Mopeds

Post by **Khao Tao Lions** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 12:46 am

I am thinking of buying a Honda Moped (125cc) when I am next in Hua Hin but am not sure of the law.
Do I need an international licence or British licence or is no licence required for a bike with an engine this small? I cannot get a Thai licence as I do not reside in Thailand.
Your help on this would be greatly appreciated

Post by **Norseman** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 7:02 am

The law say that you will indeed need a driver license to ride the bike.
The Thai law also say that you will need the international license, but I believe you will be just as fine if you only have your British driver license.

Post by **Rob W** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 9:02 am

Do not forget that a standard British british licence does not cover you to ride a 125cc motorcycle, unless you have passed your motorcycle test.
So an international licence will not cover you unless your UK one does.
A moped is below 50cc.

Post by **Khao Tao Lions** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:20 pm

Thank you for your replies.

Is there any way round the fact that my UK licence only covers up to 50cc without taking a motorcycle test in the UK
I cannot obtain a Thai licence because I do not reside there.
Although I am aware that most Thais would not have passed their test I do want to remain legal.
Any suggestions?

Post by **Rob W** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 7:13 pm

I can not see a way around it, easiest would be to pass your test in the UK , unless you want to try one of those dodgy web sites where you can buy one, but to be honest if your confident enough to ride in Thailand passing your test should be easy.

Spitfire · Post by **Spitfire** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 9:17 pm

You can get a Thai driving license, car or bike, if you have a non immigrant visa but you need a valid license from your home country. You will, as mentioned above, need to have a bike license from your home country to get one here.

If you fullfil these requirements then they will give you a license quite easily but you will probably have to take an eye test aswell.

It is worth remembering that only about 60% or so of Thais that operate motorbikes or cars have licenses anyhow, even less with insurance. Most of them just ride and then pay the 100-200 baht fine if caught.

A good idea would be to get an international license from the post office, easy enough and covered for a year, and just use that.

Good, convincing fake licenses are available on Koh San Rd for a for about 1000 baht, apparently, I was told.

Be careful if you are going to use a bike over here and have little experience of using them back home. Remaining legal in your situation is not very easy, I'd go for the international license, it always seems to work when you get stopped by the MIBs and say "international license" as few, if any, know what a real one looks like. It's also not as if they can check on a computer in the cop car, they will just tell you to go because it's too much trouble, if not, then it's nothing that a couple of hundred baht won't fix.

As Rob W mentioned, the only way to actually be legal in Thailand would be to pass your test in the UK and then get the international bike drivers license, which would work. Even if you have a UK bike drivers license, they still won't give you an official Thai licence because you do not reside here/have a work permit etc etc.

The real license looks like this,

Even if you get a real one, it's only valid for a year to start with, same as an international license. You have to go and renew it a year later and then get five years, I think.

Post by **Khao Tao Lions** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 1:16 am

Thanks for your advice/suggestions. I will probably just get an international licence and take my British licence with me as well. As I am quite sure the MIB's will not be able to read English I agree that they will either tell me to be on my way or a couple of hundred baht may may sweeten them up.

Taking a motorcycle test in the UK is too much hassle considering if I have an accident in Thailand it will be my fault even if it wasn't

One final question. I will probably buy a Honda 125cc in Hua Hin. I assume the Honda garage will not ask any questions about the licence??

Post by **dtaai-maai** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 1:31 am

Khao Tao Lions wrote:One final question. I will probably buy a Honda 125cc in Hua Hin. I assume the Honda garage will not ask any questions about the licence??

Correct.

Post by **kendo** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 3:08 am

I thought with a U.K driving license if you are over a set age you have entitlement to ride a 125cc on L plates in the U.K, but this was only up to some when in the 90's, so if you have that entitlement now would you be covered in LOS i belive, never taken my bike test that i am still covered to ride a 125cc commuter bike.
Maybe Sandman or Rider will no best, i have allways said to my wife if we end up living up on in the village i will buy a dirt bike and have some fun i dont like riding these chicken chassers that the dogs can allmost keep up with you.

Kendo.

Post by **Rob W** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 8:21 am

[quote="kendo"]I thought with a U.K driving license if you are over a set age you have entitlement to ride a 125cc on L plates in the U.K, but this was only up to some when in the 90's, so if you have that entitlement now would you be covered in LOS i belive, never taken my bike test that i am still covered to ride a 125cc commuter bike.

not quite correct it has changed a lot but for anyone to ride a bike over 50cc they need to have taken a CBT ( compulsory bike training) the older driver can ride a 50cc without L plates if they have passed a car test but this was changed in the late 80's / 90's so young people have no motorcycle entitlement at all.
after passing the CBT you can ride on the road on a 125 and under with L plates after that it gets a little more complicated.
I am sure that entilement to ride on L plates does not allow you to use that liecence abroad. Of course you can do it but in the event of a accident you will be screwed.

Post by **Rob W** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 8:54 am

found this site explains it.
http://www.motorcycle-training.f2s.com/training.html

for the Uk only of course.

Post by **Takiap** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 5:25 pm

Sorry to let you down but no matter what you do, you won't be legal in Thailand simply because you're a farang. Having said that, with valid license, you'll at least not have to pay the 200 baht fine when/if you get stopped. Then again, even if they tell you to pull over, you could of course simply ignore them like so many thais do. I've yet to see one of the MIB give chase. Too little pay and it's just too warm for them to bother half the time.

Either way, i wouldn't worry about it too much.

Spitfire · Post by **Spitfire** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 8:37 pm

Well, I'd say that you can be a "legal" alien here and get almost anything the locals can, eg I can claim the 30 baht healthcare system etc as I have a work permit, so long as I'm prepared to accept the same treatment as a farmer in Isaan etc, which I wouldn't bother with really unless it was serious and could not go back to the UK. The only thing I can't really do is, of course, own land but almost all else is OK, many forget what a work permit entitles you to if you look into it, I'm a tax payer etc.

What Takiap, and correctly IMO, is getting at is when things go wrong/south, eg accidents/altercations etc. I know of car accidents etc where a "legal" farang has had problems with the cops/insurance dudes that want them to admit to fault because the farang has insurance and the Thia doesn't etc, just to help the Thai, there have been threads in the past on this exact subject.

It's fine, so long as all is OK and nothing screws up, but once you're involved in something like this then it becomes murky, you have to know how to deal with them which usually requires years of experience and you have to out-manoeuver the cop's blatant support for the indigenous party.

Not easy, but can be done with experience, and requires balls.

Post by **hhfarang** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 11:26 pm

I know of car accidents etc where a "legal" farang has had problems with the cops/insurance dudes that want them to admit to fault

Happened to me. I'm perfectly legal with a 5 year Thai driving license and all the proper paperwork and visa. I was sitting waiting for traffic to clear to make a right turn (blinker and brake lights on) and a Thai from Bangkok slammed into the back of me. He even had insurance and while we were at the Police station waiting to be interviewed both insurance agents talked and even his agreed he was at fault. My agent came to me and told me there was nothing to worry about, that his insurance would cover everything.

Then when we were before the magistrate (one of the high ranking police at the station) and told our stories, he said that it was as much my fault and ordered that each insurance company pay for their own driver's car.

Then he levied a fine on me!

Post by **HHTel** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 11:41 pm

When I got my car and motorbike licence in Thailand, I used my British licence to acquire both without any hassle. As regards the motorbike licence, my UK licence allowed me to ride motorbikes 'Provisionally'. I just pointed to that section of my licence and they gave me a Thai motorbike licence. They don't understand the word 'Provisional'.... hehe!