International Driving Permit in Bhutan

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

Driving in Bhutan: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Bhutan?

Bhutan is not a contracting party to either the 1949 Geneva or the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, so no IDP booklet carries treaty force here. Section 143 of the Road Safety and Transport Regulations 2021 lets BCTA exempt a driver from licence endorsement for three months or less 'if a person holds a valid driving license issued in another country or valid international driving license', and section 108 uses the same pairing for the learner licence. The exemption is a power ('may exempt'), not a right, and the Regulations name no IDP edition; whether your national licence, an IDP or both will be accepted is not established. Check with BCTA before you travel.

• Tourists and short-term visitors: Section 143 lets BCTA exempt a holder of a valid foreign or international driving licence from endorsement for up to three months; it is a power, not a right. No published decision using it was found; BCTA's licensing page states other conditions. Check with the authorities before you travel; the answer below says what is known.
• Car renters: UK government (FCDO) travel advice for Bhutan says: 'Car rentals come with a driver' and 'If you want to drive your own vehicle, you must hire a guide to travel with you'.

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

What side of the road does Bhutan drive on?

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

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

Three months or less, and only if BCTA exempts you from licence endorsement under section 143 of the Road Safety and Transport Regulations 2021, which is a power ('may exempt'), not a right. No published decision on who receives the exemption was found. BCTA's licensing page words the exemption differently: it lets BCTA exempt a person from obtaining a Bhutan driving licence for three months and lists a valid international driving licence, a diplomatic passport with a valid licence issued in another country, a foreigner 'who resides in Bhutan for a period not exceeding three months and in possession of a valid driving license issued in the country of residence', and a member of the armed forces with a military licence. Whether a visitor staying longer can obtain an endorsement is not established: section 141 provides one for 'a foreigner with professional and managerial position'. Check with BCTA before you travel. (Road Safety and Transport Regulations 2021, sections 140-143; BCTA licensing page)

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

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

Bhutan is party to neither the 1949 Geneva Convention nor the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. An official convention IDP cannot be issued in Bhutan, and convention rules do not bind it — licence acceptance is governed purely by local law and bilateral arrangements.

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 Bhutan with your country's licence?

This answer is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Bhutan as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Bhutan is not a party to either road-traffic convention, so no IDP has treaty force here. Section 143 of the Road Safety and Transport Regulations 2021 lets BCTA exempt a driver who holds a valid licence issued in another country, or a valid international driving licence, from licence endorsement for three months or less. That is a power ('may exempt'), not a right: no published decision on who is exempted was found, and BCTA's own licensing page gives different conditions, so whether a foreign licence or an IDP lets you drive in Bhutan is not established for any origin. Check with BCTA before you travel. UK government advice is that car rentals come with a driver and that if you want to drive your own vehicle, you must hire a guide to travel with you. 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 — Section 143 lets BCTA exempt a holder of a valid foreign or international driving licence from endorsement for up to three months; it is a power, not a right. No published decision using it was found; BCTA's licensing page states other conditions. [1]

Sources and notes for the answer above

[1] Road Safety and Transport Regulations 2021, section 143: 'The Authority may exempt a person from obtaining an endorsement of a driving license for a period of three months or less, if a person holds a valid driving license issued in another country or valid international driving license.' (consolidated PDF)

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 Bhutan? Bhutan's IDPs are issued by Road Safety and Transport Authority (RSTA). Official site. Bhutan is party to neither road-traffic convention, so the permit is issued outside the UN convention framework and is not an official convention IDP — check that your destination accepts it.
• 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 Bhutan? Rules for new residents

Two different clocks, and they are not the same population. The three-month exemption in section 143 is a power BCTA may use for a holder of a valid foreign or international driving licence, not a right. The endorsement route in section 141 is drafted narrowly for 'a foreigner with professional and managerial position wishing to endorse their licence to drive in Bhutan' — i.e. work-permit and business-licence holders; whether a tourist can obtain an endorsement is not established. Official source.

Driving rules in Bhutan tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Helmets are mandatory for two-wheeler riders and pillion passengers, 'as per the standards set by the authority' (s.397; 15 Units / Nu 750). Third-party insurance is the minimum for private vehicles, comprehensive for commercial (s.429). The first-aid kit, spare tyre, tool set and fire-extinguisher requirements in the Regulations apply to commercial passenger vehicles, not private cars, and the 2021 Regulations contain no seat-belt provision at all — FCDO nonetheless advises always travelling in a well-maintained vehicle with seatbelts.
• Drink-driving: At most 0.08 g/100 ml for any driver and zero for a driver licensed for less than 3 years (Road Safety and Transport Act 1999, s.34(1)); whether a licence issued abroad counts towards the 3 years is not established. The Act also bars any alcohol for a learner and for a driver of a taxi, medium or heavy vehicle (s.34(1)(c) and (d)). The Road Safety and Transport Regulations 2021 set 0.08 g/100 ml for an ordinary licence holder with more than 3 years' driving experience (s.436) and zero tolerance — 'shall not drive with any level of alcohol concentration in the blood' — for ordinary licence holders with less than 3 years' experience and for all professional licence holders (s.437). The Regulations leave a driver with exactly 3 years' experience in neither band; the Act's 0.08 g/100 ml limit for any driver applies to that driver too. Only driving with no alcohol at all meets every band; check with the authorities before you travel. Driving under the influence of alcohol: the Road Safety and Transport Regulations 2021 set a Transport Infringement Notice fine of 35 Units = Nu 1,750 (Schedule VI item 92), while the Road Safety and Transport Act 1999 sets a penalty of 25 penalty units (s.34(2)), a penalty unit being 'Nu.50 or as specified from time to time' (s.5). Which amount applies is not established; check with the authorities before you travel. Schedule X of the Regulations escalates on repeat: 2nd offence adds a demerit point, 4th offence brings six-month licence suspension, 5th offence cancellation — all with the Regulations' 35-Unit fine each time. Professional licence holders take a demerit point from the first offence and face suspension at the 3rd.
• Speed limits: Where no sign applies: 30 km/h inside a built-up area (s.300). Outside a built-up area with no sign: 50 km/h for light vehicles and two-wheelers, 35 km/h for medium and heavy vehicles (s.301). Posted signs override. Over-speeding carries a Transport Infringement Notice fine of 35 Units = Nu 1,750 under the Regulations (Schedule VI item 45) and is a Schedule X escalating offence, while the Road Safety and Transport Act 1999 sets a penalty of 10 penalty units (s.39(1)); which amount applies is not established, so check with the authorities before you travel.
• UK government (FCDO) travel advice for Bhutan says: 'Car rentals come with a driver' and 'If you want to drive your own vehicle, you must hire a guide to travel with you'.
• Bringing your own vehicle in is a separate regime from the licence. BCTA admits foreign-registered vehicles 'based on the provisions of the bi-lateral/multilateral/regional transport agreement and any other arrangements allowed by the government upon payment of applicable fees' (s.285), can refuse route permits to vehicles failing roadworthiness (s.290), bans foreign-registered caravans outright (s.291, recreational vehicles case-by-case under s.292), and bars foreign-registered vehicles from carrying paid passengers point-to-point in Bhutan (s.286). Schedule I sets a route-permit fee of Nu 100 per day for visiting foreign-registered vehicles; foreign vehicles staying over three months pay a monthly endorsement fee (Nu 170-250 per month for light vehicles by engine size). UK FCDO separately cites a daily vehicle-entry charge of Nu 4,500 for cars and motorbikes — figure not confirmable against a Bhutanese source on 29 July 2026, verify before relying on it.
• UK government (FCDO) advice for any car you bring into Bhutan: 'You must have a driving licence, insurance documents, pollution control documents and an entry permit.' Third-party insurance is the statutory minimum for non-commercial vehicles (s.429) and a Pollution Under Control certificate is required (failure to produce = 15 Units / Nu 750).
• Traffic keeps left as a matter of law: 'A motor vehicle shall be driven at the left edge of the road, unless overtaking' (s.347); not keeping left is a 12-Unit / Nu 600 offence. Canadian government advice is that in the mountains 'sharp curves, limited visibility and narrow roads create dangerous road conditions, particularly in the winter and during the rainy season', and UK government (FCDO) advice is that monsoon rains can cause landslides that cut off some roads for days. Section 349 requires downhill vehicles to give way to uphill vehicles. FCDO notes there are no traffic lights in Bhutan and that road accidents are a leading cause of injury and death, advising against night travel.

Read more about driving in Bhutan

• 10 Interesting Facts About Bhutan
• Best Places to Visit in Bhutan

Watch what driving in Bhutan looks like

A few minutes of real POV footage is the fastest way to feel confident before your first drive in Bhutan:

Open the video on YouTube if the player does not load.

Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. Road Safety and Transport Regulations 2021, sections 140-143; BCTA licensing page
3. BCTA notice — Road Safety and Transport Regulations 2021 came into effect 1 July 2022 (confirms the 2021 Regulations are the current consolidated instrument, replacing the 1999 Regulations)
4. UK FCDO travel advice — Bhutan: 'Car rentals come with a driver'; 'If you want to drive your own vehicle, you must hire a guide to travel with you'; required documents; no traffic lights in Bhutan
5. UN Treaty Collection — Convention on Road Traffic (Vienna 1968), participant list, status 29 July 2026: Bhutan not listed
6. UN Treaty Collection — Convention on Road Traffic (Geneva 1949), participant list, status 29 July 2026: Bhutan not listed
7. Bhutan Tourism Rules and Regulations 2022 — unverified: domain unreachable on 29 July 2026; retained as a lead only, no claim on this page rests on it
8. Royal Bhutan Police — Emergency Contact Numbers: 113 general emergency hotline, 112 ambulance and medical emergencies, 110 fire and rescue, 111 traffic
9. Road Safety and Transport Act 1999 (Parliament of Bhutan) — s.34, blood-alcohol limits for every driver
10. Government of Canada travel advice — Bhutan: road safety in the mountains and during the monsoon
11. Road Safety and Transport Authority (RSTA) — authorized IDP issuer in Bhutan
12. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
13. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic