International Driving Permit in Lebanon

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

Driving in Lebanon: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Lebanon?

Lebanon ratified the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic on 2 August 1963 and is not among the parties to the 1968 Vienna Convention. The 1949 IDP is therefore the permit with actual treaty force in Lebanon, and the UK's own IDP country table at gov.uk/driving-abroad/international-driving-permit lists Lebanon as '1949'. The FCDO Lebanon page nevertheless states verbatim: 'You need either a 1968 international driving permit (IDP) or a UK driving licence to drive in Lebanon. The 1949 IDP is not accepted anymore.' These two UK government pages contradict each other, and the FCDO wording is contradicted by the treaty depositary. Both types are listed here: a 1949 IDP is the treaty-grounded document, and a 1968 IDP is reported by the FCDO to be accepted in practice (useful because many states now issue only 1968 permits). An IDP is not strictly mandatory alongside a recognised national licence, but it is strongly advised - especially for non-Latin-script licences - and the FCDO notes temporary local licences 'take longer to get and are more expensive than an IDP'.

• 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 non-exempt licences that is an IDP.
• Car renters: Carry your national licence, your IDP if used, passport, vehicle registration, rental agreement and insurance papers. FCDO: 'Carry ID with you at all times and be prepared to stop at checkpoints to show your papers'.

No specific penalty for driving without the required document was verified from an authoritative source. Foreign-government travel advice.

What side of the road does Lebanon drive on?

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

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

No fixed day cap is published. The FCDO gives no duration limit for driving on a foreign licence or IDP in Lebanon. Use only during a lawful temporary stay and while the licence/IDP remains valid; note a 1949 IDP is valid one year from issue. (UK FCDO Lebanon safety and security page - states the accepted documents but sets no time limit)

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

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

Lebanon 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: ratification on 2 Aug 1963.

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 Lebanon with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Lebanon as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. Lebanon is a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (ratified 1963) and is not a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention, so the 1949 IDP is the permit with treaty force there; UK guidance additionally reports that a 1968 IDP is accepted in practice. A recognised foreign national licence is generally accepted for short visits, with an IDP strongly advised. Note that the FCDO advises against all, or all but essential, travel to much of Lebanon, which commonly voids travel insurance and car hire. 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:

• Treaty recognises licence — IDP advised — the 1949 Geneva Convention obliges this destination to recognise your national licence, and separately allows a destination to require a 1949-type IDP; this row states the treaty position and does not settle which of the two this destination chose, so carrying an IDP is advised. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, gives the basis.
• No convention basis established for your licence — IDP advised — no road-traffic convention basis for your licence could be established at this destination, so this row settles neither that the licence alone is enough nor that anything must be carried with it; carrying an IDP is advised as a practical translation of your licence rather than as a legal entitlement. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, says what could not be established.
• 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.

Sources and notes for the table above

[1] UN Treaty Collection, Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary-General — status of the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (chapter XI-B-1) and of the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (chapter XI-B-19) — XI-B-1, XI-B-19

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 Lebanon? Lebanon's official IDPs are issued by Automobile et Touring Club du Liban (ATCL).
• 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 Lebanon? Rules for new residents

Residents should obtain a Lebanese licence. A temporary local licence exists but the FCDO describes it as slower and more expensive than an IDP, and it is not a residence solution. Official source.

Driving rules in Lebanon tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Seat belts are mandatory where fitted (FCDO: 'You must wear a seat belt (if fitted)'). Vehicles with diesel engines are banned. Carry warning equipment, first-aid supplies and complete vehicle and insurance documents.
• Drink-driving: Drink-driving is illegal. Secondary sources report a limit of about 0.02% BAC, often unenforced, but this was not confirmed against a consolidated Lebanese legal text - treat the figure as unverified and drive with zero alcohol. No penalty tariff verified. Criminal, licence and insurance consequences may apply.
• Speed limits: Drive on the right. Secondary sources report 50 km/h in built-up areas and 100 km/h on motorways; limits outside built-up areas were not confirmed. Obey posted signs and expect erratic traffic and inactive signals.
• Carry your national licence, your IDP if used, passport, vehicle registration, rental agreement and insurance papers. FCDO: 'Carry ID with you at all times and be prepared to stop at checkpoints to show your papers'.
• FCDO verbatim: 'Driving standards are poor and the accident rate is high. Traffic lights are often switched off and not always observed.' Also: 'Avoid travelling at night outside towns if possible.' and 'Vehicles with diesel engines are banned'.
• FCDO: 'It may be better to hire a car with a driver if you're inexperienced.' Temporary local licences are available but take longer to obtain and cost more than an IDP.
• Major travel restriction: the FCDO advises against all travel to parts of Lebanon (including southern Beirut and its suburbs, parts of Mount Lebanon, South and Nabatiyeh Governorates, Beqaa, Baalbek-Hermel, northern North Governorate, Akkar, and all Palestinian refugee camps) and against all but essential travel to the remainder of Beirut, Mount Lebanon and the North Governorate. Such advisories routinely void travel insurance and car-hire cover. Check live advice, roadblock and airport-access warnings immediately before travel.
• Landmines and unexploded ordnance are reported to remain in parts of southern Lebanon; do not leave paved roads in affected areas. Not captured verbatim in this verification pass - confirm against live FCDO advice.

Read more about driving in Lebanon

• 10 Interesting Facts About Lebanon

Watch what driving in Lebanon looks like

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

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. Resident licence conversion rule
3. UN Treaty Collection - 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic: Lebanon ratified 2 Aug 1963 (treaty depositary, highest tier)
4. UN Treaty Collection - 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic: Lebanon absent from the 91 parties (treaty depositary, highest tier)
5. UK IDP country table - lists Lebanon as requiring a 1949 IDP
6. FCDO Lebanon conflict and travel warnings
7. FCDO Lebanon emergency numbers (police 112, ambulance 140, fire 175)
8. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
9. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic