International Driving Permit in Luxembourg

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

Driving in Luxembourg: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Luxembourg?

Luxembourg is a contracting party to both road-traffic conventions (Geneva 1949, ratified 17 Oct 1952; Vienna 1968, ratified 25 Nov 1975), approved by the loi du 22 juillet 1952 and the loi du 27 mai 1975. A valid EU/EEA licence is recognised on its own. A valid licence issued by another party to either convention is recognised on the conditions those conventions set (1949 Convention, art. 24; 1968 Convention, art. 41), and the Code de la route does not itself require an IDP. For a licence issued where neither convention applies, the rule is not established: the Code de la route requires a valid driving licence but does not say whether such a licence is valid for a visitor, so check with the authorities before you travel. 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 non-exempt licences that is an IDP.
• EU / EEA licence holders: no IDP needed — A valid EU/EEA licence is recognised in Luxembourg for the whole period of its validity, with no IDP and no translation.

Driving without the required document is punishable under Loi du 14 février 1955, art. 7; arrêté grand-ducal du 23 novembre 1955, arts. 70 and 173 with a fine of €25 to €1,000.

What side of the road does Luxembourg drive on?

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

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

Luxembourg's Code de la route names no visitor period for driving on a foreign licence, and no Luxembourg government page found states one. A licence issued by another party to the road-traffic conventions is recognised under those conventions, which Luxembourg approved by law (loi du 22 juillet 1952; loi du 27 mai 1975); for a licence issued where neither convention applies, the rule is not established, so check in advance. The widely quoted 'one year' is a residence clock, not a tourist clock — it starts when you establish normal residence in Luxembourg. Separately, the UK FCDO documents that a UK photocard licence may be used to drive in Luxembourg for one year. (Guichet.lu: 'After having established your normal residence in Luxembourg, you have a maximum of one year in which to convert your foreign driving licence' / 'During that year, you can, however, drive in Luxembourg using your foreign licence.' UK FCDO: 'You can use a UK photocard driving licence to drive in Luxembourg for one year.')

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

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

Luxembourg 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 Luxembourg accepts from visitors is shown in the table above.

• 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic: ratification on 17 Oct 1952.
• 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic: ratification on 25 Nov 1975.

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 Luxembourg with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Luxembourg as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. Luxembourg is an EU member state and a contracting party to both road-traffic conventions — Geneva 1949 (ratified 1952) and Vienna 1968 (ratified 1975). EU/EEA licences are mutually recognised for as long as they are valid, with no IDP and no translation. A valid licence issued by another party to either convention is recognised on the conditions those conventions set, which Luxembourg approved by law (loi du 22 juillet 1952; loi du 27 mai 1975). For a licence issued where neither convention applies, the rule is not established: the Code de la route requires a valid driving licence but does not say whether such a licence is valid for a visitor, so check with the authorities before you travel. The 'one year' figure quoted everywhere is a residence clock, not a tourist clock: it starts when you settle in Luxembourg, and a licence not converted within that year stops being valid here. 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.
• 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] Code de la route: arrêté grand-ducal du 23 novembre 1955, art. 74, para. 1; loi du 22 juillet 1952 and loi du 27 mai 1975 (approval of the 1949 and 1968 Conventions)

[2] 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 Luxembourg? Luxembourg's official IDPs are issued by Automobile Club du Luxembourg (ACL). 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 Luxembourg? Rules for new residents

Two different clocks — do not read this as a visitor rule. Once you establish normal residence in Luxembourg you have a maximum of one year to convert (transcribe) a foreign licence; during that year you may keep driving on the foreign licence, and 'foreign licences not converted within a period of one year are no longer valid in Luxembourg'. Conversion is possible only once you have lived in Luxembourg for at least 185 days, and a licence whose conversion is applied for after the one-year deadline, or which has expired, is converted only after you pass a test with a theory and a practical part (Code de la route: arrêté grand-ducal du 23 novembre 1955, art. 84). A UK licence follows this same residence route. Official source.

Driving rules in Luxembourg tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Carry the full document set listed above. Fit compliant winter tyres in winter conditions. A motor vehicle with four or more wheels must carry an approved warning triangle, and every motor vehicle except mopeds must carry at least one high-visibility safety vest (standard EN 471 or EN 1150); a vehicle registered abroad may instead meet the corresponding rules of the country where it is registered (Code de la route: arrêté grand-ducal du 23 novembre 1955, art. 49 K and L, and art. 172). Anyone on foot on the carriageway, hard shoulder or an emergency stopping place of a motorway or expressway must wear the vest unless going straight to safety (art. 170). A missing triangle or vest is a €74 fixed penalty ('avertissement taxé').
• Drink-driving: The limit is 0.5 g/l of alcohol in the blood (0.25 mg/l in exhaled breath), lowered to 0.2 g/l (0.10 mg/l) for a list of drivers that includes learners, probationary drivers and drivers under 18. The full list: learner drivers driving the category they are learning for; drivers in the 24-month probationary period of a first category A2 or B licence; driving instructors while teaching or at a practical test; accompanying drivers in accompanied driving; drivers under 18; and drivers of emergency vehicles, dangerous-goods vehicles, taxis, hire cars with driver, ambulances, tow trucks, buses, coaches, lorries and semi-trailer tractors, or of any vehicle carrying passengers for payment (Loi du 14 février 1955, art. 12; arrêté grand-ducal du 23 novembre 1955, art. 83). From the limit up to below 0.8 g/l (0.35 mg/l of breath), police may issue a €145 fixed penalty ('avertissement taxé') and 2 points come off the licence; otherwise the case goes to court, which can also ban you from driving for 8 days to 1 year. From 0.8 g/l (0.35 mg/l) up to below 1.2 g/l (0.55 mg/l), the case goes to court, with the same possible ban, and costs 4 points. The court fine for these two bands is not established: art. 12 of the Loi du 14 février 1955 sets €25 to €500, while the Ministry of Justice's table of common road offences gives €25 to €2,000, so check the amount in advance. From 1.2 g/l (0.55 mg/l), drink-driving is a criminal offence: 8 days to 3 years in prison and a fine of €500 to €10,000, or either of the two, a compulsory driving ban of 3 months to 15 years and 6 points; a repeat of a lower-band offence within two years of a final conviction or a paid fixed penalty is punished in the same way (Loi du 14 février 1955, arts. 2bis, 12 and 13; fixed-penalty catalogue, entry 12-01).
• Speed limits: Drive on the right. Unless signs say otherwise, the limits are 50 km/h in built-up areas, 90 km/h outside them and 130 km/h on motorways (110 km/h in rain or other precipitation), 20 km/h in pedestrian, residential and shared zones and 30 km/h on cycle streets. Buses, coaches, vehicles towing a trailer and vehicles over 7,500 kg are limited to 75 km/h outside built-up areas and 90 km/h on motorways (Code de la route: arrêté grand-ducal du 23 novembre 1955, art. 139). The Code is written in French, and only the French text is legally binding.
• Carry the documents traffic officers can ask to see: a valid driving licence, the vehicle's registration certificate and its insurance certificate, plus, where the vehicle is subject to them, a valid roadworthiness-test certificate and, for a vehicle registered in Luxembourg, a valid road-tax certificate. For a vehicle registered abroad, a document need not be shown if the law of the country of registration, or of the country where you normally live, does not require it to be produced. Not showing the licence, the registration certificate or the insurance certificate is a €24 fixed penalty for each (Code de la route: arrêté grand-ducal du 23 novembre 1955, arts. 70 and 173). UK government advice is to carry your passport too, as it is easy to cross into a neighbouring country without realising it.
• Winter tyres are conditional, not calendar-based: the vehicle must have regulation winter tyres whenever you drive in winter conditions (black ice, packed snow, slush, ice, frost). Tyres must be marked 'M.S.', 'M+S', 'M&S' or carry the alpine (three-peak snowflake) symbol.
• A driver whose normal residence is not in Luxembourg is credited with 12 licence points only when a conviction in Luxembourg becomes final, or on paying within 45 days a fixed penalty for an offence that costs points. Losing all 12 points suspends the right to drive for 12 months, or for 24 months if it happens again within 3 years after an earlier suspension ended (Loi du 14 février 1955, art. 2bis).
• Drive on the right; obey posted km/h limits. UK government advice is that the Luxembourg authorities strictly enforce road traffic laws and that you can be fined even for minor violations.

Read more about driving in Luxembourg

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Sources

1. Guichet.lu: 'After having established your normal residence in Luxembourg, you have a maximum of one year in which to convert your foreign driving licence' / 'During that year, you can, however, drive in Luxembourg using your foreign licence.' UK FCDO: 'You can use a UK photocard driving licence to drive in Luxembourg for one year.'
2. European Commission, Your Europe — EU/EEA driving-licence recognition
3. Guichet.lu — International driving licence: issued by ACL, max 3 years, must accompany the national licence
4. Guichet.lu — minimum age 18 for category B
5. UK FCDO Luxembourg travel advice — UK photocard licence for one year, documents to carry, passport, winter tyres, drink-driving
6. UK FCDO Luxembourg — emergency numbers 112 / 113
7. UN Treaty Collection — Vienna Convention on Road Traffic 1968: Luxembourg ratified 25 Nov 1975
8. UN Treaty Collection — Geneva Convention on Road Traffic 1949: Luxembourg ratified 17 Oct 1952
9. SNCA FAQ — a foreign licence can be exchanged or converted only after 185 days' residence in Luxembourg; authenticity certificate; ACL issues the IDP
10. Legilux — Code de la route, consolidated text (published in French; only the French text of the law is legally binding): speed limits, alcohol limits and penalties, vehicle equipment, fixed penalties, licence conversion
11. Transports.lu (Ministry of Mobility and Public Works) — winter tyres: required only when driving in winter conditions
12. Automobile Club du Luxembourg (ACL) — authorized IDP issuer in Luxembourg
13. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
14. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic