@Pete ******

I guess that could be a hurdle - if I'm on visa exemption or tourist visa, is it possible to get a certificate of residence?

@Don *****

I agree. I've already been riding in Thailand for several months across a few visits, without problems so far (knock on wood). It's just a matter of making it legal.

@Pete ******

thanks, do you happen to know what documents the DLT requires besides the certificate from the driving school?

@Marc *******

ok, that's what I'll say when I'm lying in the hospital bed and the insurance company denies my claim. I'll also add "this one dude in that fb group said so" 😉

In all seriousness though, thanks for your answer. I hope you learn to understand that in such matters it's important to provide a source for your claim, so that the asking party can evaluate the probability of it being true (I do not know you personally, after all). I understand you're not able to give a source, which means it's just your opinion - and that's fine, thank you for that again.

@Marc *******

I'm not talking about the compulsory insurance, but travel insurance.

Thanks for your opinion on the legality of riding scooters with IDP and A1 - do you mind sharing what you base that opinion on? I do agree that it would seem logical, but sometimes what is logical does not translate to what is real 😉

The best proof would of course be a positive experience of filing a claim with a travel insurance company, but that's too rare of a occurence to count on finding someone to share such a story here...

@Marc *******

that may be true, but as I mentioned, my main goal is to make sure that I'm covered by my travel insurance in case of an accident, and they usually (if not always) have an exclusion in the policy for cases when you're riding the bike without the proper permit.So the question is if the IDP with A1 checked is legally the "proper permit" for riding a scooter in Thailand, not if the police will accept it. Insurance companies are known for fighting tooth and nail when you try to claim damages, so it has to be airtight.

@Russell ******

yes, the situation is a bit more complicated. My driver's licence (BTW., it's Polish, not UK) is actually a "car" licence - the permission to ride certain motorbikes with it is just a "bonus" I get in some European countries. That does not translate to the international driving permit, and, by extension, to Thailand.

@Marc *******

are you sure about the A1 category regarding insurance?

I found this post elsewhere: 39-converting-uk-a1-motorcycle-license-to-thai-motorcycle-license/?do=findComment&comment=111

, which says that A1 in the IDP only applies to countries that have such a category in their own traffic law and it's voluntary, not obligatory for countries to recognize this category - and Thailand does not have A1 or any analogue in their traffic law, they only have a generic motorcycle category (analogue to A).

@Russell ******

I don't think that's a solution - from what I understand in Thailand legally you need a driver's licence to ride any scooter, so if you have an accident riding any scooter without a licence, your travel insurance won't cover you.

@Leon ***

I don't think travel insurance covers motorcycle accidents caused by the insurance holder if he rode the bike without the required permit - that's the point of my post.

I'm not sure if that's also the case with the basic insurance coverage for rental bikes - anyone?