International Driving Permit in Burkina Faso

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

Driving in Burkina Faso: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Burkina Faso?

An IDP is not a blanket legal requirement: under Loi n°005-2018/AN, art. 23, a licence issued in a member state of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) or of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), or in a country that signed the 1949 Geneva or the 1968 Vienna convention, may be used in Burkina Faso for the vehicle categories it covers, provided the licence is shown to be authentic. The UK FCDO states plainly that a UK photocard licence may be used in Burkina Faso, and France Diplomatie says the French licence is accepted for stays under four months. Burkina Faso acceded to the 1949 Geneva Convention on 31 August 2009 and is not a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention, but the same article lets the holder of a valid international driving permit issued in a country that signed either convention drive without any formality ('sans aucune formalité'), so a 1968-model IDP has a legal basis here as well as a 1949 one. FCDO's own fallback is instructive: a paper (non-photocard) licence should be upgraded or backed by a 1949 IDP. Treat an IDP as strongly advisable for any licence that is paper-format, not in French, or not self-evidently readable — and always carry it with the original licence, never instead of it. A licence not written in French can also get a free six-month authorisation from the transport administration, which cannot be renewed, on presentation of a translation of the licence made by the foreign ministry's services.

• 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.
• Car renters: Carry the original national licence at all times, plus an IDP or certified French translation where the licence is paper-format or not in French, together with passport, rental agreement, vehicle registration and proof of local insurance.

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

What side of the road does Burkina Faso drive on?

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

How long can you drive in Burkina Faso with a foreign licence?

Burkina Faso's licence law, Loi n°005-2018/AN, names no visitor period for the foreign licences it recognises; a licence not in French can get a free six-month authorisation from the transport administration. The authorisation cannot be renewed. France Diplomatie says the French licence is accepted for stays under four months ('Le permis de conduire français est accepté (pour les séjours inférieurs à 4 mois).') and must be exchanged for a Burkinabe licence at the Direction générale des transports terrestres et maritimes after that. Never exceed immigration status, licence validity or insurance validity. (France Diplomatie, Burkina Faso - Conseils aux voyageurs, Informations utiles, updated 15 September 2026)

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

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

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

• 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic: accession on 31 Aug 2009.

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 Burkina Faso with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Burkina Faso as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. Burkina Faso is a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention (acceded 31 August 2009) and not to the 1968 Vienna Convention, but its driving-licence law, Loi n°005-2018/AN, art. 23, recognises licences issued in UEMOA and ECOWAS member states and in countries that signed either convention, provided the licence is shown to be authentic, and lets a valid IDP issued in a country that signed either convention be used without any formality. A licence not written in French can get a free six-month authorisation from the transport administration, which cannot be renewed, on presentation of a translation made by the foreign ministry's services. France Diplomatie says the French licence is accepted for stays under four months and must be exchanged for a Burkinabe licence after that, and the UK FCDO says a UK photocard licence may be used. Note that the UK and France currently advise against all travel to Burkina Faso. 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.
• IDP or translation — your national licence needs a supporting document alongside it. Which ones the destination accepts, and whether an official IDP can be issued for your licence at all, are in the row for your country of issue, in the table below.
• Not recognised — the record shows no route to drive here as a visitor on this licence; ask the local authorities about conversion or a temporary permit. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, says what stands in the way.
• 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.

Sources and notes for the table above

[1] UK FCDO Burkina Faso travel advice, Road travel section

[2] France Diplomatie (15 September 2026) and UK FCDO Burkina Faso travel advice

[3] UN Treaty Collection, Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary-General — status of the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (chapter XI-B-1) and of the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (chapter XI-B-19) — XI-B-1, XI-B-19

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

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 Burkina Faso? Burkina Faso's official IDPs are issued by Direction Générale des Transports Terrestres et Maritimes (DGTTM). 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 Burkina Faso? Rules for new residents

France Diplomatie states that for a stay of more than four months the French licence must be exchanged for a Burkinabe one at the Direction générale des transports terrestres et maritimes. Under Loi n°005-2018/AN, art. 24, a licence issued in a UEMOA or ECOWAS member state, or in a country that signed the 1949 or 1968 convention, can be exchanged without a new test, provided the transport administration can establish its validity and authenticity; categories D and E carry further conditions. Foreign-government travel advice.

Driving rules in Burkina Faso tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Décret n°2003-418, art. 24, requires the driver of any car, heavy vehicle or public-transport vehicle to have a warning triangle, a suitable fire extinguisher and at least one spare wheel, and a booster seat in the back for children under seven; children under seven may not ride in the front (art. 16). Driving a car without the triangle or the extinguisher is fined 12,000 CFA francs (art. 53), without a spare wheel 3,000 CFA francs (art. 45). Confirm seat belts, tyres, mirrors, water, fuel reserve, first-aid supplies and reliable communications before any journey; recovery and roadside assistance are effectively unavailable outside the main cities.
• Drink-driving: The limit is 0.5 g/l of alcohol in the blood, and 0.2 g/l for drivers licensed for less than three years and for professional drivers, driving instructors and examiners at work (Décret n°2017-0826, art. 3). In exhaled air the limits are 0.25 mg/l and 0.10 mg/l, and driving above them is prohibited (art. 4). Impaired driving can bring police detention, prosecution, licence action and voided insurance. Under Décret n°2017-0826, a driver held to the 0.5 g/l limit is fined 50,000 CFA francs with six months' licence suspension between 0.5 g/l and 0.8 g/l; above 0.8 g/l the fine is the same, the suspension is 12 to 24 months and a highway-code refresher course at the driver's expense is added; a repeat offence, or an accident that kills or permanently disables a victim, brings the fine and cancellation of the licence (art. 19). For drivers held to 0.2 g/l, the fine is 50,000 CFA francs with six months' suspension between 0.2 g/l and 0.5 g/l, and twelve months above 0.5 g/l (art. 18). Refusing a test brings the same fine and 12 to 24 months' suspension (art. 21). A driver at or over the limit may not drive on for three hours; the vehicle is immobilised meanwhile, or impounded at the driver's expense if it cannot be immobilised safely or the driver needs longer to sober up (art. 16).
• Speed limits: Décret n°2003-418 of 12 August 2003, art. 3, sets 50 km/h in built-up areas, unless the competent authority sets otherwise, and 90 km/h outside built-up areas for vehicles with a permissible laden weight of 10 tonnes or more; it names no open-road figure for lighter vehicles, whose drivers must keep their speed such that they stay in control of the vehicle (art. 2). Speeding is fined 12,000 CFA francs in a car and 25,000 CFA francs in a heavy or public-transport vehicle (arts. 52 and 57). Obey posted km/h limits and the directions of police and military personnel at checkpoints. Security conditions and damaged roads frequently require stopping or rerouting.
• Carry the original national licence at all times, plus an IDP or certified French translation where the licence is paper-format or not in French, together with passport, rental agreement, vehicle registration and proof of local insurance.
• The FCDO advises against all travel to Burkina Faso because of terrorism, kidnapping, political instability, landmines and attacks on major roads; France Diplomatie applies comparable warnings. A complete licensing dossier does not make a road journey safe.
• If driving despite the warning, take current security advice, prefer a competent local driver, travel in daylight only, and expect poor surfaces, seasonal flooding, dense motorcycle traffic, livestock and unlit vehicles. Expect police and military checkpoints.

Read more about driving in Burkina Faso

• 10 Interesting Facts About Burkina Faso
• Best Places to Visit in Burkina Faso

Watch what driving in Burkina Faso looks like

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. France Diplomatie, Burkina Faso - Conseils aux voyageurs, Informations utiles, updated 15 September 2026
3. UK FCDO Burkina Faso travel advice, Road travel - UK photocard accepted; paper licence needs upgrade or 1949 IDP
4. UN Treaty Collection XI-B-1, Convention on Road Traffic (Geneva 1949) - Burkina Faso accession 31 August 2009 (primary, from the depositary PDF)
5. UN Treaty Collection XI-B-19, Convention on Road Traffic (Vienna 1968) - Burkina Faso not a party
6. UK FCDO Burkina Faso - emergency numbers (police 17, ambulance and fire 18, Ouagadougou only)
7. Burkina Faso public-service portal, Transport - lists the outbound procedure for Burkinabe residents to obtain an IDP for use abroad, not an inbound-recognition source
8. Décret n°2017-0826 du 19 septembre 2017 définissant les taux maxima d'alcoolémie autorisés en conduite automobile au Burkina Faso et rendant obligatoire l'installation d'éthylotests dans les gares routières de voyageurs (signed scan) - alcohol limits and penalties, arts. 3, 16, 18, 19 and 21
9. Décret n°2003-418 du 12 août 2003 portant définition et répression de contraventions en matière de circulation routière (Journal officiel n°11 of 11 March 2004) - speed limits, required equipment and fines, arts. 3, 16, 24 and 43 to 57
10. Direction Générale des Transports Terrestres et Maritimes (DGTTM) — authorized IDP issuer in Burkina Faso
11. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
12. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic