samui. Just a warning,our quide when we were in Phuket, had warned us that any foreigner involved in a car accident in Thailand will always be blamed for the accident, no matter who's fault it really was.

IS the mystory solved JAMESA, Australian.?.