Do You Need an International Driving Permit for Bali or Thailand? The Full 2026 Guide

 

Short answer: yes, in both places. If you plan to ride a scooter or motorbike in Bali or Thailand, you need an International Driving Permit (IDP) alongside your valid home-country license. For Thailand, a 1968 Vienna Convention IDP is appropriate. For Indonesia, including Bali, current official travel guidance likewise points to a 1968-format IDP, even though Indonesia has signed but not ratified the 1968 Convention. Neither can be obtained after you land — you get it at home, before you fly.

That’s the rule. What actually happens at the rental counter, on the road, and with your insurer is more nuanced — and that’s what the rest of this guide covers, country by country.

 

Thailand vs. Bali: The Quick-Reference Table

Question	Thailand	Bali / Indonesia
Is an IDP legally required to ride a scooter/motorbike?	Yes — required alongside a valid home-country license	Yes — required alongside a valid home-country license
Which IDP convention is accepted?	1968 Vienna Convention	Officially linked to the 1968 Vienna Convention, though many travel sources and automobile associations still reference the 1949 Geneva Convention format — carry whichever your home automobile association issues for Indonesia
Can I get the IDP after I arrive?	No — obtain it in your home country before travel	No — obtain it in your home country before travel
Will a rental shop rent to me without one?	Often, yes in practice — but you’re uninsured and liable if stopped or in an accident	Often, yes in practice — same legal and insurance exposure
Does travel insurance still pay out without an IDP?	Typically no	Typically no
Nationality-specific exception?	—	India’s convention status doesn’t align clearly with Indonesia’s, so Indian licenses/IDPs may not be recognized
One-time cost	~$20 (home country)	~$20 (home country)
Where to get it	Your home automobile association — not available on arrival	Your home automobile association — not available on arrival

A caveat worth stating plainly: this table reflects the legal requirement, not how consistently it’s enforced on the ground. Plenty of tourists ride without an IDP for their entire trip and never get stopped. That doesn’t mean the risk isn’t real — it just means the risk is invisible until the one time it isn’t (a checkpoint, a fender-bender, an insurance claim). More on that below.

(Convention type and insurance-exclusion specifics can shift with local regulation — always check current rules before you travel.)

Whatever you call it — an international driving permit thailand requirement or an international driving permit bali requirement — the underlying rule is identical: get the right IDP before you fly, and pair it with a valid home-country license.

Whether you search for an international driving licence thailand accepts, an international driving permit indonesia requires, or you’re trying to work out how to get international driving license in Bali or how to get international driving permit for Bali, these all point to the same thing: an official IDP issued by your home country’s automobile association before you leave.

 

Thailand: What You Need and Which IDP Type

Thailand is a signatory to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, so the IDP you need is the 1968-convention version, issued by your home country’s licensing authority or an accredited automobile association (AAA in the US, the AA/RAC in the UK, and equivalents elsewhere). Thailand does recognize a properly issued IDP — the confusion usually isn’t whether it’s accepted, but which type travelers show up with, since some countries only issue the 1949 Geneva Convention version, which is a different treaty.

If you’re set on renting a motorbike in Thailand, the practical question is usually simpler than the legal one: what do you need to rent a scooter in Thailand? The answer is the same as the legal answer — a valid home license covering motorcycles, paired with the correct IDP Thailand accepts (the 1968 Vienna Convention version), satisfies the requirement anywhere in the country: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Krabi, Phuket, or the islands.

 

What Do You Need to Rent a Scooter or Motorbike in Thailand?

 

Most rental shops will ask for:

• Passport (some shops photocopy it; a few ask to hold it — see the scam-avoidance section below before you agree to that)
• Home-country driving license covering motorcycles/scooters
• International Driving Permit (1968 convention)
• Cash or card for a deposit — norms vary widely by shop and region, so ask upfront what’s refundable and when

Reputable operators, including bikago’s Phuket rental fleet, will walk you through exactly what’s required before you book, so there are no surprises at pickup.

Riding a Motorbike in Thailand: Quick Orientation

Thailand drives on the left, similar to the UK, Australia, and Indonesia. Road conditions vary sharply between well-paved tourist corridors and rougher rural or mountain roads, and traffic patterns in cities like Bangkok or Phuket are considerably busier than in Chiang Mai’s old town or Krabi’s quieter routes. If you’re new to riding abroad, start with a short local loop before committing to a longer day trip.

 

Bali & Indonesia: What You Need and the IDP Type

Indonesia — including Bali — has signed but not ratified the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. In practice, most home-country automobile associations issue whichever IDP format is accepted for Indonesia — typically the 1968-convention version, though some still reference the 1949 Geneva Convention. The key requirement is the same either way: obtain your IDP at home before you fly. Both Thailand and Indonesia point to the 1968 Vienna Convention, which simplifies things for travelers doing a combined trip — but confirm with your automobile association that the IDP they issue covers both countries, since some still default to the older 1949 format.

A version of this question comes up constantly: do I need an international driving permit for Bali? Yes — foreigners can legally drive and ride in Indonesia, but only with the correct combination of home license plus a valid IDP Bali authorities recognize, which in practice means the IDP your home automobile association issues for Indonesia. The same rule applies whether you’re riding a motorbike in Bali around Canggu, Ubud, Seminyak, or anywhere else on the island — Bali motorbike rental requirements don’t change by region, only by shop.

As with Thailand, the IDP has to be arranged before you leave home. There’s no legitimate way to obtain one in Bali once you’ve landed.

 

Bali Scooter Rental Requirements Checklist

What do I need to rent a scooter in Bali? Travelers often phrase this as do you need a license to rent a scooter in Bali, or search for a bali scooter rental license, a bali motorbike license, or an international driving license Bali visitors need. Worth clearing up: there’s no separate official “Bali scooter license” — the actual requirement is your existing home-country license (with a motorcycle/scooter endorsement) paired with the correct IDP. Here’s the full list:

• Passport
• Home-country driving license valid for motorcycles/scooters
• International Driving Permit (confirm the correct format for Indonesia with your issuing authority — typically the 1968 convention)
• Deposit (cash, card, or occasionally a passport hold — see below)

One more thing worth checking before you book: whether the shop offers a Bali scooter rental with insurance included or as an add-on. As covered below, most policies only pay out if you were riding with the correct license and IDP in the first place — the rental agreement’s insurance terms are separate from that requirement, not a substitute for it.

 

Callout: Indian Driving License / IDP Validity in Bali

This one’s specific enough to flag on its own, and it’s one of the most common nationality-specific questions we see: Can I drive in Bali with Indian driving license? and Is Indian driving license valid in Bali? The short answer is: not reliably. The legal standing of Indian driving licenses and IDPs in Indonesia is uncertain. India and Indonesia’s respective convention memberships don’t align cleanly, which means an Indian IDP may not carry the same automatic recognition as one from the US, UK, or Australia. In practice, this means an Indian driving license — or even an international driving permit India issues — may not carry the same legal recognition in Bali that a UK, Australian, or German IDP would. If you’re traveling from India, this is worth double-checking directly with the Indonesian consulate or a licensing authority before you rely on renting a scooter as your main way to get around.

 

What a Scooter or Motorbike Rental Actually Costs

Budget travelers tend to ask this question first, so let’s put real numbers next to it.

• IDP: a one-time cost of roughly $20, paid at home before your trip
• Bali scooter rental: typically priced per day, with better rates on weekly or monthly bookings
• Thailand scooter/motorbike rental: similarly priced by the day, with region-to-region variation (Phuket and Bangkok generally run higher than smaller towns)

Here’s the math that actually matters for a budget trip: the IDP is a sunk cost you pay once, regardless of how many days you ride. Compare that against relying entirely on Grab or Gojek for a week — ride-hailing adds up fast once you’re taking multiple short trips a day, while a rented scooter with the right paperwork gives you unlimited use for a flat daily rate. For most week-long stays, renting (with a proper IDP) works out cheaper than app-hailing every trip, on top of being far more convenient for reaching beaches, temples, or waterfalls that ride-hailing apps don’t reliably serve.

 

Is Driving in Bali or Thailand Dangerous? Safety and Traffic Rules

Is driving in Bali dangerous, or is it safe? How is driving in Bali, really? Both destinations have a reputation — deserved, to a degree — for chaotic-feeling traffic, especially compared to what many Western or East Asian travelers are used to. That reputation is less about the roads themselves and more about the mix of vehicles: scooters, cars, trucks, and pedestrians sharing the same space with looser lane discipline than many tourists expect. Tourists specifically ask is driving a scooter in Bali dangerous, is driving in Bali safe, and is it safe to rent a scooter in Bali — and the honest answer is that risk scales with your preparation, helmet use, and defensive-riding habits more than with the destination itself.

A few grounding facts:

• Both Thailand and Indonesia drive on the left. Is driving in Bali right or left? Left — same as traffic rules Indonesia sets nationwide. If you’re used to right-hand traffic, budget extra time to adjust before riding in busy areas.
• Traffic rules in Thailand are broadly similar to other left-hand-traffic countries — helmets are legally required, though enforcement varies by region and time of day.
• Is drink driving illegal in Bali? Yes — it’s a non-negotiable rule, and enforcement has tightened in recent years around tourist areas. Don’t treat this as a soft rule.
• Scooter-specific risk is real: most serious tourist accidents in both countries involve scooters rather than cars, often from unfamiliarity with local traffic patterns rather than the vehicle itself.

A note on the rumored Bali motorbike rental ban: you may have seen headlines about restrictions on foreign tourists renting scooters in Bali. As of this writing we haven’t independently verified the current status of any such rule, and enforcement/policy in this area can change quickly — treat it as a “check before you book” item with your rental provider or a current local news source, not a settled fact either way.

None of this means driving is off the table for a first-timer — thousands of tourists ride safely every day. It does mean a short practice loop, a helmet you actually wear, and sober riding matter more here than they might at home. If something does go wrong, here’s exactly what to do in the first 10 minutes after a scooter accident in Bali — worth reading before you ride, not after.

 

Avoiding Rental Scams: The Passport Deposit Question

One of the most common questions travelers search before renting is: “Should I give scooter rental my passport in Bali?” The short version: avoid handing over your original passport as a deposit if you can.

Handing over your passport gives a rental shop significant leverage if a dispute arises over “damage” you didn’t cause, and it leaves you without your most important travel document if something goes wrong. Reputable operators offer alternatives — a cash deposit, a card hold, or a copy of your passport rather than the original.

This is one of the clearest signals of a trustworthy bike rental operation versus a shop cutting corners: legitimate businesses don’t need to hold your passport hostage to guarantee their bike comes back in one piece. If a shop insists on the original document with no alternative offered, treat it as a red flag and look elsewhere.

 

Does Travel Insurance Cover Motorcycle Accidents?

This is the single most-searched question in this space, and the answer is worth being precise about: typically, no — not if you were riding without the required license and IDP.

Most travel insurance policies exclude claims arising from operating a vehicle without the legally required documentation in that country. That means if you’re in an accident in Thailand or Bali while riding without a valid IDP, your insurer can — and often will — deny the claim, even if the accident wasn’t your fault. This is the practical reason the IDP matters far more than its $20 cost suggests: it’s not really about the rental shop or the traffic police, it’s about whether you’re covered if the worst happens.

If you’re renting through bikago and want to ride with real peace of mind, make sure your IDP is sorted before you arrive, and read through what to do in the first 10 minutes after a scooter accident so you know the right steps if you ever need them.

 

Bigger Bikes and Longer Rides: Chiang Mai, Krabi, Phuket & Two-Up Riding

For travelers planning scenic day trips, longer road journeys, or riding two-up with a partner, a standard automatic scooter isn’t always the right tool. Larger-CC motorcycles — anything above the typical 110–125cc scooter class — usually require a higher-capacity endorsement on your home license and the matching category on your IDP. Check both before you book a bigger bike, since rental shops in areas like Chiang Mai, Krabi, and Phuket will ask to see the correct endorsement.

Renting in Phuket covers everything from lightweight scooters for city hopping to bigger bikes suited to the island’s longer coastal routes, and Patong specifically is a good base if you’re planning day trips out toward Kata, Karon, or the Phang Nga Bay area. Two-up riding — carrying a passenger — adds weight and changes handling, so it’s worth sizing up from a basic scooter if you’ll be riding with someone else for multi-hour trips.

 

FAQ

 

This guide reflects general legal requirements as understood at time of writing. Regulations, enforcement, and insurance terms can change — always verify current rules with an official source (your home automobile association, the relevant embassy, or your insurer) before you travel.