International Driving Permit in Bahrain

🗓 Facts checked against Bahrain's road-traffic law and official sources. Research last updated: 30 October 2026. You may copy this information only if you provide a link back to this page.

⚠ This page is general information about driving rules, not legal advice. Rules change, and each authority applies its own — confirm your case with the relevant authority before you drive.

ℹ We are a private company. We are not a government body, a licensing or issuing authority, or a treaty organisation, and we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for any of them. The International Driver's Document we sell is a translation of your national driving licence: it is not a driving licence, and it is not a government-issued document.

• Driving in Bahrain: key facts
• Do you need an International Driving Permit in Bahrain?
• What side of the road does Bahrain drive on?
• How long can you drive in Bahrain with a foreign licence?
• Is Bahrain a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?
• Why acceptance of your licence varies from place to place
• Can you drive in Bahrain with your country's licence?
• Where to get an International Driving Permit
• Moving to Bahrain? Rules for new residents
• Driving rules in Bahrain tourists get fined for
• Read more about driving in Bahrain
• Sources

Driving in Bahrain: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Bahrain?

Bahrain is a party to both road-traffic conventions, so 1949 and 1968 IDPs are both valid here (1968 Vienna: accession 4 May 1973; 1949 Geneva: accession 11 March 2025, in force for Bahrain 10 April 2025 — UN depositary notification C.N.122.2025.TREATIES-XI.B.1). An IDP is not, however, an absolute legal precondition: Article 251 of the Traffic Law's Implementing Regulation (Decision No. 154 of 2015) lets the General Directorate of Traffic (which the Regulation calls 'the Administration') allow holders of non-GCC private-car licences to drive for a maximum of three months from the date of entry, 'provided that the Administration approves such licenses'. Because that approval is discretionary and the Directorate's approved-licence list is not published, the IDP route is the reliable one: Article 294 states that IDPs issued abroad 'are valid in the Kingdom of Bahrain for the entire duration of their validity', and Article 217 makes an IDP (or a licence expressly approved by the Directorate) mandatory for anyone driving a foreign-registered vehicle brought into Bahrain. Always carry the original national licence with the IDP — an IDP never stands alone.

• Tourists and short-term visitors: Bahrain's traffic regulation accepts an IDP issued abroad for its whole term and refers GCC licences to GCC decisions it does not set out. A non-GCC licence alone needs the General Directorate of Traffic's approval; no approved list is published. Check with the authorities before you travel; the answer below says what is known.
• Car renters: Tourists and transit travellers do not have to visit the General Directorate of Traffic before driving. Article 295: the holder of a foreign IDP 'shall submit it to the Administration before using it ... However, transit travellers or tourists are exempted from this requirement, and they shall be allowed to use their international driving license in the country, provided that they present the license to the Administration on the day following their arrival.' The Directorate may also assign the accreditation of IDPs to car-rental companies or other bodies (Article 295, second paragraph).

No specific penalty for driving without the required document was verified from an authoritative source. Official source.

What side of the road does Bahrain drive on?

Bahrain drives on the right-hand side of the road, and overtaking is done on the left. Cars in Bahrain are left-hand drive.

How long can you drive in Bahrain with a foreign licence?

Up to three months from the date of entry, on a non-GCC licence that the General Directorate of Traffic approves. Article 251 of the Implementing Regulation: 'the Administration may allow the holders to drive the specified private cars ... for a maximum period of three months from the date of their entry into the Kingdom of Bahrain, regardless of their residency status in the Kingdom provided that the Administration approves such licenses.' After three months a Bahraini licence must be obtained, otherwise the driver 'will be considered as driving without a valid driving license'. Article 294 makes an IDP issued abroad valid in Bahrain for its whole validity; the Implementing Regulation does not say whether the three-month limit of Article 251 also applies to a visitor who drives on an IDP, so check with the General Directorate of Traffic before driving for longer than three months. GCC-issued licences follow the decisions of the GCC Ministers of Interior instead; the Regulation does not set out their terms. (Decision No. (154) of 2015, Article 251)

Planning to move to Bahrain? Different rules apply once you become a resident — see the residents section below.

Is Bahrain a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?

Bahrain is a Contracting Party to both United Nations Conventions on Road Traffic — the Geneva Convention of 19 September 1949 and the Vienna Convention of 8 November 1968. International Driving Permits of both the 1949 and the 1968 type are therefore issued against its framework; the answer below says what is established about which types Bahrain accepts from visitors.

• 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic: accession on 11 Mar 2025.
• 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic: accession on 4 May 1973.

Why acceptance of your licence varies from place to place

Whether a foreign country accepts your driving licence hangs on a tangle of variables: three different road-traffic conventions signed decades apart (1926, 1949, 1968) — the oldest predates the United Nations itself, and only the latter two were concluded under it — countries at different stages of joining each (signed vs. accepted vs. ratified), licences printed in alphabets local police can't read, vehicle-category systems that don't line up between countries, document generations that may not meet a convention's format even when the country is a member, bilateral deals between individual states, and local laws that are looser in one place and stricter in the next. The same licence can be fine at one border and rejected at the next — even at the next rental desk. The International Driving Permit exists to cut through most of it: a standardized, multilingual presentation of your existing licence, with harmonized category symbols, that most officials can read at a glance. It doesn't replace your national licence or grant new rights — you carry both — and it doesn't guarantee acceptance: a handful of destinations still require a local permit alongside or instead of it, but for most it meaningfully improves your odds.

Can you drive in Bahrain with your country's licence?

This answer is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Bahrain as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Bahrain is one of the few states party to both the 1949 Geneva and 1968 Vienna conventions (1968 since 1973; 1949 only since 10 April 2025), so either IDP type is valid. Its Implementing Regulation lets non-GCC drivers use their own national private-car licence for a maximum of three months from the date of entry, subject to approval by the General Directorate of Traffic — but that approval is discretionary and the approved-licence list is unpublished, so carrying a genuine 1949 or 1968 IDP alongside the original national licence is the reliable route. Tourists and transit travellers may drive on arrival and present the IDP to the General Directorate of Traffic the following day; GCC licences follow separate GCC ministerial rules. Rules change — confirm with official sources before you travel. Last verified: October 2026.

Legend: "1949" — Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (IDP valid up to 1 year); "1968" — Vienna Convention (IDP valid up to 3 years).

Not established — the record does not settle whether you may drive here on this licence; confirm with the destination's licensing authority before you rely on it. The answer below says what could not be confirmed.

What you need to carry — Check with local authorities before travel

Why — Bahrain's traffic regulation accepts an IDP issued abroad for its whole term and refers GCC licences to GCC decisions it does not set out. A non-GCC licence alone needs the General Directorate of Traffic's approval; no approved list is published. [1]

Sources and notes for the answer above

[1] Decision No. (154) of 2015 promulgating the Implementing Regulation of the Traffic Law, Articles 242, 251 and 294

Where to get an International Driving Permit

An International Driving Permit must be obtained before you travel, and only certain countries may issue one to you — you cannot buy an official IDP from an unrelated country. Under the 1968 Vienna Convention it may be issued only by the Contracting Party where you normally reside and which issued or recognizes your licence — by that Party's competent authority or by an association it has duly empowered. Under the 1949 Geneva Convention it is issued by the competent authority of a Contracting State, or by an association that authority has duly empowered. Which body that is varies by country: a government agency in some, an authorized motoring club in others.

• Travelling from Bahrain? Bahrain's official IDPs are issued by General Directorate of Traffic (GDT), Ministry of Interior — applications are accepted online. Official site.
• Travelling from another country? Ask that country's driving-licence authority which body it authorizes to issue IDPs — a government agency in some countries, an authorized motoring club in others.

Separately, IDA offers a digital International Driver's Document — a translation of your national licence that you carry alongside it. It is not an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 or 1968 conventions by the body your country authorizes for that purpose, and it is not a certified, sworn or otherwise official translation: no authority certifies it, and where a country requires an official or certified translation by law, our document does not satisfy that requirement. It is a private translation meant to make your national licence readable at rental desks and roadside checks.

Moving to Bahrain? Rules for new residents

The three-month clock in Article 251 is not a separate tourist clock — it runs 'from the date of their entry into the Kingdom of Bahrain, regardless of their residency status'. So a visitor and a newly arrived resident are on the same three months. After that a Bahraini licence is required or the driver is treated as unlicensed. The National Portal's 'Stamping of Foreign International License' service is expressly for 'visitors without residency'. Official source.

Driving rules in Bahrain tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Seat belts are compulsory for the driver and front-seat passengers, helmets for motorcycle riders and pillion passengers, children under ten may not sit in the front, and a child must be in a proper child seat. Each is an offence under Article 45 of the Traffic Law (items 17, 18, 21 and 24), fined 50 to 100 dinars and doubled on a repeat within one year. Confirm the warning triangle, spare wheel and other equipment with the rental company before departure.
• Drink-driving: Bahraini law sets no numeric BAC figure. Article 35 of the Traffic Law prohibits driving 'for anyone who is under the influence of intoxication or drugs to the extent that he loses control of the vehicle or his ability to drive is impaired', and separately prohibits the driver from drinking alcohol or taking drugs while driving; the licence is administratively withdrawn for six months for a breach (one year on repeat, two years thereafter), and refusing a roadside test carries the same withdrawal. Alcohol is legally sold in Bahrain, but the standard is impairment plus a flat ban on drinking at the wheel — treat it operationally as zero. Article 51 of the Traffic Law, as amended by Legislative Decree No. (30) of 2025: imprisonment of not less than two months and not more than one year and a fine of not less than 1,000 and not more than 2,000 Bahraini dinars, or either penalty. If the impaired driving results in any other offence or traffic-rule breach: imprisonment of four months to two years and a fine of 2,000 to 4,000 dinars, or either. Doubled on a repeat within one year. Members of the public security forces and of the General Directorate of Traffic may arrest anyone who commits this offence (Article 55).
• Speed limits: Article 44 of the Implementing Regulation, as replaced by Decision No. (134) of 2017, sets the bands within which signs fix the actual limit: inside cities (excluding ring roads) private cars and motorcycles 40 to 80 km/h, other vehicles 30 to 50 km/h; outside cities and on ring roads private cars and motorcycles 60 to 120 km/h, other vehicles 30 to 80 km/h. Minimums also apply (20 km/h in cities, 50 km/h outside for private cars). Posted signs govern. Exceeding the limit by up to 30% draws up to 3 months' imprisonment and a 50 to 250 dinar fine; beyond that, 1 to 6 months and 200 to 1,000 dinars; if the speeding causes an accident that damages public or private property, 3 months to 1 year and 1,000 to 3,000 dinars, doubled when the offence is repeated within a year. In each case the court may impose imprisonment, the fine or both (Traffic Law, Article 50, as amended by Legislative Decree No. (30) of 2025).
• Tourists and transit travellers do not have to visit the General Directorate of Traffic before driving. Article 295: the holder of a foreign IDP 'shall submit it to the Administration before using it ... However, transit travellers or tourists are exempted from this requirement, and they shall be allowed to use their international driving license in the country, provided that they present the license to the Administration on the day following their arrival.' The Directorate may also assign the accreditation of IDPs to car-rental companies or other bodies (Article 295, second paragraph).
• If you want the paperwork settled formally, the National Portal service 'Stamping of Foreign International License' exists for 'visitors without residency'. Its stated conditions are a 'Valid original international foreign license' and a 'Valid original private foreign license'; required documents are the passport and residence information; processing is one working day. No fee is published.
• If you bring your own foreign-registered car into Bahrain, an IDP effectively becomes compulsory: Article 217 forbids using 'any driving licenses other than international driving licenses or any driving licenses approved by the Administration' to drive such a vehicle, and the licence must cover that vehicle and remain valid for the whole of its stay. The vehicle needs Bahrain-issued insurance valid for the whole stay, the driver and every passenger need entry visas and permission to stay for as long as the vehicle remains, and the driver may be required to report to the General Directorate of Traffic no later than the day after arrival (Articles 214 and 215). The vehicle may stay one consecutive year or the validity of its carnet or triptyque (the customs documents for a temporarily imported vehicle), whichever is shorter, unless the General Directorate of Traffic approves a longer stay (Article 218).
• Carry the national licence, the IDP, passport, rental agreement, registration and insurance evidence whenever driving. Traffic keeps right: the Traffic Law penalises 'Non-compliance with driving on the right side of the carriageway' (Article 45, item 6). Automated speed and red-light enforcement is extensive.

Read more about driving in Bahrain

• 10 Interesting Facts About Bahrain
• Best places to visit in Bahrain

Watch what driving in Bahrain looks like

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. Decision No. (154) of 2015, Article 251
3. Bahrain Law No. (23) of 2014 promulgating the Traffic Law (LLOC record page)
4. Decision No. (154) of 2015 promulgating the Implementing Regulation of the Traffic Law (LLOC record page)
5. Bahrain National Portal - Stamping of Foreign International License (visitors without residency)
6. Bahrain National Portal - Issue of an international driving licence for citizens and residents (1 year, BHD 15)
7. General Directorate of Traffic e-services portal
8. UN Treaty Collection XI-B-1 - 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic: 'Bahrain ... 11 Mar 2025 a'
9. UN depositary notification C.N.122.2025.TREATIES-XI.B.1 - Bahrain accession 11 March 2025, in force 10 April 2025
10. UN Treaty Collection XI-B-19 - 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic: 'Bahrain ... 4 May 1973 a'
11. Bahrain National Portal emergency hotline directory (999; traffic accident 199)
12. Traffic Law No. 23/2014 - Arabic consolidated text including the 2025 amendments (LLOC), Articles 45, 50 and 51
13. Legislative Decree No. (30) of 2025 amending the Traffic Law (LLOC record page; Official Gazette No. 3828, 21 August 2025)
14. Decision No. (134) of 2017 replacing Article 44 of the Implementing Regulation (speed limits) - English text (LLOC)
15. General Directorate of Traffic (GDT), Ministry of Interior — authorized IDP issuer in Bahrain
16. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
17. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic