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Driving abroad
Check if you need an international driving permit (IDP)
You can use your Great Britain (GB) or Northern Ireland driving licence in all EU or European Economic Area (EEA) countries, and Switzerland.
If you’re caught breaking the law, for example by a speed camera, the authorities can get the vehicle’s registered keeper’s details from DVLA.
You may need an international driving permit (IDP) to drive outside the EU or EEA.
Driving in Europe after Brexit
If the UK leaves the EU without a deal on 29 March 2019, you might need an IDP to drive in all EU and European Economic Area (EEA) countries, apart from Ireland.
You will need a:
- 1926 permit to drive in Liechtenstein
- 1949 permit to drive in Spain, Iceland, Malta and Cyprus
- 1968 permit to drive in all other EU countries, plus Norway and Switzerland
Get an international driving permit (IDP)
You can get an IDP over the counter at the Post Office.
They cost £5.50 and you must:
- be a GB or Northern Ireland resident
- have a full UK driving licence
- be 18 or over
If you already have an IDP
After 28 March 2019, your permit might not be accepted in some countries. Check if the country you’re visiting will still accept your 1926 or 1949 permit after this date. You can check the front of your permit to see which type you have.
If your current IDP is not accepted, you’ll need to replace it with a 1968 permit.
A 1949 permit lasts for 12 months. A 1968 permit lasts for 3 years or until your UK driving licence expires, whichever comes first.
Check which IDP you need
In some countries, you’ll only need to get a permit in certain situations. For example, if you’re hiring a car, or if you’ll be there for more than 30 days.
If you’re travelling through more than one country, you might need more than one type of IDP.
If the country you’re visiting is not included here, check with the embassy of the country you’re travelling to. If you’re hiring a car, check with your car hire company.
| Country | Before 28 March 2019 | 28 March 2019 onwards | Other requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Algeria | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Argentina | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Armenia | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Australia | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Azerbaijan | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Bahamas | 1949 | 1968 | IDP needed for stays longer than 90 days. |
| Bahrain | 1926 | 1968 | IDP needed for car hire, and for stays longer than 90 days. You must get your permit certified by local authorities when you arrive. |
| Bangladesh | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Barbados | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Belarus | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Benin | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Botswana | 1949 | 1949 | IDP needed for car hire. |
| Brazil | 1926 | 1968 | You need to get a certified translation of your IDP from the British consulate. |
| Burkina Faso | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Cambodia | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Canada | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Cape Verde | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Central African Republic | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Chile | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Congo | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Cuba | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Democratic Republic of Congo | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Dominica | 1949 | ||
| Dominican Republic | 1949 | 1949 | IDP needed for stays longer than 90 days. |
| Ecuador | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Egypt | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Eswatini (previously Swaziland) | 1949 | 1968 | If you have an older, paper UK driving licence, you must take another form of photographic ID, such as your passport. You may need to show an IDP to your insurance company if you’re involved in an accident. |
| Fiji | 1949 | 1949 | |
| French Polynesia | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Georgia | 1949 | 1968 | IDP needed for stays longer than 90 days. |
| Ghana | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Guam | 1949 | 1949 | IDP needed for stays longer than 30 days. If you have an older, paper UK driving licence, you must take another form of photographic ID, such as your passport. You may need to show an IDP to your insurance company if you’re involved in an accident. |
| Guatemala | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Guyana | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Haiti | 1949 | 1949 | IDP needed for stays longer than 90 days. |
| India | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Iran | 1926 | 1968 | |
| Iraq | 1926 | 1968 | |
| Israel | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Jamaica | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Japan | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Jordan | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Kazakhstan | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Kenya | 1926 | 1968 | IDP needed for stays longer than 90 days. |
| Kuwait | 1926 | 1968 | |
| Kyrgyzstan | None | 1968 | |
| Laos | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Lebanon | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Lesotho | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Liberia | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Macedonia | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Madagascar | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Malawi | 1949 | 1949 | IDP needed for stays longer than 90 days. |
| Malaysia (Sabah) | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Mali | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Mexico | 1926 | 1926 | |
| Moldova | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Monaco | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Mongolia | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Montenegro | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Morocco | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Namibia | 1949 | 1949 | IDP needed for car hire. If you have an older, paper UK driving licence, you must take another form of photographic ID, such as your passport. You may need to show an IDP to your insurance company if you’re involved in an accident. |
| New Zealand | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Niger | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Nigeria | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Pakistan | 1926 | 1968 | |
| Papua New Guinea | 1949 | 1949 | IDP needed for stays longer than 30 days. |
| Paraguay | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Peru | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Philippines | 1949 | 1968 | IDP needed for car hire, and for stays longer than 90 days. |
| Qatar | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Russian Federation | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Rwanda | 1949 | 1949 | |
| San Marino | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Saudi Arabia | 1949 | 1968 | IDP needed for car hire. |
| Senegal | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Serbia | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Seychelles | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Sierra Leone | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Singapore | 1949 | 1949 | IDP needed for car hire, and for stays longer than 30 days. |
| Somalia | 1926 | 1926 | |
| South Africa | 1949 | 1968 | If you have an older, paper UK driving licence, you must take another form of photographic ID, such as your passport. You may need to show an IDP to your insurance company if you’re involved in an accident. |
| South Korea | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Sri Lanka | 1949 | 1949 | As well as the IDP, you must get a Sri Lankan recognition permit from the Automobile Association of Ceylon (AAC) in Colombo. |
| St. Lucia | 1949 | 1949 | Show your UK driving licence or IDP to the police to get a visitor’s licence. |
| St. Vincent | 1949 | 1949 | Show your UK driving licence or IDP to the police to get a visitor’s licence. |
| Syria | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Tajikistan | None | 1968 | |
| Thailand | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Togo | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Trinidad & Tobago | 1949 | 1949 | IDP needed for stays longer than 90 days. |
| Tunisia | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Turkey | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Turkmenistan | None | 1968 | |
| Uganda | 1949 | 1949 | IDP needed for stays longer than 90 days. |
| Ukraine | 1949 | 1968 | |
| United Arab Emirates | 1949 | 1968 | |
| United States | 1949 | 1949 | If you have an older, paper UK driving licence, you must take another form of photographic ID, such as your passport. You may need to show an IDP to your insurance company if you’re involved in an accident. |
| Uruguay | 1926 | 1968 | |
| Uzbekistan | None | 1968 | |
| Vatican City | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Venezuela | 1949 | 1949 | |
| Vietnam | 1949 | 1968 | |
| Zimbabwe | 1949 | 1968 |