International Driving Permit in Grenada

🗓 Facts checked against Grenada's road-traffic law and official sources. Research last updated: 2 November 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 Grenada: key facts
• Do you need an International Driving Permit in Grenada?
• What side of the road does Grenada drive on?
• How long can you drive in Grenada with a foreign licence?
• Is Grenada a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?
• Why acceptance of your licence varies from place to place
• Can you drive in Grenada with your country's licence?
• Where to get an International Driving Permit
• Moving to Grenada? Rules for new residents
• Driving rules in Grenada tourists get fined for
• Read more about driving in Grenada
• Sources

Driving in Grenada: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Grenada?

No IDP type is established for Grenada, and an IDP on its own does not authorise driving. Section 54(2) of the Road Traffic Act exempts the holder of an international driving licence issued under "any International Convention with respect to the international circulation of motor vehicles to which the State adheres" from any requirement to hold a Grenadian driving licence, but that condition is not satisfied: the UN depositary record shows Grenada is not a participant to either the 1949 Geneva or the 1968 Vienna Convention. Grenada appears in the depositary record of the 1949 Convention only in the Territorial Application table (extended by the United Kingdom before independence) and in the distinguishing-sign list as "WG". Grenada became independent in 1974 and, unlike Jamaica, Malta and Sierra Leone (which notified succession) and Trinidad and Tobago (which acceded), has not joined the Convention since. A visitor therefore needs the temporary Grenadian driving licence under section 54(1), unless the home licence was issued in another CARICOM member state and is valid for at least six months from entry, or was issued in an OECS member state (section 54(4) and (7), as substituted by Act No. 18 of 2015). Carry an IDP only as a supporting translation of the home licence, and because rental firms sometimes ask for one.

• 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: Get the temporary Grenadian licence before you drive. The Grenada Tourism Authority states: "If you wish to drive while in Grenada, you must obtain a local driving permit from the traffic department at the Central Police Station on the Carenage", presenting "a bonafide driver's license along with a fee of EC$60", and adds that "Most car rental firms also issue local permits." The EC$60 figure is the statutory fee: SRO 44 of 2014 provides that "There shall be charged a fee of sixty dollars for the granting of a temporary driving licence as provided under section 54 (1)".

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

What side of the road does Grenada drive on?

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

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

The temporary Grenadian driving licence is granted "for a period not exceeding three months" and is subject to the conditions stipulated on the licence. It is valid only while the home licence, immigration permission, rental contract and insurance also remain valid; the three-month figure is the permit's own clock and is not an immigration allowance. (Grenada Road Traffic Act, Cap. 289A, section 54(1))

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

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

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

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Grenada as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. Grenada recognises a foreign driving licence only if it was issued in another CARICOM member state or in an OECS member state, and it is not a party to either road-traffic convention, so an International Driving Permit does not work here. A licence from another CARICOM member state that is valid for at least six months from entry may be used for six months, and a licence from an OECS member state for as long as it remains valid, in both cases only for the vehicle classes it covers. Every other visitor must obtain a temporary Grenadian driving licence — up to three months, EC$60 — from the Traffic Department at the Central Police Station in St George's, or through the car rental company, before driving. Carry it with the original home licence, and drive on the left. Rules change — confirm with official sources before you travel. Last verified: November 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 on the approved list — locally issued document required — your home licence is not among those this destination’s own list clears; it issues its own document instead, an IDP does not stand in for it, and you must obtain it before you drive. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, says what it is and how to get it.
• 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] Grenada Road Traffic Act, Cap. 289A, section 54(4)-(8), as substituted by the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2015 (Act No. 18 of 2015)

[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 Grenada? Rules for new residents

A person living in Grenada should hold the ordinary Grenadian driving licence for the vehicle class rather than repeatedly renewing the three-month visitor licence. Ordinary licences run to the holder's birthday anniversary and are renewed on a one- or three-year cycle with a pro-rata fee (section 46). Official source.

Driving rules in Grenada tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Seat belts must be fitted to every front seat and worn by the driver and front-seat passenger of private cars, public service vehicles and goods vehicles (section 74A; an offender is liable on summary conviction to a fine of one thousand dollars (EC$1,000) and imprisonment for three months). Motorcycle riders and passengers must wear protective gear designed to protect a person driving or riding on a motorcycle, and head protection must carry the compliance mark of one of the standards listed in the Road Traffic (Protective Head Gear) Order, 2018 (section 74, as substituted by Act No. 26 of 2017; an offender is liable on summary conviction to a fine of seven hundred and fifty dollars (EC$750) and imprisonment for three months). Carry the vehicle registration and valid insurance, and check tyres, brakes, lights and the spare wheel before setting off.
• Drink-driving: The legal alcohol limit is 70 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath; the Road Traffic Act prints the blood limit as "one sixty milligrammes of alcohol in one hundred millilitres of blood" (section 62(6)). A driver over the limit is by law unfit to drive (section 62(5)) and commits the section 62(1) offence of driving, attempting to drive or being in charge of a motor vehicle while unfit through alcohol or a drug; a driver whose ability to drive properly is "for the time being impaired" commits the same offence below the limit (section 62(3)). Police may require a breath or blood test from a driver they have reasonable cause to suspect of being over the limit or of an offence committed while the vehicle was moving, or, after an accident, from a driver they believe was under the influence of alcohol (section 62B). The limit and the testing powers come from the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2017 (Act No. 21 of 2017, of 6 October 2017). The safest course is not to drink at all before driving. Section 62: first conviction a fine of five thousand dollars (EC$5,000) or twelve months' imprisonment or both; second or subsequent conviction ten thousand dollars (EC$10,000) or two years' imprisonment or both. Disqualification is mandatory on conviction unless the court finds special reason otherwise: at least one year, and at least five years on a second conviction. Drinking alcohol while driving is a separate offence under section 62A carrying a five hundred dollar (EC$500) fine. Refusing a breath or blood test without reasonable excuse is an offence under section 62B(4), with a fine of five thousand dollars (EC$5,000) and imprisonment for twelve months on a first conviction, and ten thousand dollars (EC$10,000) and imprisonment for two years on a second or subsequent conviction. Insurers routinely refuse cover for impaired driving.
• Speed limits: Fourth Schedule speed limits: within any town as defined by the Town Boundaries Act, 20 m.p.h. (32 km/h) for all vehicles; elsewhere in the State, 40 m.p.h. (64 km/h) for cars and other motor vehicles and 35 m.p.h. (56 km/h) for motor omnibuses and goods vehicles. These are low ceilings by international standards and match the narrow, winding island roads.
• Get the temporary Grenadian licence before you drive. The Grenada Tourism Authority states: "If you wish to drive while in Grenada, you must obtain a local driving permit from the traffic department at the Central Police Station on the Carenage", presenting "a bonafide driver's license along with a fee of EC$60", and adds that "Most car rental firms also issue local permits." The EC$60 figure is the statutory fee: SRO 44 of 2014 provides that "There shall be charged a fee of sixty dollars for the granting of a temporary driving licence as provided under section 54 (1)".
• UK government guidance is equally categorical: "You must have a temporary Grenadian driving licence. Your car hire company will help you get one, and you'll need to show a UK driving licence." It also notes hire companies may impose their own driving-experience, minimum-age and international-driving-permit conditions.
• Carry the temporary Grenadian licence together with the original home licence, passport, vehicle registration, rental contract and insurance, and produce the licence on demand to a police officer (section 44 allows production at a police station within forty-eight hours as a defence).
• Drive on the left: the Tourism Authority says "Always remember that driving is on the LEFT." UK guidance warns that roads "can have potholes and speed bumps", that "Minor roads and roads in rural areas are often narrow and may have blind corners", that "Some roads are unlit at night" with signs and hazards not easily visible, and that drivers do not always indicate while pedestrians often walk on the roads. After a collision, "call the police and do not move the vehicle".
• Do not hold or use a hand-held mobile phone while driving. For the driver of a private car or goods vehicle it is an offence under section 77B(1), punishable on summary conviction by a fine of three thousand five hundred dollars (EC$3,500) and imprisonment for three months; the Third Schedule sets a fixed penalty of EC$150 and 3 demerit points for it (item 27A). A phone may be used in hands-free mode, or for calls when secured in a commercially made mounting fixed to the vehicle (section 77C), and the ban does not apply while the vehicle is off the roadway or lawfully parked, not moving and not impeding traffic (section 77D(2)). Viewing, sending or composing an electronic message while driving is a separate offence (section 77B(4)), and the hands-free exception does not cover it.

Read more about driving in Grenada

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

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. Road Traffic (Temporary Driving Licence) Fees (Amendment) (No. 1) Regulations, SRO 44 of 2014 — sixty-dollar fee under s.54(1), gazetted 24 October 2014
3. Grenada Tourism Authority FAQs — local driving permit at Central Police Station, EC$60, drive on the left
4. UK government Grenada travel advice, road travel — "You must have a temporary Grenadian driving licence"
5. UK government Grenada travel advice — emergency service numbers
6. UN MTDSG XI-B-1, 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic — Grenada absent from the participant table, present only under UK territorial application and as distinguishing sign "WG"
7. UN MTDSG XI-B-19, 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (Parties: 91) — no Grenada entry
8. Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2015 (Act No. 18 of 2015) — section 54(4)-(10): licences from other CARICOM member states for six months, OECS licences while valid
9. Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2017 (Act No. 21 of 2017) — alcohol limit (section 62(5)-(6)), breath and blood tests (section 62B), hand-held mobile phones (sections 77A-77D)
10. Road Traffic (Amendment) (No. 2) Act, 2017 (Act No. 26 of 2017) — section 74, protective gear for motorcycle riders
11. Road Traffic (Protective Head Gear) Order, 2018 (SRO 8 of 2018) — helmet standards under section 74
12. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
13. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic