International Driving Permit in Guam

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

Driving in Guam: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Guam?

Guam's Vehicle Code names no IDP. It lets you drive for 30 days from arrival on a valid licence from Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Japan, Taiwan, an EU country, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, the Philippines or Australia, and for 90 days on a licence from another US state, territory or Commonwealth (16 GCA § 3101(c)(1) and (d)). Either period can be extended to the earlier of one year from your arrival on Guam or your licence's expiry date by registering the licence with the Department of Revenue and Taxation (DRT) and paying a fee of up to $25; DRT may withhold registration, for instance if it cannot verify the licence or your date of arrival, or ask you to pass a written or road test. A licence from any other country - the UK, India and China among them - gives no right to drive a car under the Code (§ 3101(a)). A Guam operator's or chauffeur's licence from the Department of Revenue and Taxation is required instead, and for a new licence the Code requires a driver's education course certificate (§ 3101(i)). The United States applies the 1949 Geneva Convention to Guam, whose Article 24 requires each party to let a visiting driver holding a valid licence from another party drive and allows it to require an IDP; UK guidance tells UK licence holders that an IDP is 'needed for stays longer than 30 days'. Guam law does not say whether a 1949 IDP lets a licence from outside the list be used there, so if yours is not on the list, carry a 1949 IDP if your country issues one and ask DRT before you drive. Paper-licence holders must also carry photographic ID.

• 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.

What side of the road does Guam drive on?

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

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

30 days from arrival on a valid licence from Palau, Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Japan, Taiwan, an EU country, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, the Philippines or Australia; 90 days on a US licence. Under 16 GCA § 3101(c)(1) and (d), a licence from another US state, territory or Commonwealth is valid for 90 days from arrival, and a licence from one of the countries or groups listed above for 30 days. Either period may be extended to the earlier of one year from the date you arrived on Guam or your licence's expiry date, provided you register the licence with the Department of Revenue and Taxation and pay a fee (not to exceed $25); DRT then issues a Certificate of Registration, but may withhold registration or ask you to pass a written or road test. Under § 3101 a licence from any other country gives no right to drive a car on Guam, and the Code names no IDP; UK guidance, by contrast, tells UK licence holders that an IDP is 'needed for stays longer than 30 days'. A motorcycle licence from any country may be used on a motorcycle for 30 days from arrival (§ 3101(o)(2)). (16 GCA ch. 3, § 3101(a), (c), (d) and (o)(2) (Guam Compiler of Laws text dated 23 April 2026; subsection (d) as amended by P.L. 38-085 of 20 December 2025) + gov.uk IDP table, Guam row)

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

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

Guam 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: applies via United States of America (territorial application).

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 Guam with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Guam as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. Guam's Vehicle Code (16 GCA § 3101) lets you drive for 30 days from arrival on a valid licence from Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Japan, Taiwan, an EU country, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, the Philippines or Australia, and for 90 days on a licence from another US state, territory or Commonwealth; registering the licence with Guam's Department of Revenue and Taxation (DRT) and paying a fee of up to $25 extends either period to the earlier of one year from arrival or the licence's expiry. A licence from any other country gives no right to drive a car under the Code, which requires a Guam operator's or chauffeur's licence instead and names no IDP. The United States applies the 1949 Geneva Convention to Guam, and UK guidance says an IDP is 'needed for stays longer than 30 days'; if your licence is not on the list, ask DRT before you drive. 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] 16 GCA § 3101(d), as amended by P.L. 38-085 (20 Dec 2025) — a licence from another US state, territory or Commonwealth is valid for 90 days from arrival

[2] 16 GCA ch. 3, § 3101(c)(1) and (4) (Guam Compiler of Laws text dated 23 April 2026): a licence issued by a country or group the subsection names, 30 days from arrival, extendable by registration with DRT

[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 Guam? Guam's official IDPs are issued by American Automobile Association (AAA), also American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA) — applications are accepted online. 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 Guam? Rules for new residents

Once your 30 or 90 days run out you need a Guam driver's licence, unless you have registered your out-of-Guam licence with DRT, which covers you until the earlier of one year from arrival or the licence's expiry; after that, a Guam licence is the only route. A licence from another US state, territory or Commonwealth is exchanged without a written or road test (16 GCA § 3101(d)(1)); the holder of a licence from a country on the 30-day list must pass a written test and a road test (§ 3101(c)); anyone else applies for a new licence, for which § 3101(i) requires a driver's education course certificate. Members of the US Armed Forces on active duty on Guam, and their dependents, need no Guam licence while they hold a licence from another US state, territory or Commonwealth (§ 3101(b)). Since October 2025 the Governor may sign agreements letting holders of a foreign country's licence exchange it for a Guam licence (§ 3118, P.L. 38-069); no agreement made under it has been found. Official source.

Driving rules in Guam tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Seat belts and child restraints are required under US-standard rules. Carry your licence, the vehicle registration, insurance papers and the rental agreement.
• Drink-driving: 0.08% BAC is the US-standard adult threshold, with lower or zero limits for drivers under 21 and for commercial drivers. Not verified against the current Guam statute on 29 July 2026 - treat zero alcohol as the safe rule. No verified figures. Impaired driving on Guam carries criminal penalties, licence action and insurance consequences; amounts unconfirmed.
• Speed limits: Drive on the right. Limits are posted in mph and are low island-wide; obey posted signs.
• Carry your original national licence at all times. UK guidance for Guam, verbatim: 'If you have a paper driving licence, you must take another form of photographic ID, such as your passport'.
• Your insurer may ask for an IDP after a crash. UK guidance for Guam, verbatim: 'You may need to show an IDP to your insurance company if you're involved in an accident'.
• Car-hire desks set their own rules and often want an IDP or an English-language licence from day one, plus a minimum age (21 at some desks, 18 at others; younger drivers may pay a surcharge) and a credit card. Confirm with the operator before collection - this is contract policy, not Guam law.
• Drive on the right with US-style signage, mph speed limits and 911 emergency dialling. Typhoon season brings flooding, debris and power outages; check road conditions after storms. gov.uk USA advice notes 'Hurricanes can affect coastal regions, Hawaii and Guam'.

Read more about driving in Guam

• Best Places to Visit in Guam

Watch what driving in Guam looks like

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

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Sources

1. 16 GCA ch. 3, § 3101(a), (c), (d) and (o)(2) (Guam Compiler of Laws text dated 23 April 2026; subsection (d) as amended by P.L. 38-085 of 20 December 2025) + gov.uk IDP table, Guam row
2. Resident licence conversion rule
3. 16 GCA ch. 3 (Guam Vehicle Code, driver's licences), Justia's copy; the current text, with the 2025 amendments, is the Guam Compiler of Laws' own edition
4. UK travel advice for the USA (covers Guam) - 'Dial 911 and ask for an ambulance.'
5. Guam Compiler of Laws - 16 GCA ch. 3 (Vehicle Code, general provisions), text dated 23 April 2026: § 3101 (driving on an out-of-Guam licence, and for how long) and §§ 3118 to 3118.3 (licence reciprocity agreements with foreign countries)
6. Guam Compiler of Laws - 16 GCA ch. 9 (penalties): § 9108, a fine of up to $500 for a violation of the Vehicle Code
7. American Automobile Association (AAA), also American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA) — authorized IDP issuer in Guam
8. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
9. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic