International Driving Permit in Kenya

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

Driving in Kenya: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Kenya?

An IDP is not required to drive in Kenya as a visitor: rule 37(d) of the Traffic (Driving Schools, Driving Instructors and Driving Licences) Rules, 2020 deems 'a domestic driving permit issued to a person resident outside Kenya' a valid driving licence, 'valid only for a period of ninety days from the date of the holder's entry into Kenya'. Separately, rule 37(c) recognises 'an international driving permit issued by a contracting State to the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic of 1926 or the United Nations Convention on Road Traffic of 1968 and held by a person resident outside Kenya' — the 1949 Geneva Convention is not named, and Kenya itself is a party only to the 1968 Convention (accession 9 September 2009, UN Treaty Collection XI-B-19), so only a 1968-model IDP has a clear textual basis. UK government advice states 'You can use a UK photocard driving licence in Kenya for up to 3 months' and that after that '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'. An IDP never replaces the national licence and must be carried with it.

• 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 national licence at all times, plus a 1968 IDP or English translation if the licence is not in English, photo ID/passport, vehicle registration, the rental agreement and proof of insurance.

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

What side of the road does Kenya drive on?

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

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

90 days from the date of each entry into Kenya, driving on the foreign national licence alone (LN 28/2020 rule 37(d)). Beyond that, rule 37(c) separately recognises a 1968-model IDP held by a person resident outside Kenya, carried with the original licence — the route UK government advice describes as needed 'after 3 months'. Rule 40 voids recognition if the permit is a learner permit, if the holder is below the Kenyan minimum age for the class, if the holder was resident in Kenya when the permit was obtained, or if the holder is disqualified. Immigration status, licence expiry, rental terms and insurance can all end authority earlier. (LN 28/2020 rules 37(c), 37(d), 40; UK government Kenya travel advice)

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

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

Kenya 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 9 Sep 2009.

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 Kenya with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Kenya as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. Kenya recognises the national driving licence of any state: rule 37(d) of the 2020 Driving Licences Rules deems a 'domestic driving permit issued to a person resident outside Kenya' valid for 90 days from the date of entry, no IDP needed. If the licence is not in English, rule 39 requires an English translation — a 1968-model International Driving Permit is the cleanest way to supply it, and it is also the route UK guidance points to beyond three months. Residents cannot use this route and need a Kenyan licence. Drive on the left, keep your entry stamp, and never pay an unreceipted roadside fine. 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] Traffic (Driving Schools, Driving Instructors and Driving Licences) Rules, 2020 (LN 28/2020) rules 37(c), 37(d), 39, 40

[2] LN 28/2020 rule 39

[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 Kenya? Kenya's official IDPs are issued by Automobile Association of Kenya (AA Kenya) — 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 Kenya? Rules for new residents

The 90-day route is expressly limited to 'a person resident outside Kenya'. Once a driver is resident in Kenya it does not apply, and rule 40 additionally invalidates any foreign permit that the holder obtained while already resident in Kenya. Residents must hold a Kenyan driving licence. Official source.

Driving rules in Kenya tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Kenya's exact mandatory-carry list for private cars was not verified from an official source for this dossier. Rental vehicles are normally supplied with warning triangles, a spare wheel and a jack — confirm with the hire company. Seat belts, valid insurance and current inspection/registration documents are required.
• Drink-driving: Section 44 of the Traffic Act prohibits driving while 'under the influence of an alcoholic drink or a drug beyond the prescribed limits', but the Act itself sets no breath/blood/urine figure — the number sits in regulations that could not be verified against an official current source. Treat the safe limit as zero. Section 44 carries a fine of up to one hundred thousand shillings or imprisonment up to two years, plus disqualification from holding a licence for twelve months. Insurance is typically void.
• Speed limits: Drive on the left. Section 42(3) of the Traffic Act sets fifty kilometres per hour on any road within a trading centre, township, municipality or city; other limits are prescribed and posted, and are lower for many public-service and goods vehicles. Reduce speed for pedestrians, livestock, matatus, unlit vehicles, poor surfaces, speed bumps and security checks.
• Carry the original national licence at all times, plus a 1968 IDP or English translation if the licence is not in English, photo ID/passport, vehicle registration, the rental agreement and proof of insurance.
• Drive on the left. UK government advice warns there is 'a higher risk of carjacking on the old airport road (Airport South Road) and Jogoo Road' and suggests using the Mombasa Road or the Nairobi Expressway instead.
• 'On-the-spot fines from traffic police are common but illegal. If a traffic police officer stops you, ask them to issue you with the correct paperwork'.
• The 90-day clock runs from the date of entry, not from the licence date, and restarts on a new entry. Keep the passport entry stamp — it is the evidence that the 90 days have not lapsed.

Read more about driving in Kenya

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

Watch what driving in Kenya looks like

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

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. LN 28/2020 rules 37(c), 37(d), 40; UK government Kenya travel advice
3. UK government Kenya travel advice — 3-month UK licence rule, 1968 IDP, illegal on-the-spot fines, carjacking routes
4. UK government Kenya travel advice — emergency number 999, Kenya Tourism Federation Safety and Communication Centre
5. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic: Kenya acceded 9 September 2009
6. Kenya Tourism Federation Safety and Communication Centre
7. Automobile Association of Kenya (AA Kenya) — authorized IDP issuer in Kenya
8. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
9. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic