Does the police still stops the foreigners and check for driving license ? HE (the president of Cambodia) said that it is not necessary to have one for motorbikes under 125 cc.
Would it help to have an international driving license (valid only for cars) ?

sandrei wrote:Does the police still stops the foreigners and check for driving license ? HE (the president of Cambodia) said that it is not necessary to have one for motorbikes under 125 cc.
Would it help to have an international driving license (valid only for cars) ?

the coppers will pull you over on the chance you dont have a license,
if you do not have one they will try get money out of you,
if you get yourself an international drivers permit (cost only £5 in the UK) then thats always worked with me,
the no license law only applies to cambodians (or thats what the coppers trying to fleece you for cash will tell you anyway)

your license for your home country wont work over here

"Driving While White"

You can either get a Cambodian license using your license from home (I use Anna Travel in SKV) or if you are in Bangkok, go to Khao San Road in Bangkok and get a United Nations drivers license that looks better than the real ones. I carry the laws and fines in my truck and give the cops so much grief that they don't bother me anymore.(demanding a receipt so they can't pocket the money.) I also leave all the past years tax stamps and inspection stickers on my windshield so that by the time they figure out which is which, I'm past them.

Sailorman wrote:"Driving While White"

You can either get a Cambodian license using your license from home (I use Anna Travel in SKV) or if you are in Bangkok, go to Khao San Road in Bangkok and get a United Nations drivers license that looks better than the real ones. I carry the laws and fines in my truck and give the cops so much grief that they don't bother me anymore.(demanding a receipt so they can't pocket the money.) I also leave all the past years tax stamps and inspection stickers on my windshield so that by the time they figure out which is which, I'm past them.

yeah ive not paid a fine for a couple of years,
after i ran a red light they demanded money, i demanded a ticket, we hit a stalemate and i was free to go lol

if you have never ridden a moto then i would steer clear

i got my cambo licence from mottah travel never get stopped but then my face probably scares them

lurcio wrote:Got stopped at the Golden Lions a few days ago for the first time in a year and had to flash my Cambodian License. They have started stopping every white face again and at the same time a Korean? couple had to pay for not having a local license (he had a Korean one) so, yes, you need a local license (or maybe, like JL or SM, some IDP / UN one and the time to chat with them until they get bored of you) if you want to avoid problems.

Pchum Ben is coming around again so they will be fleecing everyone they can for the next 4 weeks.

yep ive never had a problem with the IDP,
most just look at it (some dont even bother opening it),
they then proclaim "England?" and i say yes,
they look proud of themselves for guessing correct,
give me a smile and say no problem you can go...

apart from 2 times this year actually...

one time was around first week of April leading up to the New Year and they pulled me over on the way to Don Bosco school,
they pulled me over and claimed i had my lights on (tbh i did further up the road but turned them off when i clocked them but they must have seen)
i start speaking to them in Khmer saying i was on my way to study at school and they were making me late,
they said i need to pay a fine for not having my lights on, but i turned the ignition and showed them that they werent on and that they were mistaken,
the main officer wrote down 25,000r on a piece of paper, i took one look at it and spoke to him again in Khmer saying that i wasnt going to pay,
and that he must be joking if he thinks im stupid enough to pay 25,000r for having my lights on,
he then asked to see my license so i gave him my IDP,
he looked at my picture and laughed (i look like a pikey/bogan in it tbh) he pointed at my pictue, we both laughed,
he asked me in Khmer how long i had lived in Cambodia,
i replied in Khmer that i had only lived here 1 week,
we both laughed again and he said i was free to go

the other time wasnt so pleasant as i had to deal with the 2 lions traffic police
they pulled me over for no reason so i was already annoyed,
he asked to see my license to which i told him he can bollocks as id done nothing wrong,
this time he demanded, so i got off my bike and produced my IDP,
he told me i need to go inside the office to speak to his boss,
i told him he can bollocks again grabbed my IDP out his hand and jumped back on my bike,
he then demanded that i go inside and speak to his boss,
i told him if his boss wants to speak to me he can come outside and speak to me,
he demanded again that i go inside and speak to his boss,
i put my keys back in the ignition and struck the bike back up,
the copper tried grabbing my keys out my bike and i pushed him back,
i took the keys out and decided to defuse the situation and go speak to his boss,
i go inside and the top cop asks me whats up,
i tell him ive been told to see him,
he asked why,
i said i dont know,
he asked to see my license,
i show him my IDP,
he looks at it and calls in the officer i had the confrontation with,
told the officer to stop wasting mine and his time and said i was free to go,
leaving the officer that pulled me over losing a lot of face,
soz pal

going to get a license when i return though, didnt bother last time but i fancy getting a bigger bike

Just some more info for the OP. Getting pulled over can depend on whether there's a holiday coming up (as a previous poster already mentioned). I've only been riding for 3 months and didn't get pulled over once. Suddenly, last 4 days I've been stopped 4 times (there's a holiday coming up!). Once for helmet strap not done up, twice for lights on and once for seemingly nothing, but they changed their mind and waved me on (so that one doesn't really count). Point is, try not to give them a reason. Then they immediately ask for licence ( Cambodian or International ). 125cc rule only for Cambodians! If I continued to argue they were going to take me to the Police Station and " they say same thing, but cost $50". He wanted $10 but I gave him $5 and said that was fair. He didn't like it though and searched my pockets and bag for weed. Other times similar, after a little haggling $5. So that seems about what they will except.
Anyway, I've decided to get a Cambodian licence. Looked into it yesterday (at Anna Travel). Sailorman was correct, but he didn't mention it costs $60, valid for 1 year and takes up to a month to process. I asked the girl if the cops would accept the receipt in the interim but she didn't know. So depends on how long your here for etc. I think you"ll be OK with an International Licence, even if it is only valid for cars. Good luck!

Yes, the receipt you get while waiting for your license is valid, same with the receipt for number plates/reg card.

The IDP is technically supposed to be valid, as Cambodia is a signatory to the UN convention covering the permits, but it's generally understood that it is not accepted here. Good to hear that at least the Sihanouk cops accept it.

A licence shouldn't cost $60. Any shop charging that much is having a laugh, or trying to sell you two licenses, the A1 and A2 . Used to be ~$35 a piece and I thought it went down at the start of this year after the bigg boss abolished the 125cc licence.

HE said < 125cc bikes are so easy to ride that no one needs a licence, but foreigners must have a licence?

Can someone clarify:

1. there's no longer a <125cc class of licence. True or false?

2. foreigners are "not eligible" to drive <125cc bike without a Cambodian licence that covers 125cc (which I suspect isn't true, but the updated law has not been published to verify, it's just a Facebook prakas), so what licence are foreigners supposed to get? If the old class of licence doesn't exist, there is no way to get one.

BUD wrote:Just some more info for the OP. Getting pulled over can depend on whether there's a holiday coming up (as a previous poster already mentioned). I've only been riding for 3 months and didn't get pulled over once. Suddenly, last 4 days I've been stopped 4 times (there's a holiday coming up!). Once for helmet strap not done up, twice for lights on and once for seemingly nothing, but they changed their mind and waved me on (so that one doesn't really count). Point is, try not to give them a reason. Then they immediately ask for licence ( Cambodian or International ). 125cc rule only for Cambodians! If I continued to argue they were going to take me to the Police Station and " they say same thing, but cost $50". He wanted $10 but I gave him $5 and said that was fair. He didn't like it though and searched my pockets and bag for weed. Other times similar, after a little haggling $5. So that seems about what they will except.
Anyway, I've decided to get a Cambodian licence. Looked into it yesterday (at Anna Travel). Sailorman was correct, but he didn't mention it costs $60, valid for 1 year and takes up to a month to process. I asked the girl if the cops would accept the receipt in the interim but she didn't know. So depends on how long your here for etc. I think you"ll be OK with an International Licence, even if it is only valid for cars. Good luck!

hey Big Ugly Dave

yeah Ana Travel costs $60, i was going to get one earlier this year but decided not to due to the wait plus my IDP has never let me down, but i will get one when im back though

yeah its $60 for your first license then i think its around $25ish dollars for the renewal every year