California Driver Handbook Thai Language

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Oswald Lemus

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Aug 3, 2024, 5:36:58 PM8/3/24

to tribcovedre

Does anyone know where to get a drivers handbook in French or Arabic or if it's even possible to get one in California? The thing I don't understand is that you can take the test in just about any language you could imagine however they only have the handbooks to study from in English, Spanish, Chinese, and a couple of other languages. I was very surprised that they don't have it in French.

Ummm ok... well my husband and I speak French to eachother and he has been here for 8 months and speaks English now, however I do believe that taking a DMV written test might be confusing to him and that it might be easier in French at this point.

I will be travelling to the USA for a 2 week holiday and will be driving my fathers car while there. Is my Thai Drivers License legal while I am there and will his car insurance cover me while I am driving around?

The answer is probably yes to both, because if it is yes to the first it should mean it is yes to the second, but the answer to the first question depends on what state you are going to be driving in. For example in California where IDP's are not accepted, a foreign DL from a foriegn country in which you are a resident is all that's needed to drive legally. It wouldn't hurt to contact the insurance carrier for a precise answer on the second question though.

Definitely contact the insurance carrier's office and ask about the coverage for this situation and also check with the DMV for the state in question. You could ask the insurance carrier also about a Thai license and the coverage and see what they say.

California does accept an IDP. All 50 states do, they don't have the option not to. The issue is whether they require it along with the foreign license. Most of the big tourist states don't have a problem letting tourists drive with just a foreign license.

The State of California does not recognize an International Driving Permit (IDP) as a valid driver license. California does recognize a valid driver license that is issued by a foreign jurisdiction (country, state, territory) of which the license holder is a resident.

Its a strange way for DMV to say it since you need to have the DL from your home country along with and IDP anyway, but essentially this means in California the IDP is not necessary. This is what I was taught as a cop in CA and it appears to still be the case.

The way California words it is confusing. They are just saying that they don't require the IDP along with the foreign. That is thier option. But all 50 states have to accept the IDP (when carried with the valid foreign license). They have no choice in this. It's a federal requirement because we signed the international treaty.

First: Nothing says you can't drive with an IDP, or even present it to a cop, but it's not necessary since the DL from your resident county is all thats needed and required to be present with the IDP translation anyway, ie: it wouldn't matter whether you presented the IDP in California or not as long as you present the DL, that is all the law requires.

Second: There are different requirements for a tourist/visitor and for a resident. Residents, both foreign or citizen (ie from another state), are required to get a local state issued license within a certain amount of time. That time depends on the new state you are residing in. When you are a CA resident, you are required to eventually have a CA license. When you are NOT a CA resident, you can drive on a foreign license if you are resident in the foreign country.

Crobiker if I recall you would have probably been considered a resident, albiet a temporary one, in CA. The OP will be a vistor/non-resident and thus can actually drive beyond the 10-90 days (depending on the state) on the foreign license, (and no IDP is required.) I think in the first incident the cop identified you as a resident, and in the second they probably didn't care or check, as there were more important issues and it's really a minor point.

Typically in the United States you can drive up to 12 months on your valid foreign license as a visitor or tourist. If you move to Florida and have a valid license from another state or country, you must get a Florida license within 30 days of becoming a resident. You are considered a resident of Florida if you:

If your driver's license is not in English than it would be helpful if you obtained an International Driving Permit (IDP) before coming to the United States so that your license is translated into English in case law enforcement or others need to verify that your license is valid.

To find out how long you can drive in Florida on your foreign license and about your specific situation contact the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (HSMV). As for insurance to drive a car, if it is someone else's car than they need to make sure you are covered to operate their vehicle.

If you want to get your own vehicle to drive than it will be difficult to get insurance without a Florida license since Florida insurance providers will normally require you have a state license for them to rate you on.

Thai licenses are printed in both English and Thai now, but if you have to old Thai license that isn't in English, check with your Land Transport Department to see about getting a translation (IDP) with it.

Yeah Europe has some unique rules governing licenses. You can get one which is designed for just Europe. Not sure if that is what you are talking about, but could be. Valid in EU countries. If that is an actual DL, not just a translation, then it should presumably be valid by itself in the U.S. as well.

I believe it's just the way California has decided to apply the international convention. They just go one step further and say "we will accept the foreign DL without the IDP" giving more, not less, rights to the foreigner than that afforded by the international conventions. And if I am recalling correctly from my cop days in California, in 1995-2001 the reason for this position is the convoluted way in which IDP's/IDL's etc are haphazardly issued and regulated. There are so many bogus places selling them hoping to fool people, especially now on the internet, including the Google banner ad that is frequently seen on Thaivisa.com. California just finally just said screw it, we don't need them, so many are not issued by proper authorities, which in most all western counties are the automobile associations. In Thailand the Land Transport Department does it.

It's also clear to me that this line: "The State of California does not recognize an International Driving Permit (IDP) as a valid driver license." Is to address the number of very authentic looking but totally bogus IDL's (L as in license, not a translation) being sold on the internet. These have the look and feel of a real DL, not the larger passport style IDP translations which are issued legitimately by automobile association. They are also clarifying that the IDP alone is not accepted, due to the incredible amount of confusion around the issue of IDP's and IDL's. Many IDL's were being sold under the illusion they would erase a bad driving record, or could be purchased to replace a suspended or revoked DL, which of course they cannot.