Motorbike Accident in Chiang Mai: First Hour and Insurance
Call 191 for police or 1669 for an ambulance. Thai compulsory insurance pays preliminary damages within seven days of your request, without waiting for proof of fault, and you must ask within 180 days. Keep the hospital receipt, a passport copy and the police daily log.
The bike is down and the phone is in your hand. Police are on 191, an ambulance is on 1669, and the tourist police are on 1155.
A main road in Chiang Mai under rain clouds.
What to do at the scene and in the first hour
Call 1669 for a medical emergency. Once you are delivered to a hospital, treatment cannot be denied. UCEP, the free 72-hour right for a critical emergency, is at the nearest hospital. The NHSO names Thai people of every health-fund scheme and foreigners who hold social security rights. A tourist without Thai social security should expect the hospital to claim the cost from their own life, health or travel insurance, so hand over the insurer’s details at registration. The Cabinet approved new UCEP rules on 15 September 2026, but no official text is in force yet and coverage for non-Thai patients is unconfirmed. UCEP queries go to the coordination centre on 02-872-1669, open 24 hours.
Do not leave the scene. A driver who causes damage must stop, help and report to the nearby official without delay, whoever is at fault. Give your name, address and registration number to the person harmed. A driver who escapes is presumed guilty, and the vehicle can be seized. Call 191 to report the crash. The tourist police hotline is 1155.
Get the police daily log. Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai asks for the original, with incident details, date and time, location, registration, chassis number and names.
Keep the hospital receipt or medical bill.
Keep a copy of your passport or other official ID.
Ask for preliminary damages within 180 days of the date the harm happened.
The numbers to call, the papers to keep and the two deadlines after a scooter crash, from the Act and the hospital's claims page.Tap to enlarge diagram ↗Mueang Chiang Mai Tourist Police Station 196, Sriwichai Alley, Chang Phueak, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50300, Thailand · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)
Which hospital? Use one rule: for a critical emergency, take the nearest one; for a minor injury, pick one that publishes its Act claim steps, such as Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai.
“Por Ror Bor” is the everyday Thai name for the compulsory motor insurance under the Act. The Act makes the vehicle’s owner arrange it.
The Act requires the owner of a vehicle used or kept for use to insure it for the benefit of accident victims. Nobody may use a vehicle without that insurance, subject to the vehicles exempted in section 8.
An owner who does not insure faces a fine of up to THB 10,000. The fine falls on the owner, not on a rider who hired the bike.
A victim is a person harmed in life, body or health because of a vehicle in use or on the road. Harm from what is loaded or installed on that vehicle counts too.
The owner or user must keep evidence of the insurance ready to show an officer whenever the vehicle is used. The exception is a vehicle that has been registered or has had its annual tax paid under section 19.
How a claim works
When harm happens to a victim of an insured vehicle, the insurer pays preliminary damages once the victim asks. The insurer or the fund must pay within seven days of the request, without waiting for fault to be proved. The victim must ask within 180 days of the date the harm happened.
Editor’s translation: … to be paid to the victim within seven days of the date the request is received, without waiting for proof of liability.
Protection for Motor Vehicle Accident Victims Act B.E. 2535 (1992), section 27 (มาตรา ๒๗) and section 25 paragraph 1 (มาตรา ๒๕)
Receiving preliminary damages does not remove the right to claim more under the Civil and Commercial Code. A patient with protection under the motor-accident victims law uses that right first.
What it pays
The Office of Insurance Commission (OIC) publishes the compulsory policy schedule; it comes from the OIC registrar order B.E. 2568. Item 4 of the schedule is the row of cover limits. Item 5 is the preliminary compensation, paid within seven days without waiting for fault. It is part of the Item 4 amounts, not paid on top.
So THB 30,000 and THB 80,000 are not rival figures. For a bodily injury, the first THB 30,000 is paid as preliminary compensation. The cover limit for the same injury is THB 80,000 per person.
Cover (schedule item)
Amount
Bodily injury or injury to health, per person
THB 80,000
Loss of life or total permanent disability, per person
THB 500,000
Permanent disability or loss of a limb, per person
THB 200,000 to 500,000, by policy clause
Inpatient daily compensation
THB 200 per day, not more than 20 days
Preliminary compensation, bodily injury
Not more than THB 30,000 per person
Preliminary compensation, dismemberment or permanent disability
THB 35,000
Preliminary compensation, loss of life
THB 35,000 per person
All Item 4 amounts together cannot exceed THB 504,000 per person or THB 20 million per accident. If the victim is the driver of the insured vehicle, the policy covers only preliminary compensation. A rider driving the insured bike therefore gets the preliminary amounts only. The policy wording caps combined preliminary damages for several kinds of harm at THB 65,000.
The Act says an insurer cannot refuse preliminary damages by pointing to a breach of the policy conditions between insurer and owner. It says the same for the insured person’s fraud or gross negligence.
UK advice says riding a motorcycle in Thailand without a valid licence could invalidate your travel insurance, and you would be unable to claim after an accident or injury. World Nomads, for one, requires a valid motorbike licence in your country of residence and in the local country.
A Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai page, updated 9 Dec 2025, says it accepts patients using the Act’s benefits up to THB 30,000. It says that with all the necessary documents the entitlement can be used without any upfront payment.
Its document list for the injured person:
A copy of an ID card or driver’s licence.
A copy of the Act policy.
Or a copy of the vehicle registration book or sales contract, for vehicles without a registration number.
Or a copy of the tax label.
The original police daily log, stating the incident details, date and time, location, vehicle registration, chassis number, driver’s name and passenger’s name.
The police daily log is used in these cases:
Another party is involved.
The policy is by another company, with the Central Insurance Company acting on its behalf.
A self-slide or fall.
A collision with a non-vehicle object.
A collision with a dog or other pets.
The policy wording asks the victim for the hospital or clinic receipt, or proof of the medical bill. It also asks for a copy of an identity card, alien identity document, passport or other official document. For the serious injury categories, such as lost limbs or permanent disability, the claim also needs a medical certificate or doctor’s opinion and a copy of the police daily log.
Section 23 lists the cases in which preliminary damages are paid from the compensation fund. One case is a vehicle with no insurance whose owner does not pay the preliminary damages, or pays only part. Another is a driver who fled, or a case where it cannot be known which vehicle caused the harm.
The fund pays within seven days of the request, without waiting for fault to be proved.
Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai
Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai (โรงพยาบาลกรุงเทพเชียงใหม่) shows its Trauma Center of Excellence open 24 hours, 7 days a week, on +66 (0)52 089 888 and 1719. The address is 88/8-9 Moo 6, Nong Pa Khrang, Mueang Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai 50000.
The lobby at Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai.Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai 88/8-9 Lampang - Chiang Mai Superhighway, Tambon Nong Pa Khrang, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50000, Thailand · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)
Chiangmai Ram Hospital
Chiangmai Ram Hospital (โรงพยาบาลเชียงใหม่ราม) lists a 24-hour emergency line, 052-004601. Its main number is 052-004699, at 8 Boonruangrit Road, Si Phum, Mueang, Chiang Mai 50200.
The street entrance of Chiangmai Ram Hospital.Chiangmai Ram Hospital 8 Bunrueang Rit Rd, Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)
Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital
The Emergency Room at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital (โรงพยาบาลมหาราชนครเชียงใหม่) says it is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is at 110 Inthawarorot Rd., Sri Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai 50200. The EMS service line is +6653-938-777 and the referral center +6653-938-799.
The Trauma Center side of Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital.Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital 110 Intrawarorot Rd, Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)
Rajavej Chiang Mai Hospital
Rajavej Chiang Mai Hospital (โรงพยาบาลราชเวช เชียงใหม่) lists its telephone as 052-011999. It is at 316/1 Chiang Mai-Lamphun Road, Wat Ket, Mueang, Chiang Mai 50000.
Rajavej Chiang Mai Hospital seen from the street.Rajavej Chiang Mai Hospital 316/1 Chiang Mai-Lam Phun Rd, Wat Ket, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50000, Thailand · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)
McCormick Hospital
The McCormick Hospital (โรงพยาบาลแมคคอร์มิค) Emergency Department is on 053-921-777 ext. 1338, 1339 and a direct line 053-921-799. The address is 133 Kaew Nawarat Road, Mueang, Chiang Mai 50000.
McCormick Hospital seen from above.McCormick Hospital 133 Kaeonawarat Rd, Wat Ket, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50000, Thailand · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Photo credits
1Call for helpCall 1669 for an ambulance and 191 to report the crash to police. The tourist police hotline is 1155.
2Get the police daily logBangkok Hospital Chiang Mai asks for the original police daily log.
3Keep your papersKeep the hospital receipt or medical bill and a copy of your passport or other official ID.
4Ask for preliminary damagesAsk within 180 days of the date the harm happened. The insurer or the fund pays within seven days of the request.
Not confirmed: Whether hospitals other than Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai skip upfront payment under the Act; ask at registration. Whether your own policy pays a rider with no valid licence; UK advice says it could be void. Whether a tourist without Thai social security gets any free UCEP care; the NHSO names two groups only.
Who pays the hospital bill after a scooter crash in Chiang Mai?
The compulsory policy pays preliminary damages once the victim asks. For bodily injury the schedule sets them at not more than THB 30,000 per person. Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai accepts the Act's benefits up to THB 30,000.
Does the insurer wait for proof of fault?
Preliminary damages are paid within seven days of the request, without waiting for proof of liability.
What if the other rider drove off?
Section 23 lists a driver who fled, or a case where it cannot be known which vehicle caused the harm, among the cases paid from the compensation fund.
Is a fall without another vehicle covered?
A self-slide or fall is among the cases at Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai where its claim uses the police daily log.
What is the deadline to claim preliminary damages?
The victim must ask within 180 days of the date the harm happened.
Which Chiang Mai hospital publishes round-the-clock emergency care?
Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai's Trauma Center of Excellence is shown open 24 hours, 7 days a week. The Maharaj Nakorn Emergency Room is open 24/7 too. Chiangmai Ram has a 24-hour emergency line.
Is the limit THB 30,000 or THB 80,000 for an injury?
Both apply to different things. The first THB 30,000 is preliminary compensation; the cover limit for bodily injury is THB 80,000 per person, and the preliminary part is included in it.
Do foreigners get free emergency treatment under UCEP?
The NHSO booklet names Thai people of every health-fund scheme and foreigners who hold social security rights. A tourist is not in either group. Hospitals claim a foreign patient's critical-emergency costs from the patient's own insurance.
Must I stop and report a crash if it was not my fault?
Yes. A driver who causes damage to a person or property, whoever is at fault, must stop, help and report to the nearby official without delay. Leaving the scene means being presumed guilty.
Will my travel insurance pay if I rode without a licence?
UK advice says riding a motorcycle in Thailand without a valid licence could invalidate your travel insurance, leaving you unable to claim.
What if the bike has no compulsory insurance?
An owner who does not insure the vehicle faces a fine of up to THB 10,000. The fund pays preliminary damages when the owner of an uninsured vehicle does not pay them, or pays only part.
General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.
