International Driving Permit in East Timor

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

Driving in East Timor: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in East Timor?

East Timor's Highway Code (Decree-Law No. 6/2003, art. 119) lists driving permits issued by foreign States and international driving permits as separate titles, each of which entitles its holder to drive motor vehicles. No article of the code makes an International Driving Permit a condition of driving on a foreign licence; the code names no visitor period and no IDP model, and it does not say whether a licence issued by a territory rather than a State counts as a foreign State's licence. East Timor is a party to neither the 1949 Geneva nor the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (UN depositary records), so neither convention obliges it to accept a foreign licence or an IDP. Foreign governments' advice goes further than the code. French government advice is that visitors staying under three months may drive on a national licence accompanied by an international permit for the class of vehicle shown on it ('un permis de conduire national assorti d'un permis de conduire international pour la classe de véhicule figurant sur leur permis'). Canada's travel advice says 'You may drive with a valid Canadian driver’s licence and an International Driving Permit for up to 3 months.' UK government advice tells holders of a UK licence to carry 'the correct version of the international driving permit (IDP)' with it, and adds that hire car companies often require an IDP. Because the advice and the code differ, check with the authorities 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.
• Car renters: The Highway Code requires a driver to carry an identity document, the driving licence and the insurance certificate, and in a car also its registration and identification documents and, where one is required, its inspection record (art. 79). UK government advice tells holders of a UK licence to carry an IDP with it, and says rental firms often require one.

Driving without the required document is punishable under Article 79(4), Código da Estrada (Decreto-Lei n.º 6/2003) with a fine of US$6–US$30.

What side of the road does East Timor drive on?

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

How long can you drive in East Timor with a foreign licence?

The Highway Code (Decree-Law No. 6/2003) names no visitor period for driving on a foreign licence (art. 119). French government advice speaks of visitors staying under three months, and Canada's of up to 3 months, each with an International Driving Permit carried with the national licence. (France Diplomatie Timor-Leste practical information; Government of Canada travel advice for Timor-Leste)

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

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

East Timor is party to neither the 1949 Geneva Convention nor the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. An official convention IDP cannot be issued in East Timor, 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 East Timor with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to East Timor as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. East Timor's Highway Code (Decree-Law No. 6/2003, art. 119) accepts a driving licence issued by a foreign State, and an international driving permit, as titles that entitle their holder to drive motor vehicles; it names no visitor period and does not say whether a licence issued by a territory counts as a foreign State's. East Timor is a party to neither the 1949 Geneva nor the 1968 Vienna road-traffic convention, so neither convention obliges it to accept a foreign licence or an IDP. French and Canadian government advice is to carry an International Driving Permit with the national licence for stays of up to about three months, which is more than the code requires, so check with the authorities before you travel. Traffic drives on the left. 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.
• 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] Highway Code (Código da Estrada, Decreto-Lei n.º 6/2003, de 3 de Abril; Jornal da República, Série I, N.º 10, 6 August 2003), art. 119.º b) and c)

[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 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 East Timor? Rules for new residents

The Highway Code lets a resident who holds a foreign licence or an international driving permit, and meets its age, fitness, literacy and residence requirements, obtain a Timorese licence without the driving test (arts. 120 and 122); it names no date by which a resident must do so. Canadian government advice is that a visitor staying longer than 3 months must obtain a local driver's licence. Foreign-government travel advice.

Driving rules in East Timor tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: No statutory carry-list located. Practically: check tyres and spares, brakes, lights, fuel, water, recovery gear, first aid and communications before leaving Dili — UK guidance notes the lack of emergency services outside the capital, and France Diplomatie notes vehicle repair services exist only in Dili.
• Drink-driving: The limit is 0.5 g/l: the Highway Code treats a driver whose blood alcohol level is above 0.5 g/l as under the influence of alcohol, and forbids driving under the influence (art. 75(1) and (2)). A medical report can also establish it, and 1 mg of alcohol per litre of exhaled air counts as 2.3 g per litre of blood (art. 75(2) and (3)). The Highway Code fines driving under the influence of alcohol US$12 to US$60 above 0.5 g/l and below 0.8 g/l (or, where the level cannot be measured, when a police or medical report finds the driver under the influence), US$24 to US$120 at 0.8 g/l or more and below 1.2 g/l, and US$36 to US$180 at 1.2 g/l or more (art. 75(5)). At 0.8 g/l or more it is a serious offence and at 1.2 g/l or more a very serious one (arts. 140(m) and 141(i)), punished also with a driving ban of one month to one year or two months to two years respectively (art. 133). Whether the Penal Code also makes it a crime is not established.
• Speed limits: For a car without a trailer, the Highway Code sets 50 km/h in built-up areas, 90 km/h on other public roads, 100 km/h on roads reserved for cars and motorcycles and 120 km/h on motorways, and 50, 70, 80 and 100 km/h with a trailer, subject to any lower limit imposed (art. 27(1)); the minimum on motorways is 40 km/h (art. 27(5)). Exceeding a limit in a car or on a motorcycle is fined US$6 to US$30 up to 30 km/h over, US$12 to US$60 for more than 30 and up to 60 km/h over, and US$24 to US$120 beyond 60 km/h over (art. 27(2)(a)); more than 30 km/h over is a serious offence and also brings a driving ban (arts. 140(b) and 133).
• The Highway Code requires a driver to carry an identity document, the driving licence and the insurance certificate, and in a car also its registration and identification documents and, where one is required, its inspection record (art. 79). UK government advice tells holders of a UK licence to carry an IDP with it, and says rental firms often require one.
• Roads are generally in poor condition and accidents involving motorbikes and scooters are common. Main routes are often single-track mountain roads that can deteriorate quickly and become impassable during the November-to-April rainy season.
• Outside Dili, travel in convoy where possible because of the lack of emergency services, poor roads and cars driving without lights at night. Renting a car often means renting a driver as well.
• Traffic drives on the left.

Read more about driving in East Timor

• 10 Interesting Facts About East Timor
• Best Places to Visit in East Timor

Watch what driving in East Timor looks like

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

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Sources

1. Article 79(4), Código da Estrada (Decreto-Lei n.º 6/2003)
2. France Diplomatie Timor-Leste practical information; Government of Canada travel advice for Timor-Leste
3. Resident licence conversion rule
4. UK FCDO — Timor-Leste safety and security (road travel, IDP, rental requirements, road conditions)
5. UK FCDO — Timor-Leste emergency numbers and reliability warning
6. GOV.UK — IDP country table (Timor-Leste is not listed; unlisted countries: check with the embassy)
7. UN MTDSG — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, status of parties (Parties: 103; Timor-Leste absent)
8. UN MTDSG — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, status of parties (Parties: 91; Timor-Leste absent)
9. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
10. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic