(Thailand, 23rd) The Hat Yai Police Station in Thailand reminds all Malaysian drivers that the Thai government currently does not accept Malaysia’s digital driving license, urging Malaysian drivers to remember to bring their physical license or international driving permit.
The Hat Yai Police Station posted on its Facebook page, reminding Malaysian motorists or drivers traveling to Thailand to be sure to prepare their physical driving license.
The post points out that, according to the Malaysian Digital Driving License Handling Guidelines issued by Thailand’s Department of Land Transport, as per the agreement among ASEAN countries to mutually recognize each other's issued licenses, Malaysia’s physical driving license can be legally used in Thailand.
If the relevant license does not contain information in English, a certified English translation is required.
Thai authorities do not accept Temporary/Provisional licenses nor Learner’s Driving Licenses.
In addition, in accordance with the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, an International Driving Permit may be used as a legal driving license in Thailand.
If stopped for inspection by law enforcement officers, drivers must present both the international driving permit and their national driving license for verification.
The Hat Yai Police stated that ASEAN member countries are currently negotiating to formulate unified guidelines and standards for mutual recognition of international digital driving licenses.
Therefore, relying solely on a digital license is insufficient to substitute for a valid physical license. Thus, Malaysian drivers in Thailand still need to carry their physical driving license or international driving permit for inspection by law enforcement officers.
According to earlier reports, if citizens need a physical driving license, they can apply at Road Transport Department counters or Urban Transformation Centres (UTC). Malaysian citizens applying for a physical license only need to pay RM20.