International Driving Permit in Central African Republic

🗓 We could not independently verify the road-traffic law for Central African Republic; facts here rely on official travel guidance where available. Research last updated: 29 July 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 Central African Republic: key facts
• Do you need an International Driving Permit in Central African Republic?
• What side of the road does Central African Republic drive on?
• How long can you drive in Central African Republic with a foreign licence?
• Is Central African Republic a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?
• Why acceptance of your licence varies from place to place
• Can you drive in Central African Republic with your country's licence?
• Where to get an International Driving Permit
• Moving to Central African Republic? Rules for new residents
• Driving rules in Central African Republic tourists get fined for
• Read more about driving in Central African Republic
• Sources

Driving in Central African Republic: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Central African Republic?

The Central African Republic is a party to both road-traffic conventions: it succeeded to the 1949 Geneva Convention on 4 September 1962 and acceded to the 1968 Vienna Convention on 3 February 1988 (UN Treaty Collection, chapters XI-B-1 and XI-B-19). Because car is a 1968 party, the 1968 booklet is the operative one for drivers from states that are also 1968 parties - the UK government's official IDP table lists Central African Republic under "1968", and FCDO advice states: "You'll need to have both the 1968 version of the international driving permit (IDP) and your UK driving licence with you in the car." A 1949 IDP remains the route for drivers from states party only to the 1949 Convention (the 1949 Convention stays in force between car and those states). France Diplomatie states, for the Central African Republic, that a French or international driving permit and third-party insurance are both compulsory: "Il est obligatoire d'etre muni d'un permis de conduire francais ou international et de disposer d'une assurance au tiers." Practical rule: unless your licence is itself French, carry a genuine convention IDP together with the original national licence and written proof of third-party insurance. No Central African statute or code de la route text setting this out could be located online.

• 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 Central African Republic drive on?

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

How long can you drive in Central African Republic with a foreign licence?

No numeric visitor-driving period is published in any locatable Central African legal source. Treat the entitlement as lasting only for a short temporary stay, and only while the original national licence, the IDP, immigration permission, the rental contract and compulsory third-party insurance all remain valid. Confirm the period with the insurer and the local authority before driving. (No Central African statutory period located; framing from France Diplomatie country information)

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

Is Central African Republic a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?

Central African Republic 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; which types Central African Republic accepts from visitors is shown in the table above.

• 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic: succession on 4 Sep 1962.
• 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic: accession on 3 Feb 1988.

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 Central African Republic with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Central African Republic as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. The Central African Republic is a party to both the 1949 Geneva and 1968 Vienna road-traffic conventions, so a foreign national licence is recognised through the convention route - but in practice you should carry a genuine IDP (the 1968 booklet if your country is a 1968 party) together with the original licence, and compulsory third-party insurance. No Central African road-traffic code is available online, so periods, fines, BAC and speed limits are undocumented. Travel advice is against all travel outside Bangui and against all but essential travel to Bangui, so self-drive should not be treated as an ordinary tourism option. Rules change — confirm with official sources before you travel. Last verified: July 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] 1968 Vienna Convention art. 41(2) recognition norm (national-language permit, or Annex 6 model permit, or Annex 7 IDP); no Central African text located

[2] 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 Central African Republic? Central African Republic's official IDPs are issued by Ministry of Transport (Ministere des Transports).
• 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 Central African Republic? Rules for new residents

Nothing in the reviewed public sources supports using a foreign licence or an IDP as a residence licence. A person taking up residence should obtain a Central African licence from the competent transport authority. Note that the visitor clock and the residence clock are two different things and neither is documented numerically: no source gives a deadline by which a new resident must convert. Foreign-government travel advice.

Driving rules in Central African Republic tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: No official Central African mandatory-equipment list was located. For essential authorised travel, verify four-wheel-drive suitability, tyres, spare wheels, fuel and water reserves, recovery gear, first aid and satellite communications.
• Drink-driving: No official Central African blood-alcohol limit could be located in a public legal source. Drive with zero alcohol. No official penalty figure located. Impaired driving can lead to detention at a checkpoint, prosecution and loss of insurance cover.
• Speed limits: No official Central African speed-limit table could be located online. Obey posted km/h limits, checkpoints and security directions; damaged roads, unlit vehicles and pedestrians require much lower speeds than any posted figure.
• Carry the original national licence, the genuine convention IDP (1968 booklet for drivers from 1968 states), passport and entry evidence, vehicle papers and written proof of compulsory third-party insurance. France Diplomatie: "Il est obligatoire d'etre muni d'un permis de conduire francais ou international et de disposer d'une assurance au tiers".
• Travel advice is severe. The UK FCDO advises against all travel to the whole of the Central African Republic except Bangui, and against all but essential travel to Bangui. France discourages travel outside Bangui and Bimbo and recommends limiting movement inside the capital. For any essential movement use a vetted professional driver and an organisation security plan; a driving credential does not make the journey safe.
• UK FCDO: "Roads are in extremely poor condition, especially in the rainy season from May to November. Most roads are unpaved, may close at short notice and require a 4-wheel-drive vehicle." Keep a private supply of fuel, food and drink when travelling any distance outside Bangui. Report any accident to the police and to your organisation immediately.

Read more about driving in Central African Republic

• 10 Interesting Facts About Central African Republic
• Best Places to Visit in Central African Republic

Watch what driving in Central African Republic looks like

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

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. France Diplomatie - conseils aux voyageurs, Republique centrafricaine (security level), updated 7 April 2026 - contains no driving-licence text
3. UK FCDO - car safety and security: 1968 IDP + UK licence required; roads May-November rainy season
4. UK government official IDP-type table: Central African Republic = 1968
5. UK FCDO - car travel advice level (against all travel except Bangui; all but essential to Bangui), updated 28 May 2026
6. UK FCDO - car emergency numbers 117 / 610600 / 118 / 2161 2200 and unreliability caveat
7. UN Treaty Collection XI-B-1 - 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic: Central African Republic, 4 September 1962 (succession); 103 parties
8. UN Treaty Collection XI-B-19 - 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic: Central African Republic, 3 February 1988 (accession); 91 parties
9. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
10. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic