International Driving Permit in Greenland

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

Driving in Greenland: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Greenland?

An IDP is not legally required in Greenland. Under § 43 of Bekendtgørelse nr. 1574 of 8 December 2025 om kørekort for Grønland (in force 1 April 2026) a non-resident may drive during a temporary stay on either an international driving permit issued under the conventions of 24 April 1926, 19 September 1949 or 8 November 1968, or simply on a valid licence issued outside Greenland provided it is written in Latin letters or is accompanied by a translation into Danish, English or French made by a public authority or an organisation authorised to translate in the issuing country. So a Latin-script national licence alone is enough; an IDP (1949 or 1968) or an authorised translation is the required substitute for a non-Latin-script licence, and is a useful back-up for rental desks. Note that professional passenger transport may not be carried out on a non-Greenlandic licence (§ 43, stk. 2).

• 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 licence plus, if it is not in Latin letters, a 1949 or 1968 IDP or an authorised Danish/English/French translation. Also carry passport, rental agreement and insurance papers.
• EU / EEA licence holders: no IDP needed — Greenland is outside the EU and the EU driving-licence directive does not apply there.

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

What side of the road does Greenland drive on?

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

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

No fixed day cap for visitors. § 43 covers the whole 'midlertidigt ophold' (temporary stay) of a person who is not resident in Greenland. The 60-day figure that circulates online is a residence clock, not a tourist clock: § 45 requires people who have or take up residence (bopæl) in Greenland to apply for a Greenlandic licence within 60 days. (Bekendtgørelse nr. 1574 af 8. december 2025 om kørekort for Grønland, §§ 43 and 45)

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

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

The two United Nations Conventions on Road Traffic have different answers in Greenland, and only one of them is settled. The 1968 Vienna Convention does not apply: the UN depositary record shows no participation extending to Greenland, and the state responsible for its international relations is either not a party or expressly did not extend its own participation. The 1949 Geneva Convention is the open question — we could not establish whether it applies in Greenland, and that is a gap in what we could confirm rather than a finding either way. Treat any International Driving Permit requirement here as unconfirmed and check with the authorities before you travel.

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 Greenland with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Greenland as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. Greenland has its own licensing law, separate from Denmark's and outside the EU. Under § 43 of Bekendtgørelse nr. 1574 of 8 December 2025 (in force 1 April 2026), a visitor may drive throughout a temporary stay on any valid licence issued outside Greenland, provided it is written in Latin letters — otherwise a 1949/1968 IDP or an authorised translation into Danish, English or French is needed. No IDP is legally required for a Latin-script licence. The 60-day deadline applies only to people who take up residence; Danish licence holders are exempt from that too. 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 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] Bekendtgørelse nr. 1574 af 8. december 2025 om kørekort for Grønland, § 43 (in force 1 April 2026)

[2] Bekendtgørelse nr. 1574 af 8. december 2025 om kørekort for Grønland, § 43

[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 Greenland? We could not identify an authorized IDP issuer for Greenland, so an IDP may have to be obtained elsewhere — check with the licensing authority before you travel.
• 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 Greenland? Rules for new residents

Two different clocks. Visitors: § 43, no day cap, drive on the foreign licence for the temporary stay. Residents: § 45 — anyone who has or takes up residence in Greenland must hold a Greenlandic licence and must apply to the police or the kommunefoged within 60 days (raised from 14 days on 1 April 2026). Holders of a valid Danish licence are exempt from that requirement altogether and may keep driving on the Danish licence. Official source.

Driving rules in Greenland tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Winter-ready tyres, warm survival clothing, a means of communication, warning equipment and full rental/insurance documentation. (Equipment specifics are rental-company and seasonal practice, not a statutory list verified in the Færdselslov).
• Drink-driving: 0.50 promille (0.05% BAC). Færdselslov for Grønland § 9, stk. 1 defines drink-driving as an alcohol concentration in the blood exceeding 0.50 promille during or after driving; § 9, stk. 2 also criminalises driving while unfit through alcohol at any level. Given Arctic conditions and limited rescue capacity, treat zero as the practical rule. No fixed cash tariff in the Act: drink-driving is dealt with as 'foranstaltninger' (measures) under kriminallov for Grønland, and the disqualification chapter singles out drink-driving above 1.20 promille for unconditional disqualification of the driving right.
• Speed limits: Drive on the right. There is no national numeric speed limit in Greenland: § 29, stk. 1 of the Færdselslov for Grønland requires speed to be adapted to conditions at all times, and under § 29, stk. 2-3 the police — after consulting the municipal council — set the limits for individual municipalities and for specific stretches of road. Obey posted signs, and cut speed sharply for snow, ice, darkness and gravel.
• Carry the original licence plus, if it is not in Latin letters, a 1949 or 1968 IDP or an authorised Danish/English/French translation. Also carry passport, rental agreement and insurance papers.
• There are no roads between towns in Greenland. UK FCDO travel advice states: 'Travel between towns is by air, sea or dogsled only.' A rental car is only useful on the local road network around one town.
• UK FCDO also warns that 'Arctic weather can affect travel, and you should be prepared for delays and cancellations' and that 'emergency medical assistance and search and rescue services are limited in these areas'. Check weather, road access and recovery coverage before driving.
• Greenland Police no longer issue international driving permits themselves; obtain any IDP in your own country before departure.

Read more about driving in Greenland

• 10 Interesting Facts About Greenland

Watch what driving in Greenland looks like

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

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. Same order, official Lovtidende A PDF (§ 43 and § 45)
3. Færdselslov for Grønland, lovbekendtgørelse nr. 995 af 26. oktober 2009 — § 9 (0.50 promille), § 13 (age 18), § 29 (speed)
4. Grønlands Politi — new licence rules from 1 April 2026 (Danish licences directly recognised; 14 days raised to 60)
5. UN depositary status, 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic — Denmark note 10: Convention does not apply to the Faroe Islands and Greenland
6. UK FCDO travel advice for Denmark (covers Greenland) — 'Travel between towns is by air, sea or dogsled only'
7. Sullissivik — Greenland public-service page on driving licences (secondary; covers Greenlandic licences only)
8. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
9. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic