cambodian drivers license

[yokesman]

Is a cambodian drivers license required for a tourist, all the threads I read, mostly expats say so?
The real concern is regarding the legality related to insurance coverage.

 

[Lone Rider]

Is a cambodian drivers license required for a tourist, all the threads I read, mostly expats say so?
The real concern is regarding the legality related to insurance coverage.

Foreigners who drive in Cambodia are legally required to have a Cambodian license. Many don’t bother, and just pay (or avoid) the fines when they are stopped. But getting a driver’s license in Cambodia isn’t very difficult, and although the fines for driving without one are currently small, in the future the penalties for driving without a license will likely be more severe. Note that an International Driver’s License is not recognized in Cambodia. Also note that if you get into an accident while driving without a valid Cambodian license, most health insurance and travel insurance companies will not cover your claim.

Source: Getting-a-cambodian-driving-license/

 

[yokesman]

Thanks Lone Rider
doing last minute planning and this came up, seems you have to find a tourist agency , may take several days? Or drive most of the way across the country to the DMV?

 

[andymac]

Bikes under 125 cc no longer require a drivers license in Cambodia H S himself has decreed this

 

[alexuk]

It seems like An IDP is the thingto have in cambodia, otherwise just pay the 5000riel.
I kept getting asked if I had one in sihanoukville
A Cambo licence costs about 60dollars iirc, and takes a week or 2 to obtain. You can get one via the tour/visa companiies like capitol

 

[AdamG]

Technically an International Driving License is valid under Article 45 of the new driving laws but do not expect one of the traffic police "tubbies" standing at the side of the road to know the law. It is legal to drive/ride with your headlights on during the day but expect to pay a donation for the priviledge

The police started to enforce the new driving laws at the beginning of the year (having been passed by parliament some 8 months previously) but it caught everybody by surprise so they all posted on the big boss's facebook pag. He of course being a man of the people (and just about to fly in his private jet to Singapore for his annual medical check up) said it was ridiculous and that anybody could ride a 125. To prove this he posted a photo of him riding a Honda dream (100 metres to his motorcade) with his consort pillion both without helmets. Of course technically he could not get a driving license as he would not pass the medical as he only has one eye. But who worries about technicalities when you are the big boss.

So a couple of Ministers and the National road Safety executive got together the next week and decided that despite the 2,200 deaths and 8,000 Serious hospitalisation injuries per year than it was not necessary to have a license for a 125. Enforcement of the laws were also delayed by an additional month until sometime in February.

Above that you will need a big bike license (A2) but be careful as most places that get you that license will only give you and A1 license (below 125). So insist on a big bike license before handing over any cash.

Reality is slightly different. If you are stopped you will have to donate. The donation is more because you are not Cambodian and it will be multiplied by the number of tubbies resting at the side of the road.

The tubbies are not really a problem but the road blocks are more difficult as they will not take a donation and want to see the paperwork and are supported by the Royal Gendarmier (dunno how to spell) with things that go bang and leave a hole in your body.

NEVER hand over your license. Show it but do not give it to them. I NEVER carry my registration documents with me and there has never been a problem.

In reality as a westerner you are unlikely to be stopped unless you have done something wrong (except the lights). Just be pleasant and laugh and joke with them. They are quite nice people really who get paid around $120 per month and you will be on your way quickly albeit a bit lighter

Your insurance is a different issue as that follows western rules....

Oh, and finally they are starting night road blocks to catch drunk drivers. But I avoid riding at night because it is too dangerous (lights and sobriety are optional).

 

[Sen Sok]

Expect a 6-8 week wait to get your license at present. Mine finally arrived the other day after more than a 3 month wait. I got stopped for riding up a one way street yesterday and all the license served for was a bargaining chip for the cops. eg. they hold it till you pay what they want as a fine. I found it cheaper without one.

 

[blackwolf]

Expect a 6-8 week wait to get your license at present. Mine finally arrived the other day after more than a 3 month wait. I got stopped for riding up a one way street yesterday and all the license served for was a bargaining chip for the cops. eg. they hold it till you pay what they want as a fine. I found it cheaper without one.

I asked AVIS to get mine renewed back in mid-April, during the Khmer New Year. Of course they only started the process about a week later. I still haven't heard from them 2 months later, but expect them to send it to me in Bangkok on the direct Phnom Penh-Bangkok bus service I have prepaid for. They told me it would take at least a month, possibly 2. Hope they will contact me about it soon, seems like it's not ready yet.

 

[blackwolf]

Technically an International Driving License is valid under Article 45 of the new driving laws but do not expect one of the traffic police "tubbies" standing at the side of the road to know the law. It is legal to drive/ride with your headlights on during the day but expect to pay a donation for the priviledge

The police started to enforce the new driving laws at the beginning of the year (having been passed by parliament some 8 months previously) but it caught everybody by surprise so they all posted on the big boss's facebook pag. He of course being a man of the people (and just about to fly in his private jet to Singapore for his annual medical check up) said it was ridiculous and that anybody could ride a 125. To prove this he posted a photo of him riding a Honda dream (100 metres to his motorcade) with his consort pillion both without helmets. Of course technically he could not get a driving license as he would not pass the medical as he only has one eye. But who worries about technicalities when you are the big boss.

So a couple of Ministers and the National road Safety executive got together the next week and decided that despite the 2,200 deaths and 8,000 Serious hospitalisation injuries per year than it was not necessary to have a license for a 125. Enforcement of the laws were also delayed by an additional month until sometime in February.

Above that you will need a big bike license (A2) but be careful as most places that get you that license will only give you and A1 license (below 125). So insist on a big bike license before handing over any cash.

Reality is slightly different. If you are stopped you will have to donate. The donation is more because you are not Cambodian and it will be multiplied by the number of tubbies resting at the side of the road.

The tubbies are not really a problem but the road blocks are more difficult as they will not take a donation and want to see the paperwork and are supported by the Royal Gendarmier (dunno how to spell) with things that go bang and leave a hole in your body.

NEVER hand over your license. Show it but do not give it to them. I NEVER carry my registration documents with me and there has never been a problem.

In reality as a westerner you are unlikely to be stopped unless you have done something wrong (except the lights). Just be pleasant and laugh and joke with them. They are quite nice people really who get paid around $120 per month and you will be on your way quickly albeit a bit lighter

Your insurance is a different issue as that follows western rules....

Oh, and finally they are starting night road blocks to catch drunk drivers. But I avoid riding at night because it is too dangerous (lights and sobriety are optional).

Definitely not a good idea to drink and drive anywhere in the world. However, it's usually when we've had 2 glasses of wine or 3-4 beers a few hours ago and are hovering around the legal limit that we feel it's safe enough to drive back home. What would happen if you're caught though? How much would the fine be? Are checkpoints more likely to be in Phnom Penh or in the countryside (my hunch says the former).

I can't imagine the Cambodians to be strict about drunk drivers yet - it's probably just an excuse to extract a few more dollars than they usually do from other traffic infringements. I reckon it would be like Thailand was 15-20 years ago, when they first started breath testing but even then only in the bigger cities. It wasn't until around 10 years ago this started to change elsewhere in the country. While Thailand is getting stricter these days, last time I was in Cambodia during the Khmer New Year, there was just one checkpoint I passed through around 75km south of PP driving a Thai car. Nobody was interested in us and there wouldn't have been anything to find as I hadn't been drinking. Although my Cambo licence had already expired by then but I would have thought my valid international and Thai licence (that I was carrying with me) would have solved that, had I been stopped.

 

[phuketrichard]

latest info on getting a Cambodian license

How to get a Cambodian driving license in 2019 | Move to Cambodia

Everything expats living in Cambodia needs to know about getting a Cambodia driver's license, including what documents you will need and where to apply.

www.movetocambodia.com