International Driving Permit in Israel

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

Driving in Israel: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Israel?

Israeli law does not require an IDP from a visitor. Traffic Regulations reg. 562 defines a "foreign driving licence" as "an international driving permit OR a national driving licence issued in a foreign state", and reg. 567(a) recognises either one on its own. Under reg. 567ב neither is valid for anyone whose last actual entry into Israel was made without being granted a visa, a rule the Ministry of Transport described to the Knesset as aimed at people who entered unlawfully; its wording does not say how it treats visitors exempt from a visa. No ruling or Ministry guidance settling that was found: a visa-exempt visitor should check with the Ministry of Transport before driving. Reg. 562 defines an international driving permit as a driving licence issued in accordance with Annex 7 to the Convention ('רשיון נהיגה שניתן בהתאם לנספח 7 לאמנה'), and the Convention only as the Convention on Road Traffic, with no year ('האמנה בדבר תנועה בדרכים'). Israel is a party to both the 1949 Geneva Convention (ratified 6 Jan 1955) and the 1968 Vienna Convention (ratified 11 May 1971). Annex 7 is the permit model of the 1968 Convention, while the 1949 Convention sets its model in Annex 10; yet reg. 570(1) refers to Annex 4 to the Convention for the distinguishing sign of vehicles, which is where the 1949 Convention sets it. The regulations do not say which Convention they mean, so which IDP edition counts under reg. 562 is not established: check with the Ministry of Transport before you travel. Rental desks and police checks are the practical reason to carry an IDP.

• Tourists and short-term visitors: Under reg. 567ב a foreign licence or IDP is not valid if its holder last entered Israel without a visa. The Ministry of Transport told the Knesset it targets unlawful entrants; no ruling or guidance says whether visa-exempt visitors are covered. Check with the authorities before you travel; the answer below says what is known.
• Car renters: Carry the original foreign licence, passport, an entry/exit record or entry stamp (the one-year window is counted from your last entry, so proof of your entry dates matters), the rental agreement, vehicle registration and insurance. Regulation 569 obliges the driver of a foreign-registered vehicle to produce licence, certificate and tax label to any police officer on demand. An IDP or an official translation reduces roadside interpretation risk and is frequently required by rental companies and insurers.

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

What side of the road does Israel drive on?

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

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

A visitor who entered on a visa may drive on a valid foreign licence for one year (three months for bus, taxi and heavy-goods grades) from the last entry after three months abroad; visa-exempt visitors: not established. Under reg. 567(a) the holder must be resident neither in Israel nor in Judea and Samaria or the Gaza Strip (the Area defined in reg. 578), must meet the age conditions of regs. 188 to 190, and must not be disqualified from obtaining an Israeli licence or, if they hold one, from holding it. The one-year limit applies to grades A2, A1 and A (motorcycles), 1 (tractors), B (private cars) and C1 (light trucks), regs. 176 to 181; the three-month limit applies to grades C and C+E (heavy goods vehicles) and D2, D3, D1 and D (minibuses, taxis and buses), regs. 182 to 185. Reg. 567(b) counts the period from the last entry into Israel immediately preceded by at least three consecutive months outside Israel, so a shorter trip abroad does not restart it. Reg. 567ב withdraws the entitlement from anyone whose last actual entry into Israel was made without being granted a transit, visitor, temporary or permanent residence visa under section 2(a)(1) to (4) of the Entry into Israel Law, 5712-1952. The Ministry of Transport told the Knesset Economics Committee on 12 August 2014 that this rule is aimed at people who entered Israel unlawfully and does not reach someone who entered with a visa that later expired. Its wording does not say how it treats visitors exempt from a visa, who enter on a visitor permit; the electronic travel authorisation described in section 14א of the same Law is given to such visitors and is not a visa. A visa-exempt visitor should confirm the position with the Ministry of Transport before driving. (Traffic Regulations 5721-1961, reg. 567(a)-(b))

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

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

Israel is a Contracting Party to both United Nations Conventions on Road Traffic — the Geneva Convention of 19 September 1949 and the Vienna Convention of 8 November 1968. International Driving Permits of both the 1949 and the 1968 type are therefore issued against its framework; the answer below says what is established about which types Israel accepts from visitors.

• 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic: ratification on 6 Jan 1955.
• 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic: ratification on 11 May 1971.

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 Israel with your country's licence?

This answer is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Israel as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Israel recognises the national driving licence of any foreign state on its own terms: regulation 567 of the Traffic Regulations treats a non-resident holding any valid foreign licence — or an IDP — as holding the equivalent Israeli licence, with no convention gate and no script or language condition. Regulation 567ב withdraws that recognition from anyone whose last actual entry into Israel was made without being granted a visa; the Ministry of Transport told the Knesset Economics Committee in 2014 that this rule is aimed at people who entered Israel unlawfully, but its wording does not say how it treats visitors who are exempt from a visa and enter on a visitor permit. No court ruling or Ministry guidance settling that case was found, so whether a visa-exempt visitor may drive on a foreign licence or IDP is not established: check with the Ministry of Transport before you travel. The entitlement lasts up to one year of stay counted from your last entry into Israel (an entry preceded by at least three consecutive months abroad), and only three months if you are driving a bus, coach or heavy goods vehicle. An IDP is optional in law; rental companies and insurers often ask for one. 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 — Under reg. 567ב a foreign licence or IDP is not valid if its holder last entered Israel without a visa. The Ministry of Transport told the Knesset it targets unlawful entrants; no ruling or guidance says whether visa-exempt visitors are covered. [1]

Sources and notes for the answer above

[1] Traffic Regulations 5721-1961, regs. 562, 567 and 567ב (current consolidated text, as amended 5784/2024)

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 Israel? Israel's official IDPs are issued by Ministry of Transport and Road Safety (via authorized photo stations: Femi Premium / Issta). 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 Israel? Rules for new residents

Once the reg. 567 window closes the foreign licence stops being a driving entitlement in Israel and an Israeli licence is required. Two separate resident-side clocks exist and must not be confused with the visitor clock. (a) Reg. 567א: an Israeli resident who spent at least one continuous year outside Israel during the two years before his last entry may drive on a valid foreign licence for one year from that last entry — and for this rule "last entry" only requires 14 consecutive days abroad beforehand, not three months. (b) Foreign residents, new immigrants and diplomats convert through the Ministry of Transport licensing bureaux. Official source.

Driving rules in Israel tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Seat belts and child restraints are compulsory. Every motor vehicle other than a motorcycle must carry a warning triangle of the prescribed type (reg. 367); a driver who has to stop and leave the vehicle standing on the road must place it so that a driver approaching from behind can see it from at least 100 m (reg. 70(a)). The driver must wear a reflective vest when getting out of the vehicle on a non-urban road, except on a pavement, and is exempt if a passenger has already got out wearing one (Traffic Ordinance s.65ב(c)). Keep the insurance documents in the vehicle.
• Drink-driving: The general limit is 240 micrograms of alcohol per litre of exhaled air, equivalent to 50 mg per 100 ml of blood (Traffic Regulations reg. 169א). A far lower limit of 50 micrograms per litre of breath / 10 mg per 100 ml of blood applies to new drivers, any driver under 24, drivers of commercial or work vehicles over 3,500 kg and drivers of public-service vehicles (Traffic Ordinance s.64ב(a), definition of "drunk", para. (3א)). A police officer may demand a breath sample with no prior suspicion at all. Drunk driving is an offence under s.62(3) of the Traffic Ordinance: up to two years' imprisonment or a fine of up to ILS 75,300, and s.39א imposes a mandatory minimum disqualification of two years on conviction, rising to four years for a repeat offence within a year, reducible only for special reasons recorded in the judgment. Given the near-zero threshold for under-24 and professional drivers, treat the practical limit as zero.
• Speed limits: 50 km/h urban, 80 km/h non-urban, 90 km/h non-urban with a built median, 110 km/h on expressways, 30 km/h in shared-space and traffic-calmed zones — unless a posted sign says otherwise, in which case the sign governs.
• Carry the original foreign licence, passport, an entry/exit record or entry stamp (the one-year window is counted from your last entry, so proof of your entry dates matters), the rental agreement, vehicle registration and insurance. Regulation 569 obliges the driver of a foreign-registered vehicle to produce licence, certificate and tax label to any police officer on demand. An IDP or an official translation reduces roadside interpretation risk and is frequently required by rental companies and insurers.
• Traffic keeps right. Default maxima under reg. 54: 50 km/h on urban roads, 80 km/h on non-urban roads, 90 km/h on non-urban roads with a built central reservation, 110 km/h on an expressway, and 30 km/h in a shared-space street or traffic-calmed zone; buses and heavy vehicles are capped lower. Where speed-limit sign no. 426 is posted, the sign controls.
• Security closures, Home Front Command instructions and access restrictions can change at very short notice, and some areas are closed to Israeli-plated rental vehicles by the rental contract itself. Check current official alerts and the rental agreement before every route, especially near borders and restricted areas.

Read more about driving in Israel

• A car trip to Israel
• Car rental in Israel
• 10 Interesting Facts About Israel

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. Traffic Regulations 5721-1961, reg. 567(a)-(b)
3. Resident licence conversion rule
4. Traffic Regulations 5721-1961, open consolidated mirror (Wikisource / Open Law) — cross-check of reg. 567 as amended 5784/2024
5. Penal Law 5737-1977 s.61(a) — current maximum fine tiers (ILS 75,300 for offences carrying 1-3 years)
6. Government Press Office, A Guide to Converting a Foreign Driver's License, 14 March 2024 — conversion guidance for B1-visa foreign journalists (source of the popular "one year from date of first entry" simplification)
7. UN depositary status, 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic — Israel signed 19 Sep 1949, ratified 6 Jan 1955
8. UN depositary status, 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic — Israel signed 8 Nov 1968, ratified 11 May 1971
9. Knesset Economics Committee, protocol no. 340 of 12 August 2014 (Open Knesset) — the Ministry of Transport on regulation 567ב and on counting the visitor period from the last entry
10. Entry into Israel Law, 5712-1952, consolidated (Wikisource) — section 2(a), visas and residence permits; section 14א, electronic travel authorisation
11. Entry into Israel (Visa Exemption) Order, 5734-1974 (Wikisource) — nationalities exempt from the transit and visitor visa
12. Ministry of Transport and Road Safety (via authorized photo stations: Femi Premium / Issta) — authorized IDP issuer in Israel
13. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
14. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic