Myanmar Thailand
Myanmar 
ThailandLast reviewed July 2026
Crossing the border
Myanmar and Thailand share a land border you can cross by car. Keep your passport, national driving licence and International Driving Permit together, and check opening hours and any toll or vignette requirements before you travel.
Driving rules in Thailand
- Drive on the left.
- Helmets mandatory for motorcycles — strictly checked.
- 0.05% alcohol limit.
- International licence + passport carried at all times.
What to see when you arrive in Thailand
- the Grand Palace in Bangkok
- the temples of Chiang Mai
- the beaches of Phuket and Phi Phi
- the ruins of Ayutthaya
- Railay Beach in Krabi
Once you're driving in Thailand
Destination-specific detail sourced from national road authorities, motoring clubs and rental policies — the things that catch cross-border drivers out.
Driving on a foreign licence
A foreign visitor may drive on a 1949 Geneva Convention International Driving Permit (IDP) carried with the original home licence; as of 2025 the IDP is honoured for up to 60 days from arrival (and tourists on a tourist visa effectively up to 90 days). An IDP is effectively mandatory at police checks, and driving on a home licence alone risks a fine.
Tolls & road charges
Bangkok and inter-city expressways (EXAT/DOH) charge fixed-amount tolls payable in cash at booths or electronically via the M-Pass or Easy-Pass transponder/sticker; most short urban expressway segments cost roughly 25-90 THB. Unpaid e-tolls now carry escalating penalties, so use cash lanes if your rental has no tag.
Parking in the cities
Park only in marked bays; illegal or red-and-white-curb parking draws 200-500 THB fines and towing, common in central Bangkok. Malls and BTS-area lots offer paid garages (often 20-40 THB/hr), and apps/attended lots are the safe option in dense districts.
Fines & camera enforcement
Speeding typically 1,000-2,000 THB, no-seatbelt and mobile-phone use up to 1,000 THB, and drink-driving over 0.05% BAC is heavily fined or jailed; minor fines are frequently issued on-the-spot in cash at checkpoints. Rental firms pass camera/toll tickets to your card plus an admin fee.
If you have an accident
Call 1669 for medical emergency and 191 for police (insurance/tourist accident hotline 1554); for any injury or insurance claim a police report is required. Do not move the vehicles until police or the insurer's assessor arrives unless they are blocking a fast lane and you mark positions.
Driving in the capital
In Bangkok the elevated Chalerm Maha Nakhon / Si Rat expressways bypass notorious surface gridlock but have abrupt left-exit ramps and tight toll plazas; sois (side lanes) are often one-way and flood-prone in the rainy season.
Sources: thailandroutes.com · tdl-service.com · thethaiger.com · siamcenterlawgroup.com