International Driving Permit in Belarus

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

Driving in Belarus: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Belarus?

Belarus is a Contracting Party to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (signed 8 Nov 1968, ratified 18 Jun 1974) and is not a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention, so the 1968 permit is the only IDP type with a treaty basis here — a 1949 permit has none in Belarus. Belarusian law does not require an IDP. The Road Traffic Law (Law No. 313-Z of 5 January 2008, Article 5) lets a person staying or temporarily residing in Belarus drive on a valid foreign licence that meets the requirements of the 1968 Convention, on one written in Russian or Belarusian, or on one accompanied by a certified translation into Russian or Belarusian; the Traffic Rules (point 12.1.1) name the same three kinds of licence among the documents a driver must carry and hand over to the traffic police, and the IDP is not among the documents either provision names. The Road Traffic Law also provides that where a treaty of Belarus sets rules other than its own, the treaty's rules apply (Article 1), and the 1968 Convention obliges its parties to recognise an international driving permit that conforms to its Annex 7 and was issued by or on behalf of another party (Article 41). Neither the Law nor the Traffic Rules say whether a visitor's IDP is accepted on that basis, or whether it can stand in for the certified translation, so this is not established. The UK IDP table lists Belarus under "1968" with no photocard-exemption note, but that table tells a UK driver which permit to buy, it is not evidence that Belarusian law compels one. A licence that does not meet the Convention's requirements and is not written in Russian or Belarusian needs a certified translation into one of them. If you mean to rely on an IDP, check with the Belarusian traffic police before you travel.

• Tourists and short-term visitors: carry your national licence together with the document named in the row for your country of issue, in the table below — for most origin licences that document is not an IDP, so read your own answer rather than assuming one.

No specific penalty for driving without the required document was verified from an authoritative source. Foreign-government travel advice.

What side of the road does Belarus drive on?

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

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

Belarusian law names no visitor period: a person staying or temporarily residing in Belarus may drive on a valid foreign licence that meets the conditions of Article 5 of the Road Traffic Law. A 1968 International Driving Permit is valid for three years from issue or until the domestic licence expires, whichever is earlier (1968 Convention, Annex 7). In practice the right to drive is bounded by the length of lawful stay, the temporary-import terms of the vehicle, and document validity — whichever expires first. (Law of the Republic of Belarus No. 313-Z of 5 January 2008 on Road Traffic, Article 5)

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

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

Belarus is a Contracting Party to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, but not to the 1949 Geneva Convention.

• 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic: ratification on 18 Jun 1974.

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 Belarus with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Belarus as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. Belarus is a 1968 Vienna Convention party and is not a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention, so the 1968 permit is the only IDP type that carries treaty weight here. Belarusian law does not make an IDP compulsory for a visitor: the Road Traffic Law (Article 5) accepts a valid foreign licence that meets the requirements of the 1968 Convention, is written in Russian or Belarusian, or comes with a certified translation into one of them. Whether a foreign IDP can stand in for that translation is not established; if you mean to rely on one, check with the Belarusian traffic police before you travel. Note that the FCDO advises against all travel to Belarus; the entitlement to drive is the smallest of the questions a traveller faces. 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).

What the Status column means on this page:

• National licence OK — the destination lets a visitor drive on the national licence itself. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, gives the basis, and any period or condition that qualifies it.
• National licence OK — IDP advised — the destination does not require an IDP for this licence, but carrying one is advised. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, gives the reason and any conditions attached.
• 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 row for your country of issue, in the table below, says what could not be confirmed.
• National licence OK — IDD/translation advised — the destination does not require an IDP for this licence, and no official convention IDP can be issued for it; carry an IDD or a certified translation instead. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, gives the reason and any conditions attached.

Sources and notes for the table above

[1] Law of the Republic of Belarus No. 313-Z of 5 January 2008 on Road Traffic, Article 5

[a] Licence categories do not follow the convention A–E scheme — rental staff may ask for an IDP to map them.

[b] IDD = International Driver's Document, a standardized translation of your national driving licence. You can apply here: https://idaoffice.org/apply-now/.

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 Belarus? Belarus's official IDPs are issued by State Traffic Inspectorate (GAI) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD). 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 Belarus? Rules for new residents

A person who takes up residence in Belarus is on a different clock from a visitor. A foreign national or stateless person with a foreign licence loses the right to drive on it 90 days after being issued a Belarusian passport or identity card, a biometric residence permit or a refugee certificate, and may not drive again until they obtain a Belarusian licence; Russian citizens with a Russian national licence are exempt (Road Traffic Law, Article 5). Belarusian licences are issued and exchanged by the traffic police (ГАИ) of the MVD (Article 11). Official source.

Driving rules in Belarus tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: A car must carry a first-aid kit, a fire extinguisher of at least 1 litre and a warning triangle (Traffic Rules, Annex 4, point 44). From 1 December to 1 March, every car, and every van or lorry up to 3,500 kg, must have winter tyres on all wheels (point 207-1). Seat belts must be worn where fitted, and motorcyclists and their passengers must wear a fastened helmet (point 9.5). Anyone repairing a vehicle on the carriageway must wear high-visibility clothing with reflective elements (point 141), and a pedestrian walking on the edge of the carriageway or the verge in the dark must wear a reflective element (point 17.1). The driver must carry the vehicle's registration certificate and proof of compulsory motor insurance, unless the policy was taken out electronically (point 12.1); the FCDO adds that original vehicle ownership documents must be produced at border crossings.
• Drink-driving: Driving while intoxicated is forbidden (Traffic Rules, point 10.1), and intoxication starts at 0.3‰ of alcohol in the blood or exhaled air, or 150 micrograms per litre of exhaled air. The threshold is set in the Regulation approved by Council of Ministers Resolution No. 497 of 14 April 2011, point 3. The FCDO describes "a zero-tolerance policy towards drink-driving"; the safe course is not to drink at all before driving. Driving while intoxicated with up to 0.8‰ of alcohol in the blood or exhaled air (up to 380 micrograms per litre of exhaled air) is fined 100 base units, with a three-year driving ban; above that, under the influence of drugs, or refusing the test, the fine is 200 base units with a five-year ban, and the same applies to drinking after a police officer signals you to stop, or after an accident you are involved in, before the test (Code of Administrative Offences, Article 18.15). Driving while intoxicated, or refusing the test, again within a year of an administrative penalty for the same offence is a crime punishable by corrective labour, arrest with a fine, or restriction of liberty or imprisonment for up to two years (Criminal Code, Article 317-1).
• Speed limits: Drive on the right. FCDO: "Driving standards in Belarus are unpredictable and road conditions vary. M-class highways are in good condition. Some R-class roads are impassable for periods in winter." Speed limits (Traffic Rules, points 88 and 89): 60 km/h in built-up areas, and 20 km/h in residential and pedestrian zones and in areas beside the road not meant for through traffic, such as yards and car parks; outside built-up areas, cars and goods vehicles up to 3,500 kg may do 120 km/h on motorways and roads for cars and 90 km/h on other roads; drivers with less than two years' experience may not exceed 70 km/h. Obey posted signs.
• Carry your valid foreign licence and, unless it meets the requirements of the 1968 Convention or is written in Russian or Belarusian, a certified translation of it into one of them, with the vehicle registration certificate and the compulsory insurance document: the Traffic Rules (point 12.1) oblige a driver to carry these and hand them to the traffic police for checking. Neither the Traffic Rules nor the Road Traffic Law (Article 5) names a foreign IDP, so whether one is accepted is not established. UK government advice is explicit that "If driving, you must be able to produce original vehicle ownership documents at border crossings" and that "You need car insurance to drive in Belarus".
• "Drivers with foreign licence plates must pay a fee to use toll roads or face a fine".
• "There can be police checkpoints on routes throughout the country. Stop when instructed and have vehicle documentation available".
• Temporary vehicle import is enforced hard: "If you overstay or break the temporary import terms and conditions, your vehicle could be confiscated at the border or at an in-country police checkpoint".
• FCDO advises against all travel to Belarus (advice updated 11 May 2026, still current at 29 July 2026). Consular support is severely limited and detention risk is real — the driving-licence question is the least of the exposure.

Read more about driving in Belarus

• 10 Interesting Facts About Belarus

Watch what driving in Belarus looks like

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. Law of the Republic of Belarus No. 313-Z of 5 January 2008 on Road Traffic, Article 5
3. Resident licence conversion rule
4. UK IDP table — Belarus listed with IDP type "1968", no additional notes (advice on which permit to buy, not proof of a Belarusian legal requirement)
5. UK FCDO Belarus — "FCDO advises against all travel to Belarus"; updated 11 May 2026
6. UK FCDO Belarus — ambulance 103, fire 101, police 102; no 112 listed
7. UN Treaty Collection — Belarus is a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (signed 8 Nov 1968, ratified 18 Jun 1974)
8. UN Treaty Collection — Belarus does not appear among the 103 parties to the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
9. UN certified true copy of the 1968 Convention on Road Traffic — Article 41 (recognition of domestic and international driving permits) and Annex 7 (the international driving permit, valid for three years from issue or until the domestic permit expires, whichever is earlier)
10. Traffic Rules of Belarus, approved by Presidential Decree No. 551 of 28 November 2005 — documents to carry (point 12.1), alcohol (point 10.1), speed limits (points 88 and 89), winter tyres (point 207-1), compulsory equipment (Annex 4, point 44)
11. Council of Ministers Resolution No. 497 of 14 April 2011 — the Regulation on testing for alcohol intoxication: 0.3‰ in the blood or exhaled air, or 150 micrograms per litre of exhaled air (point 3)
12. Code of Administrative Offences of Belarus, No. 91-Z of 6 January 2021 — drink-driving fines and driving bans (Article 18.15)
13. Criminal Code of Belarus — repeat drink-driving within a year (Article 317-1)
14. State Traffic Inspectorate (GAI) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) — authorized IDP issuer in Belarus
15. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
16. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic