International Driving Permit in Kuwait

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

Driving in Kuwait: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Kuwait?

Kuwait's Traffic Law exempts foreign visitors and tourists who hold a valid foreign driving licence from the Kuwaiti licence, on the conditions its Executive Regulation sets (Decree-Law 67/1976, art. 15). Executive Regulation art. 105 lets visitors, tourists and transit travellers drive a vehicle their licence covers on a foreign driving licence issued by a competent government authority or on an international driving licence issued outside Kuwait by a competent body, provided they do not change their visit, tourist or transit status or stay beyond it, the licence is legally valid and the insurance rules are met. For driving, the IDP is one of the two documents the law accepts, not a requirement, and the law names no IDP model. Kuwait is a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention only (acceded 14 March 1980); it is not a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention. The UK's own IDP country table lists Kuwait as "1968". UK government advice is "If you have a visit visa, you can drive in Kuwait using a UK photocard driving licence"; Government of Canada advice to its nationals is "You must carry an International Driving Permit." To rent a car or motorcycle, a visitor who is not a citizen of a Gulf Cooperation Council state needs an IDP: a rental company may rent only to someone holding a Kuwaiti licence, a Gulf licence (citizens of those states) or, for visitors, an international licence ('رخصة دولية'), each valid for the whole rental period (Ministerial Decision 723/2020 on car and motorcycle rental, art. 1(11)). Art. 105 does not say whether an international licence is valid without the national licence it was issued on: check with the General Department of Traffic before you travel, or carry both.

• 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 your driving licence and the vehicle registration whenever you drive: driving without them on you is fined KD 45 to 75 (Traffic Law, art. 36(4)). Keep your passport with the visit visa, the rental contract and proof of third-party insurance with you too. A rental company may rent to a visitor who is not a Gulf Cooperation Council citizen only on an international licence (Ministerial Decision 723/2020, art. 1(11)); Government of Canada advice is to carry an IDP.

Driving without the required document is punishable under Traffic Law (Decree-Law 67/1976 as amended by Decree-Law 5/2025), art. 36(4) with a fine of KD 45 to 75.

What side of the road does Kuwait drive on?

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

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

Executive Regulation art. 105 names no number of days: a visitor, tourist or transit traveller may drive on a foreign or international licence only while keeping that status and not staying beyond it. The licence must be legally valid and the insurance rules met. UK government advice is that a resident holding a Kuwaiti residence permit (Civil ID) must apply for a Kuwaiti licence. (Executive Regulation of the Traffic Law (Ministerial Decision 81/1976), art. 105; Traffic Law (Decree-Law 67/1976), art. 15)

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

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

Kuwait 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 14 Mar 1980.

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 Kuwait with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Kuwait as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. Kuwait splits drivers by immigration status, not by a countdown. On a visit, tourist or transit stay you may drive on your own valid foreign licence or on an international driving licence issued abroad (Executive Regulation art. 105); Government of Canada advice to its nationals is to carry an IDP, and a rental company may rent to a visitor who is not a Gulf Cooperation Council citizen only on an international licence. The instant you hold a Kuwaiti residence permit (Civil ID) both routes close: UK guidance states plainly that you can use neither your home licence nor an international driving permit, and a Kuwaiti licence with restrictive eligibility becomes mandatory. Third-party insurance is compulsory, alcohol tolerance is zero, and the traffic law tightened sharply on 22 April 2025. 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).

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 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] Executive Regulation of the Traffic Law (Ministerial Decision 81/1976), art. 105, under Traffic Law art. 15

[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 Kuwait? Kuwait's official IDPs are issued by Kuwait International Automobile Club (KIAC). 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 Kuwait? Rules for new residents

UK government guidance is explicit: "If you live in Kuwait and have a residence permit (Civil ID), you must apply for a Kuwaiti driving licence. You cannot use your UK driving licence or an international driving licence." This is a status switch, not a grace period — holding the Civil ID ends the visitor route outright, and an IDP does not help a resident. Foreign-government travel advice.

Driving rules in Kuwait tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Seat belts and child restraints, sound tyres, brakes and lights, warning equipment, vehicle registration and valid mandatory third-party insurance. Not wearing a seat belt is punishable by up to one month's imprisonment and a fine of KD 50 to 100, or either penalty (Traffic Law, Decree-Law 67/1976 as amended by Decree-Law 5/2025, art. 35(15)); the case may instead be settled out of court by paying KD 30 (art. 41(4)).
• Drink-driving: Zero tolerance. The Traffic Law names no blood-alcohol limit: art. 38 punishes driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs or any other substance that affects your faculties. Kuwaiti law also punishes bringing alcohol into the country or making it, trading in it, drinking it in a public place or a private club, and being found visibly drunk (Penal Code, arts. 206 to 206 bis (b)). "If you are tested and found to have any alcohol in your system, you may get a fine, imprisonment, or deportation and the withdrawal of your driving licence." Since 22 April 2025, driving or trying to drive under the influence of alcohol, drugs or any other substance that affects your faculties is punishable by one to two years' imprisonment and a fine of KD 1,000 to 3,000, or either penalty; if it causes a crash, the range rises to one to three years and KD 2,000 to 3,000 for damage to property, and to two to five years and KD 2,000 to 5,000 for injury or death. The court also orders the driving licence withdrawn for one to three years, and may withdraw it for three to five years for a repeat offence (Traffic Law, Decree-Law 67/1976 as amended by Decree-Law 5/2025, art. 38). The police may arrest a driver under the influence (art. 44(1)), and the offence cannot be settled out of court by payment (art. 41).
• Speed limits: Drive on the right. Obey posted km/h limits, signals and the ban on handheld phone use. Since 22 April 2025 the Traffic Law (Decree-Law 67/1976 as amended by Decree-Law 5/2025) punishes speeding with more than one year and up to three years' imprisonment and a fine of KD 600 to 1,000, or either penalty (art. 33 bis(4)), and using a handheld phone or other handheld device while driving with up to three months' imprisonment and a fine of KD 150 to 300, or either penalty (art. 33(9)). Both offences may instead be settled out of court by a payment (art. 41): KD 70 to 150 for speeding, rising with how far you exceeded the limit, and KD 75 for phone use.
• Carry your driving licence and the vehicle registration whenever you drive: driving without them on you is fined KD 45 to 75 (Traffic Law, art. 36(4)). Keep your passport with the visit visa, the rental contract and proof of third-party insurance with you too. A rental company may rent to a visitor who is not a Gulf Cooperation Council citizen only on an international licence (Ministerial Decision 723/2020, art. 1(11)); Government of Canada advice is to carry an IDP.
• Third-party insurance is mandatory: "You must get third-party insurance in Kuwait before you drive." Rental prices normally include it; if you borrow a private vehicle, arranging and carrying the cover is your responsibility.
• After a serious crash, stay with the vehicle if it is safe, call 112 and do not move the vehicle before the police arrive. For a minor crash where the vehicle still drives, photograph the damage, note the plate numbers, move clear of traffic and then call 112.
• "There are landmines and other unexploded weapons in Kuwait." Avoid off-road driving; if you must go off-road, stay on clearly marked tracks and never pick up objects.
• Driving conditions are genuinely hazardous: drivers routinely exceed limits, change lanes without warning, ignore signals and use phones at the wheel. Camera and radar enforcement has been expanded.

Read more about driving in Kuwait

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

Watch what driving in Kuwait looks like

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

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Sources

1. Traffic Law (Decree-Law 67/1976 as amended by Decree-Law 5/2025), art. 36(4)
2. Executive Regulation of the Traffic Law (Ministerial Decision 81/1976), art. 105; Traffic Law (Decree-Law 67/1976), art. 15
3. Resident licence conversion rule
4. UK FCDO Kuwait — driving licence on a visit visa, mandatory third-party insurance, accident procedure, landmines, stricter traffic penalties
5. Government of Canada travel advice, Kuwait — "You must carry an International Driving Permit"; jail terms for speeding and handheld device use
6. UK government IDP country table — Kuwait listed as IDP type 1968
7. UN depositary status, 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic — Kuwait not among the participants
8. UN Treaty Collection XI-B-19, Convention on Road Traffic (Vienna 1968) — Kuwait acceded 14 March 1980
9. UK FCDO Kuwait — "Telephone: 112 (ambulance, fire, police)"
10. Kuwait General Department of Traffic, Ministry of Interior — issues driving licences and vehicle licences and collects traffic fines
11. Times Kuwait — traffic-law amendments "come into effect on April 22, 2025" (secondary press; law numbering inconsistent across sources)
12. Decree-Law 5/2025 amending Decree-Law 67/1976 on Traffic, Arabic text on the lawskw.com law database — penalties for phone use, speeding, not wearing a seat belt and driving under the influence (arts. 33, 33 bis, 35 and 38), out-of-court settlement (art. 41) and arrest (art. 44); in force three months after publication
13. Kuwait Ministry of Interior, 2022 compilation of the Traffic Law, its Executive Regulation and ministerial decisions — minimum licence ages (Executive Regulation art. 88), visitors driving on foreign or international licences (art. 105) and Ministerial Decision 723/2020 on car and motorcycle rental (art. 1(11))
14. Kuwaiti Penal Code (Law 16/1960), Arabic text on the lawskw.com law database — alcohol offences (arts. 206 to 206 bis (c))
15. Kuwait International Automobile Club (KIAC) — authorized IDP issuer in Kuwait
16. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic