International Driving Permit in Macau

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

Driving in Macau: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Macau?

An IDP is not a universal legal requirement in Macao. Article 80(1) of Law 3/2007 lists several documents that independently entitle a person to drive: (1) international driving permits Macao is bound to recognise by convention or treaty; (2) a foreign national driving licence to which international conventions confer validity identical to such an international permit (verbatim: 'Licenca de conducao estrangeira a que convencoes internacionais confiram validade identica a das licencas internacionais de conducao'); (3) a licence issued by a country or region granting reciprocity to Macao-issued licences; (4) a mainland China licence or a licence from a non-reciprocity jurisdiction, where the holder passes a special examination ordered by the Chief Executive; plus diplomatic, special and learner licences. The Macao SAR service portal states eligibility verbatim as holders of 'a mainland China driving licence, or an international driving permit issued by a Contracting State of the Convention on Road Traffic that is usable in Macao, or a foreign driving licence of equivalent effect' (持有中國內地駕駛證或《道路交通公約》締約國發出的、可於本澳使用的國際駕駛執照或等同效力的外國駕駛執照持有人). Because Macao publishes no list of which foreign national licences qualify as 'equivalent effect' — the portal defers to the Transport Bureau (DSAT) — carrying a 1949 IDP together with the domestic licence remains the reliable practical route, and the UK FCDO advises UK licence holders to do so. Note: the previous version of this dossier asserted an absolute 'UK licence must be accompanied by a 1949 IDP' legal requirement; that is UK-specific advisory travel guidance, not the Macao recognition norm.

• 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 domestic licence together with the original valid 1949 IDP where you are relying on one, plus passport, rental and insurance documents. Because Macao does not publish which foreign national licences count as 'equivalent effect', the IDP is the low-risk route for most origins.

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

What side of the road does Macau drive on?

Macau drives on the left-hand side of the road, and overtaking is done on the right. Drives on the left unlike mainland China.

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

No local registration is required for the first 14 days (verbatim: 14日內則無須登記). A person intending to keep driving in Macao after more than 14 days of stay — and within the authorised immigration stay (verbatim: 擬於留澳超過14日後（須符合逗留期限）繼續於本澳駕駛者) — must register with the Public Security Police. The outer limit for driving on an article 80(1)(i)-(iii) foreign document is one year. (Macao SAR Government service portal PS-1488 (Public Security Police Force), verbatim Chinese text; Law 3/2007 article 80(2)-(4). Article 80(3) allows reciprocity to dispense with this registration, but the jurisdictions benefiting are not published.)

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

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

Macau 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: 1949 continued application to Macau SAR.

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 Macau with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Macau as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. Macao recognises foreign drivers through article 80 of its Road Traffic Law, which accepts side by side a 1949 international driving permit, a foreign national licence to which an international convention gives equivalent effect, and a licence from a jurisdiction with reciprocity toward Macao; drivers from non-convention, non-reciprocity jurisdictions face a special examination instead. Traffic drives on the left. No registration is needed for the first 14 days, after which registration with the Public Security Police is mandatory to keep driving (MOP 300 fine if skipped), and the foreign-document route ends absolutely at one year (MOP 1,500 fine beyond it). Because Macao does not publish which foreign national licences qualify, carrying a 1949 IDP with your domestic licence is the reliable route. 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.
• 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 Macau? Macau's official IDPs are issued by Transport Bureau (DSAT), Macao SAR Government — 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 Macau? Rules for new residents

A Macao resident should obtain a Macao driving licence rather than rely on the time-limited foreign-document route, which is capped at one year. This is a separate clock from the visitor 14-day/one-year regime. Official source.

Driving rules in Macau tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Carry the original domestic driving licence, the original 1949 IDP where relied on, passport/travel document, the Public Security Police registration slip once past day 14, and rental and insurance papers; use seat belts. Traffic drives on the left.
• Drink-driving: Not verified on 29 July 2026. Macao applies the drink-driving thresholds and penalties of its own Road Traffic Law (Law 3/2007); treat any specific figure as unconfirmed and do not drink and drive. Not verified on 29 July 2026. Macao Road Traffic Law drink-driving offences can carry fines, driving bans and, above the criminal threshold, criminal liability; rental and insurance consequences also apply.
• Speed limits: Not verified on 29 July 2026. Obey posted limits, tunnel and bridge controls and temporary traffic directions; specific numeric limits were not confirmed against a primary source.
• Carry the original domestic licence together with the original valid 1949 IDP where you are relying on one, plus passport, rental and insurance documents. Because Macao does not publish which foreign national licences count as 'equivalent effect', the IDP is the low-risk route for most origins.
• If the stay will exceed 14 days and driving will continue, complete the Public Security Police registration before the unregistered period expires and carry the registration slip. Failure to register is fined MOP 300.
• Drive on the left. Expect dense scooter, bus and pedestrian traffic on a very small, congested road network; rental supply and parking are limited and most visitors use taxis, buses or hotel shuttles instead of driving.
• A mainland China licence is treated by a distinct channel: it is named separately in the PS-1488 eligibility line, while article 80(1)(4) subjects non-reciprocity licences to a special examination. Mainland drivers should confirm their exact position with the Public Security Police before driving.

Read more about driving in Macau

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. Resident licence conversion rule
3. Primary: Law 3/2007 (Lei do Transito Rodoviario), article 80 'Outros documentos que habilitam a conduzir' — official gazette, Portuguese. Added in verification; the previous dossier cited article 80 without ever linking the law.
4. Primary: Law 3/2007 (道路交通法) — official gazette, Chinese version
5. Macao SAR service PS-1488, English — 'Registration of Driving Licences Issued by HKSAR or Those Listed in Article 80 of the Road Traffic Law' (last modified 2026-05-15); body content loads dynamically, use the Chinese version for text
6. UK FCDO Macao travel advice — secondary/advisory: 'You can drive in Macao with a Hong Kong, Chinese or Portuguese driving licence'; 'If you are using a UK driving licence, you need a 1949 international driving permit (IDP) as well'
7. UK FCDO Macao — emergency number: 'Telephone: 999 (ambulance, fire, police)'
8. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic status; Macao covered by territorial application (Portugal 24 Sept 1999; China notified continued application to the Macao SAR). Confirms 1949-only, no 1968.
9. Transport Bureau (DSAT), Macao SAR Government — authorized IDP issuer in Macau
10. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
11. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic