International Driving Permit in Lithuania

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

Driving in Lithuania: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Lithuania?

Lithuania does not require an International Driving Permit as a matter of law. An EU/EEA licence "has the same value as Lithuanian one" and is used on its own. A non-EU/EEA national licence is accepted on its own provided it complies with the 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna Convention model; where it does not, you must carry the matching genuine IDP alongside the national licence (an IDP is never valid by itself). Regitra makes the final determination whether a given document conforms to a Convention.

• 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 the original national licence, the matching IDP or certified translation where required, passport/ID, vehicle registration, compulsory motor insurance and the rental agreement.
• EU / EEA licence holders: no IDP needed.

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

What side of the road does Lithuania drive on?

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

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

A temporary visitor may drive for as long as the recognised national licence (plus IDP where the licence is not Convention-compliant) and the lawful stay remain valid. No shorter universal visitor cutoff was located in Lithuanian sources. Note: this is a different clock from the residence clock — once you become a permanent resident (185+ days per calendar year, or qualifying personal/professional ties), the exchange obligation is triggered. (Vilnius city official guidance (govilnius.lt); Regitra EU/EEA and third-country exchange pages)

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

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

Lithuania 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; which types Lithuania accepts from visitors is shown in the table above.

• 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic: accession on 4 Feb 2019.
• 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic: accession on 20 Nov 1991.

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 Lithuania with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Lithuania as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. Lithuania is an EU member and a party to both the 1968 Vienna Convention (since 1991) and the 1949 Geneva Convention (acceded 4 February 2019). EU/EEA licences have the same value as a Lithuanian licence. A non-EU national licence is accepted on its own where it conforms to the Geneva or Vienna model; an IDP is required only when it does not, and must always be carried with the national licence. Lithuania's six bilateral agreements (UK, Switzerland, South Korea, Ukraine, UAE, Moldova) waive exams for residents exchanging a licence and give visitors nothing extra. 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.
• 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.
• Treaty recognises licence + IDP — advised — the 1968 Vienna Convention obliges this destination to recognise a national licence conforming to Annex 6 of that Convention, and separately an IDP presented together with the national licence it belongs to; this row does not record whether your own licence conforms to Annex 6, and the licence-and-IDP pair is recognised either way, so carrying both is advised. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, gives the basis.
• 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 Lithuania? Lithuania's official IDPs are issued by State Enterprise Regitra (VĮ Regitra). 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 Lithuania? Rules for new residents

Two distinct layers. Visitors drive on the recognised foreign licence. Permanent residents (185+ days per calendar year in the Population Register, or documented personal/professional ties) must exchange: EU/EEA licences are exchanged without any tests; a third-country licence is exchangeable only if it is a valid national licence and normally requires theory and practical tests, unless a bilateral exemption applies. Official source.

Driving rules in Lithuania tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Daytime lights and seat belts are compulsory. Confirm a warning triangle, first-aid kit, fire extinguisher, reflective vest and season-compliant tyres are present — rental cars normally carry them, but check before departure.
• Drink-driving: 0.04% BAC (0.4 g/l) for drivers with more than two years' experience; zero for taxi, truck, bus and motorcycle drivers and for drivers with less than two years' experience. Alcohol penalties include fines and disqualification and escalate with concentration, driver status and repetition; the UK FCDO warns that offenders "may face a heavy fine and imprisonment". Exact current amounts not verified — treat zero alcohol as the safe rule.
• Speed limits: Usually 50 km/h in built-up areas, 90 km/h on ordinary paved roads, and 110-130 km/h on expressways/motorways with a seasonal winter reduction. Signs govern.
• Carry the original national licence, the matching IDP or certified translation where required, passport/ID, vehicle registration, compulsory motor insurance and the rental agreement.
• Traffic keeps right. Typical limits are 50 km/h in built-up areas and 90 km/h on ordinary paved roads; expressways and motorways run between 110 and 130 km/h with a seasonal reduction in the winter period. Posted signs always govern.
• Dipped headlights or daytime running lights are required year-round. Winter tyres are mandatory during the statutory winter period; studded tyres are seasonally restricted and a studded-tyre warning triangle sticker must be displayed on the rear.

Read more about driving in Lithuania

• 10 Interesting Facts About Lithuania
• Best places to visit in Lithuania
• What is Lithuania famous for?

Watch what driving in Lithuania looks like

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

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. Vilnius city official guidance (govilnius.lt); Regitra EU/EEA and third-country exchange pages
3. Resident licence conversion rule
4. Regitra — EU/EEA licence guidance
5. Regitra — IDP issuance: 1968 IDP up to 3 years, 1949 IDP 1 year, national licence must accompany both
6. UN Treaty Collection — Lithuania acceded to the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic on 4 February 2019
7. UK FCDO travel advice — a UK photocard licence may be used in Lithuania without an IDP; paper licences may need an IDP (corroborates default recognition)
8. Law on Road Traffic Safety (claimed English text) — could not be retrieved; document identity and currency unconfirmed
9. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
10. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic