Taking the 2 wheel option to travel in South East Asia.

The following was produced in 2012 and should only be used as a guide.

You will find some interesting comment within the content.

Do you need a motorcycle license to ride a bike in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Bali, Cambodia, Laos, or Vietnam? The simple answer is yes, but what type of license?
Get it wrong and you could find yourself in all sorts of bother.

International permits

Sometimes your home country license will do, sometimes you’ll need an International Driver’s Permit, and in some cases you’ll need to sit and pass a local test for a local license.
In the countries where an International Driver’s Permit is accepted, it allows you to drive/ride the same class of vehicle covered by your home country license. So, if you’re licensed ONLY to drive a car at home, you are NOT covered to ride a motorcycle or scooter just because you have an international permit.

Some travellers openly admit to ticking the “motorcycle” box on their permit even though they don’t have a valid license at home. That might fool the traffic cop who pulls you over in Phnom Penh, but it won’t cut it with your travel insurance company (more on that in a moment).

Plus, if you have absolutely no training and no experience at handling a two-wheeled machine at home, what makes you think you’ll magically acquire those skills in a foreign country, where the roads are shoddy, the vehicles dodgy, the congestion is mind-boggling and the road rules boil down to “might equals right”? Seriously, Ho Chi Minh City is NOT the place to learn to ride. Thailand and Vietnam have shocking road accident fatality statistics, among the highest per capita in the world. The other regional nations aren’t far behind.

But if you DO have a valid motorcycle license from home, the International Driver’s permit will be accepted in:  Bali, Indonesia, Laos, and Thailand. But get the license before you leave home, the permits are not valid in the country of issue – so you can’t apply from within Thailand for a permit to use in Thailand.

License to thrill

Cambodia and Vietnam require you to have a valid local license, issued by them after you pass a test . It costs about $40 and the best part of a day lost in bureaucracy. They will need to see your motorcycle license from your home country. You sit a written test and a riding practical. You are allowed to use an interpreter.

Motorcycle tour operators are booming in South East Asia, providing good quality bikes, and insider knowledge on road conditions and facilities. They should be able to help you through the licensing process, and prearrange the booking for the test, which sometimes needs to be done weeks in advance.
If you’re organizing your own tour, look for businesses that will help you with the process. In Cambodia driving schools will do it for you, and in a notoriously corrupt country, $100 will guarantee you won’t fail.

I don’t have a license

Get one - take the test. It won’t be valid back home, but it will be right here, right now, when you need it. Even in Bali, if you don’t have a license from home, line up in the morning with everyone else at the Denpasar police station, do a little practical test, hand over $45 and you get a tourist license. Just remember, these licenses are not valid outside the country where you obtained it.

I was told I didn’t need one

Tens of thousands of visitors each year rent a motorcycle/scooter and ride around Southeast Asia totally unlicensed. The fact that the shop rented you the bike without asking for your license doesn’t mean you don’t need one. They know you’re coming back (they have your passport), and it’s not their responsibility if you don’t check out local law.
It’s also not true that you don’t need a license for a scooter under 50cc in Southeast Asia. Apart from the fact no one should be seen on a scooter with a sewing machine engine for propulsion – it’s only some European countries that have this law.

What if you’re stopped by police?

In the poorer, less-developed countries, it’s easier to bribe your way out of trouble.  “Tea money” of a few dollars and the problem disappears.
Many travellers report bluffing their way out of police checks with the official-looking International Driver’s Permit – even where it’s not valid (Cambodia, Vietnam). If the policeman isn’t fooled, you’ll pay the “fine”, after which he’ll let you go on your merry way. This does not mean you are riding legally; you’ve just avoided the law by paying a bribe.

Am I covered?

You can keep on riding regardless, but what if you do have a crash, and you need to call on your travel insurance? It’s pretty straightforward; no valid license in the country where the accident happened, means you’re riding illegally and you’re not covered. Sorry, but you cannot insure against illegal activity. That also includes not wearing a helmet where it’s compulsory (Bali, Cambodia, Thailand), and not riding under the influence of drink or drugs (everywhere).
Injury from a motorcycle accident is one of the most common claims received by insurers. If it’s a bad one and you need medical evacuation, the cost could run to $100,000 or more. Don’t be fooled, the insurer will check if you have a valid license (forging that international permit isn’t looking so smart anymore). Many, many claims are rejected simply because the rider didn’t have a license. You might say “that’s not fair. Everyone’s doing it ” to which your mum would say: “If everyone was jumping off a cliff, would you do it, too?”
Travel insurance companies are looking at making it fairer and clearer. They’re trying to make it that if you’re licensed at home, you’re licensed everywhere, regardless of local law. That hasn’t happened yet, but it’s in the pipeline.

Safe biking precautions

If you’re still tempted to roll the dice, (unlicensed and uninsured) do everything you can to make sure you don’t get hurt in a crash.

• Wear a helmet – preferably full-face.

• Wear protective clothing – long trousers and a jacket of sturdy material. (Flipflops, a t-shirt and shorts don’t count as “sturdy”). Wear gloves anyone who’s falling puts out their hands to protect themselves, even on a hard bitumen road approaching at 50 km/h. Ouch!

• Don’t speed.

• Don’t drink or do drugs and ride.

• Don’t ride at night.

• Do follow the locals and do as they do.

The protective clothing is the toughest one – it’s stinking hot and humid, you’re just zipping back from the beach to your room, you’re on holiday, who wants to follow rules  Just make sure you have cash in the bank to pay your medical bills.

Always check the Financial Services Guide,Product Disclosure Statement and Policy Wording of your policy and if you are unsure contact or ask the issuer for clarification.

Source document www.suresave.net.au/motorbikes-in-Asia-and-travel-insurance.