My husband and I are American and planning on visiting the US later this year. We have not lived in the US for many years and he only has a valid Thai driver's license. Have any of you obtained an International Drivers License while here in Thailand. If so what did you have to do to get it. Is it recognized as a valid license overseas.

With the way Thai's drive it is a bit scarey to think that they can obtain a permit to drive in countries that enforce the driving code.

Yes...you get from the traffic deparment in Mo Chit and can be used in the US....

FYI An "IDL" is not a drivers license, its a permit, and its a legalised translation of your Thai DL, no more no less, you have to carry your Thai DL along with your IDP.

hope this helps

I drive in the US (Texas) on my Thai license no problem.

If your husband still has the old style Thai language licence, he should go and update it to the new "credit card" type one. This is written in Thai and English. I've used it when renting cars in a number of countries, including the US.

Thanks for the information. He does have the new "credit card" type. So I guess there is no worry about renting a car with his existing Thai license.

If you do have the new "Smart Card" driver's license as compared to the old style one which looked like you bought it on Khao-San Road, you won't have a problem renting a car in the US.

With that being said, it can't hurt to take the jaunt up to Mor-Chit and get the International License as well. The only prerequiste is you must first have a valid thai license which you do. If you have time before you go back I would get it as well.

Just an FYI; 3 years ago I couldn't rent a car in the US on my 'old style' thai driver's license, as other than my name not one word was in engrish (the 'smart card' has both languages). The lady at Hertz Rent A Car remarked my thai license looked like I made it at a Kinko's Copy Center in the US. It could just have been that branch of Hertz, but . .. ..

I rented cars on my old 1 yr. Thai DL (the fake ID looking type). The thing that made it easy then is that I had a translation of it (not an IDP, which I had to wait a year to get) with my address on it in English, which made it easy for the counter person. If you've got the new type (hardcard) and an IDP, both of which I have, you shouldn't have a problem at all. I still have my translation paper (with my address) to make it easy for the counter person, because, interestingly enough, neither the hard card nor the IDP have my address on them!

It depends how long your staying for also.While renting may be no problem,if you plan to stay longer and purchase a car then you may need to get a state licence to get it insured.I live in Texas and to get insurance with my UK licence was impossible.Once I had my Texas licence my wife (thai) could not get on my insurance with her Thai licence.

Dam those southern rednecks

Most states have a requirment that after 30 days of residence in that state you must obtain that states license to drive autos legally within that state ie you could've been in some egg suckin yankee state and gotten the same response.
Additionally the word dam-n is normally put in front of yankee rather than southern rednecks.

If you do decide to get an IDL you need to go to the U.S. Consulate first and get a paper saying something, I forget what actually but the consulate will know, the Department of Land Transportation in Mor Chit will require it, you will also need a work permit or 1 year visa like retirement/marriage

There was no malice intended here. Just foolin around. I have lived in the great state of Texas for 5 yrs+ and I am fully aware of what is 'normally' said.

If you are just there for a visit, your Thai license will be enough.
Don't waste your money on a IDP.

And for sure, the dam_n Yankee states have usually got a lot more Byzantine rules and paperwork about almost everything. I'm from Boston and our DMV is called the Registry (very Orwellian) and they have their own police force and a budget the size of some small countries it seems. They LOVE regulations and paperwork.