International Driving Permit in Iraq

🗓 Facts checked against Iraq's road-traffic law and official sources. Research last updated: 30 October 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 Iraq: key facts
• Do you need an International Driving Permit in Iraq?
• What side of the road does Iraq drive on?
• How long can you drive in Iraq with a foreign licence?
• Is Iraq a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?
• Why acceptance of your licence varies from place to place
• Can you drive in Iraq with your country's licence?
• Where to get an International Driving Permit
• Moving to Iraq? Rules for new residents
• Driving rules in Iraq tourists get fined for
• Read more about driving in Iraq
• Sources

Driving in Iraq: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Iraq?

Iraq acceded to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic on 1 February 2017 and is not a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention (UN Treaty Collection status lists). Only the 1968-format IDP therefore has a treaty basis in Iraq. UK government advice is: "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." The IDP is never a stand-alone licence — it is only valid alongside the original national licence. Iraq's Traffic Law No. 8 of 2019 does not mention the IDP: a driving licence issued and in force in another state is valid in Iraq on the principle of reciprocity (art. 22 third: 'تعد إجازة السوق الصادرة النافذة في دول أخرى نافذة المفعول في جمهورية العراق على وفق مبدأ المعاملة بالمثل'), and the Kurdistan Region, which applies Traffic Law No. 86 of 2004, has the same rule (section 3). No published list says which states Iraq has reciprocity with, and no Iraqi text was found that says whether membership of the 1968 Convention counts as that reciprocity, so whether your licence is valid in Iraq, with or without an IDP, is not established: check with the Iraqi traffic authorities before you travel. The 1968 Convention also recognises a national licence accompanied by a certified translation; neither Iraq's federal traffic law nor the Kurdistan Region's mentions a translation.

• Tourists and short-term visitors: Iraq's Traffic Law No. 8 of 2019 makes a licence issued and in force in another state valid in Iraq on the principle of reciprocity. No list of those states is published, and the law does not mention the IDP. Check with the authorities before you travel; the answer below says what is known.
• Car renters: UK government advice to UK licence holders is to have the 1968 IDP and the licence with them in the car. Carry your passport or residence permit too, with the vehicle registration, rental contract and insurance — checkpoints are frequent and document checks are routine.

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

What side of the road does Iraq drive on?

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

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

Iraq's Traffic Law No. 8 of 2019 names no visitor-driving period; it recognises a licence issued and in force in another state on the principle of reciprocity (art. 22 third). Whether a foreign licence, with or without an IDP, is valid for a visit at all is not established; the 1968 Convention does not require Iraq to recognise a licence or IDP issued abroad to someone whose normal residence has since moved to Iraq (art. 41, paragraph 6 (a), certified original text). In practice the binding clock is whichever expires first — the national licence, the IDP, the immigration permission, the rental contract or the insurance. (Iraq Traffic Law No. 8 of 2019, art. 22 third; 1968 Vienna Convention recognition principle; UK government Iraq guidance)

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

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

Iraq is a Contracting Party to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, but not to the 1949 Geneva Convention.

• 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic: accession on 1 Feb 2017.

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 Iraq with your country's licence?

This answer is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Iraq as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Iraq is a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention (acceded 1 February 2017) and is not a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention, so only the 1968-format IDP has a treaty basis here. Iraq's Traffic Law No. 8 of 2019 makes a licence issued and in force in another state valid in Iraq on the principle of reciprocity (art. 22 third), and makes a licence from another Arab state valid in Iraq and usable as a basis for an Iraqi licence, provided reciprocity is observed by a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (art. 24 third). No list of those states is published, nor any such letter, and no Iraqi text was found that says whether the 1968 Convention, which obliges its parties to recognise one another's licences and IDPs (art. 41), counts as that reciprocity. Every row below therefore reads Not established: check with the Iraqi traffic authorities before you travel. The law does not mention the IDP; UK government advice to UK licence holders is to have the 1968 IDP and the licence with them in the car. Severe travel advisories, dangerous roads and separate federal/Kurdistan administrations make pre-arranged transport and local confirmation the realistic choice. Rules change — confirm with official sources before you travel. Last verified: October 2026.

Legend: "1949" — Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (IDP valid up to 1 year); "1968" — Vienna Convention (IDP valid up to 3 years).

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 answer below says what could not be confirmed.

What you need to carry — Check with local authorities before travel

Why — Iraq's Traffic Law No. 8 of 2019 makes a licence issued and in force in another state valid in Iraq on the principle of reciprocity. No list of those states is published, and the law does not mention the IDP. [1]

Sources and notes for the answer above

[1] Iraq Traffic Law No. 8 of 2019 (al-Waqa'i al-Iraqiyya No. 4550, 5 August 2019), arts. 22 third and 24 third; Kurdistan Region: Traffic Law No. 86 of 2004, section 3(5)

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 Iraq? Iraq's official IDPs are issued by Directorate of Traffic (Traffic Police).
• 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 Iraq? Rules for new residents

Anyone who becomes normally resident in Iraq should obtain the Iraqi licence issued where they live and drive. Federal Iraq (General Traffic Directorate, Ministry of Interior) and the Kurdistan Region operate separate administrations and separate processes — this is a residence clock, entirely distinct from the visitor route above.

Driving rules in Iraq tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Use a mechanically sound vehicle with working belts, tyres, brakes and lights, plus spare wheel, first-aid kit, spare fuel, a working means of communication and valid insurance. Confirm rental insurance actually covers your intended route — many policies exclude advisory-against areas.
• Drink-driving: Treat the limit as zero: Iraq's Traffic Law No. 8 of 2019 sets no numeric alcohol limit and punishes driving under the influence of an intoxicant or drug ('تحت تأثير مسكر أو مخدر', art. 34). Iraq applies strict alcohol and public-conduct rules. Do not drink and drive at all. Driving under the influence of an intoxicant or drug is punished with 3 months to 1 year in prison, a fine of IQD 200,000 to 500,000, or both; a repeat offence within a year of a final conviction brings 6 months to 1 year in prison, a fine of up to IQD 1,000,000, or both (Traffic Law No. 8 of 2019, art. 34), and the court may withdraw the licence for 3 months to 1 year (art. 39). In the Kurdistan Region the penalty is 3 to 6 months in prison or a fine of IQD 500,000 to 1,500,000, with the licence withdrawn for up to 3 months; a repeat offence brings 6 months to 1 year in prison or a fine of at least IQD 2,000,000, with the licence withdrawn for at least 6 months (Kurdistan Law No. 2 of 2018, art. 2). That law leaves the permitted alcohol level to instructions of the Kurdistan Ministry of Interior, issued with the Ministry of Health, and none could be found online. Impaired driving can also lead to arrest and loss of insurance cover.
• Speed limits: Traffic drives on the right. Obey posted km/h limits and all official checkpoint directions without exception; no verified national default speed-limit table was located.
• UK government advice (last updated 27 October 2026) advises against all travel to parts of Iraq — including western Anbar, Diyala province except Baqubah City, the whole of Kirkuk, Ninawa and Salah al-Din provinces, Jurf al-Sakr, Sadr City, and border zones within 5 km of Iran, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait — and against all but essential travel to the rest of the country, including the Kurdistan Region. Check the current advisory for your exact route before any journey.
• UK government advice to UK licence holders is to have the 1968 IDP and the licence with them in the car. Carry your passport or residence permit too, with the vehicle registration, rental contract and insurance — checkpoints are frequent and document checks are routine.
• UK guidance states plainly that "Road travel within Iraq is dangerous" and that "Driving standards are low", with frequent fatal crashes, fake vehicle checkpoints, carjacking and robbery. Trusted, pre-arranged transport with a local driver is the realistic option for most visitors; even where your licence is accepted, self-driving is often practically unwise.
• An IDP must be obtained in the country that issued your licence, before departure — UK guidance is explicit: "You cannot buy an IDP outside the UK, so get one before you travel." The same logic applies from every country: no genuine IDP can be issued to you once you are already in Iraq.

Read more about driving in Iraq

• 10 Interesting Facts About Iraq
• Best places to visit in Iraq

Watch what driving in Iraq looks like

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

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Sources

1. Iraq Traffic Law No. 8 of 2019, art. 22 third; 1968 Vienna Convention recognition principle; UK government Iraq guidance
2. UK government Iraq guidance — emergency service numbers
3. UK government Iraq travel advice — current advisory levels (updated 22 July 2026)
4. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic status: Iraq accession 1 Feb 2017 (91 parties, status 29 July 2026)
5. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic status: Iraq absent from the 103 parties (status 29 July 2026)
6. Iraq Traffic Law No. 8 of 2019 (al-Waqa'i al-Iraqiyya No. 4550, 5 August 2019), text as reproduced by mohamah.net — licence ages (art. 21), recognition of foreign licences on reciprocity (arts. 22 and 24), penalties (arts. 32, 34 and 39)
7. General Traffic Directorate, Ministry of Interior — table of offences and penalties under chapter ten of Traffic Law No. 8 of 2019
8. Kurdistan Regional Government — Traffic Law No. 86 of 2004 as applied in the Kurdistan Region: licence ages and recognition of foreign licences on reciprocity (section 3)
9. Kurdistan Law No. 2 of 2018 (Waqai' Kurdistan No. 221, 22 February 2018), amending sections 21 and 22 of Traffic Law No. 86 of 2004 in the Kurdistan Region — driving without a licence, drink- and drug-driving
10. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
11. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic