International Driving Permit in Cambodia

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

Driving in Cambodia: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Cambodia?

Cambodia is a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention (accession 14 March 1956) and is not a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention, so the 1949 booklet is the only IDP form with any treaty basis here. Cambodia's Law on Road Traffic (art. 45) sends foreigners staying in Cambodia lawfully who want to drive to a Cambodian licence, by test or by exchange, unless an agreement or international convention on the mutual recognition of driving licences applies; the law does not name the agreements or conventions that qualify. Cambodia acceded on 30 April 1999 to the 1985 ASEAN Agreement on the Recognition of Domestic Driving Licences Issued by ASEAN Countries, under which the holder of a licence issued in another ASEAN country who is making only a temporary stay may drive the classes of vehicle that licence permits; a licence not in English must be accompanied by a certified English translation, and temporary, provisional and learner's licences do not qualify. For any other licence, whether you may drive on it, with or without an IDP, is not established. The 1949 Convention obliges each party to let a driver holding a valid permit issued by another party drive without further examination (art. 24(1)) and allows it to require an IDP (art. 24(2)), but no Cambodian text was found that says whether art. 45 covers that Convention or whether Cambodia requires the IDP, nor any published list of qualifying agreements. Check with the Ministry of Public Works and Transport before you travel. Foreign governments' advice varies: Government of Canada advice (updated 14 October 2026) is 'You must have and carry a Cambodian driver's licence'; the Australian Embassy in Phnom Penh has said 'Foreigners wishing to drive in Cambodia must hold a Cambodian driver licence' and 'At this time International licences are not accepted in Cambodia, however the authorities have indicated this may change in the future.' UK government advice is that to hire a motorcycle over 125cc or a car, 'you may sometimes need to have the 1949 version of the international driving permit (IDP) and your UK driving licence', and 'For long-term car rental or to drive a private car, you need to get a Cambodian driving licence.'

• 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: Unless the ASEAN licence agreement covers your licence, a Cambodian licence is the only document Cambodian law clearly accepts, and MPWT's published answers exclude tourist visas from both the test and the exchange. If you drive, carry the original national licence, any IDP you hold, passport copy, rental contract, registration and insurance. Check that the vehicle class — especially a motorcycle — is covered by both the licence and the policy.

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

What side of the road does Cambodia drive on?

Cambodia drives on the right-hand side of the road, and overtaking is done on the left. Drives on the right, but many imported right-hand-drive vehicles historically circulated (now restricted).

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

Cambodian law names no visitor driving period: the Law on Road Traffic (art. 45) sends foreigners staying in Cambodia to a Cambodian licence unless an agreement or convention on licence recognition applies. Do not confuse this with the exchange conditions: MPWT requires a passport and a visa valid at least 30 days (tourist visas excluded) plus a certificate of current address from the commune or sangkat authorities. (Law on Road Traffic (2015, amended 2017), art. 45; MPWT Driver's License public service)

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

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

Cambodia 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 14 Mar 1956.

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 Cambodia with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Cambodia as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. Cambodia's Law on Road Traffic (art. 45) sends foreigners staying in the country who want to drive to a Cambodian licence — by exchange or by test — unless an agreement or international convention on the mutual recognition of licences applies, and it does not name the ones that do. Cambodia acceded in 1999 to the 1985 ASEAN Agreement on the Recognition of Domestic Driving Licences: a licence issued in another ASEAN country is recognised for a temporary stay; a certified English translation is required if the licence is not in English, and temporary, provisional and learner's licences do not qualify. For every other licence, including those of the other parties to the 1949 Geneva Convention, to which Cambodia also belongs, no Cambodian text was found that says whether the exception applies, so whether you may drive on your licence or an IDP is not established: check with the Ministry of Public Works and Transport before you travel. Government of Canada advice is that you must have and carry a Cambodian licence, and the Australian Embassy has said international licences are not accepted. Never treat a rental firm's willingness to hand over keys as proof you are legal or insured. 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.

Sources and notes for the table above

[1] Law on Road Traffic NS/RKM/0115/001 (2015), amended by NS/RKM/0117/002 (2017), art. 45; Agreement on the Recognition of Domestic Driving Licences Issued by ASEAN Countries (Kuala Lumpur, 9 July 1985), arts. 1 to 3 (Cambodia acceded 30 April 1999)

[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 Cambodia? Cambodia's official IDPs are issued by Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT). 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 Cambodia? Rules for new residents

Foreigners drive legally on a Cambodian licence, obtained either by exchanging a valid home-country licence at MPWT or by sitting the Cambodian theory and practical tests. Type C, D and E foreign licences cannot be exchanged for the same class — only for A or B. Official source.

Driving rules in Cambodia tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Check helmets, seat belts, lights, tyres, mirrors, brakes, registration and third-party insurance before accepting any vehicle.
• Drink-driving: Driving with 0.25 mg or more of alcohol per litre of breath, or 0.50 g or more per litre of blood, is prohibited (Law on Road Traffic, art. 8 (new), point 4). Treat the limit as zero for yourself, especially on a motorcycle. Impaired driving can bring fines, detention, licence action and refusal of insurance cover. Sub-Decree No. 39 of 17 March 2020 sets fixed fines: from 0.25 to 0.39 mg/l of breath (0.50 to 0.79 g/l of blood), 250,000 riel on a motorcycle, 400,000 riel in a light vehicle and 800,000 riel in a heavy vehicle; from 0.40 mg/l of breath (0.80 g/l of blood) upwards, 1,000,000, 2,000,000 and 4,000,000 riel. In both bands the driver is stopped from driving on. A second offence at 0.40 mg/l or more within six months of such a fine goes to court: 1 to 6 months' imprisonment and a fine of 800,000 to 4,000,000 riel (Law on Road Traffic, art. 77 (new)).
• Speed limits: Obey posted km/h limits and drive far below them where traffic mixes with motorcycles, pedestrians, animals or unlit vehicles.
• Unless the ASEAN licence agreement covers your licence, a Cambodian licence is the only document Cambodian law clearly accepts, and MPWT's published answers exclude tourist visas from both the test and the exchange. If you drive, carry the original national licence, any IDP you hold, passport copy, rental contract, registration and insurance. Check that the vehicle class — especially a motorcycle — is covered by both the licence and the policy.
• Cambodia has one of the highest road-crash rates in South-East Asia, with large numbers of fatalities and serious injuries; travel after dark significantly increases the risk. Canada warns that motorcycle crashes kill or maim several of its nationals in Cambodia each year and advises against riding. Helmets are mandatory for riders but many locally sold helmets do not meet international safety standards.
• Before hiring anything, confirm in writing that you and any passenger are covered by your travel insurance and read the rental small print. Ask for a written police receipt for any fine, and never leave a passport as rental security.

Read more about driving in Cambodia

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

Watch what driving in Cambodia looks like

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

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. Law on Road Traffic (2015, amended 2017), art. 45; MPWT Driver's License public service
3. UN Treaty Collection MTDSG XI-B-1 — 1949 Convention on Road Traffic; 'Cambodia ... 14 Mar 1956 a'
4. UN Treaty Collection MTDSG XI-B-19 — 1968 Convention on Road Traffic; Cambodia absent from the participant list
5. UK FCDO Cambodia — road travel, 1949 IDP for hire, Cambodian licence for long-term car rental or to drive a private car
6. Government of Canada Cambodia travel advice (updated 14 October 2026) — 'You must have and carry a Cambodian driver's licence'
7. Australian Embassy Phnom Penh — 'International licences are not accepted in Cambodia'; no licence needed to ride a motorcycle of up to 125cc
8. UK FCDO Cambodia — emergency numbers 117 / 118 / 119 and tourist police
9. Sub-Decree No. 39 ANK.BK of 17 March 2020 amending Sub-Decree No. 44 of 21 March 2017 on transactional penalties (fixed fines) for road-traffic offences (Khmer) — drink-driving and unlicensed-driving fines
10. ASEAN Secretariat legal instruments — 1985 Agreement on the Recognition of Domestic Driving Licences Issued by ASEAN Countries: text and status (Cambodia acceded 30 April 1999)
11. Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) — authorized IDP issuer in Cambodia
12. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
13. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic