International Driving Permit in Maldives

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

Driving in Maldives: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Maldives?

Maldives acceded to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic on 9 January 2023 (UN Treaty Collection XI-B-19, no reservations recorded), so it entered into force for Maldives on about 9 January 2024 under Art. 47(2). Maldives is not a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention. The Land Transport Act (Law No. 16/2026), in force since the end of September 2026, recognises foreign licences, not IDPs: a valid licence issued by a party to the 1968 Convention lets you drive for as long as it remains valid, and a valid licence from a country on the Ministry's list lets you drive for 90 days from the date you arrive (art. 34(a) and (d)). If you hold a long-term Maldivian visa, the first route does not apply to you and you need a Maldivian licence, unless your country is on the list, which still gives you 90 days from arrival (art. 34(b) to (d)). The Act requires no IDP of a visitor, and an IDP does not make valid a licence the Act does not recognise; carry one only as a translation aid. Canada's travel advice states flatly "A local driving permit is required to drive in the Maldives. International driving licences are not permitted." That is right for a Canadian licence: Canada is neither a 1968 Convention party nor on the Ministry's list. UK FCDO advises "You’ll need to have both the correct version of the international driving permit (IDP) and your UK driving licence with you in the car", but a UK licence is valid on its own under both routes, and the UK's own IDP table does not list Maldives. If your licence comes from neither group, the only Maldivian licence open to you is a one-year temporary licence granted after passing the theory and practical tests, and a foreigner must show a work visa card to sit either test, which makes it a residents' route (Regulation 102-R/2021, arts. 6(b), 11(e), 12(h) and 15(f), as amended by Regulation 33-R/2025 and kept in force by art. 134(b) of the 2026 Act). Separately, the Act requires the Ministry to issue 1968-type IDPs to holders of a Maldivian licence (art. 33(a)); that concerns Maldivians driving abroad.

• 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: If your licence was issued by a 1968 Convention party or by one of the 30 countries on the Ministry's list, carry the original national licence plus your passport, the rental agreement, vehicle registration and insurance papers. An IDP is not legally required but is a useful translation aid.

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

What side of the road does Maldives drive on?

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

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

A licence from a 1968 Convention party may be used for as long as it remains valid, unless you hold a long-term Maldivian visa; a licence from a country on the Ministry's list gives 90 days from arrival. These are the two routes of art. 34(a) and (d) of the Land Transport Act (Law No. 16/2026). A long-term visa holder needs a Maldivian licence (art. 34(b) and (c)), but a licence from a listed country still gives 90 days from the date of arrival. A licence from any other country gives no visitor period at all. (Land Transport Act (Law No. 16/2026), art. 34(a) and (d); Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, list of approved countries dated 12 May 2025 (30 countries, 90 days from the date of arrival))

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

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

Maldives 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 9 Jan 2023.

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 Maldives with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Maldives as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. A visitor may drive on a foreign licence in two cases under art. 34 of the Land Transport Act (Law No. 16/2026), in force since the end of September 2026: a valid licence issued by a party to the 1968 Convention on Road Traffic, for as long as it remains valid, or a valid licence from one of the 30 countries on the Ministry's list, for 90 days from the date of arrival. A licence from any other country gives no right to drive, and an IDP does not supply one. Note also that self-drive is marginal here: outside Malé, Hulhumalé and a few larger islands, travel is by boat or seaplane. 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 recognised — the record shows no route to drive here as a visitor on this licence; ask the local authorities about conversion or a temporary permit. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, says what stands in the way.
• 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] Land Transport Act (Law No. 16/2026), art. 34(a): a valid licence issued by a party to the 1968 Convention on Road Traffic, for its period of validity; art. 34(d): a valid licence from a country the Ministry accepts, 90 days from the date of arrival; Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation list of 12 May 2025, 30 countries

[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 Maldives? Maldives's official IDPs are issued by Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation.
• 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 Maldives? Rules for new residents

Holders of a long-term Maldivian visa lose the 1968 Convention route and need a Maldivian licence, though a licence from a country on the Ministry's list still gives them 90 days from arrival (Land Transport Act, Law No. 16/2026, art. 34(b) to (d)). A licence from a listed country is converted only after the Maldivian practical driving test, and the Maldivian licence then runs only for the foreign licence's remaining validity; any other foreign licence leads only to a one-year temporary licence after both the theory and the practical test (Regulation 102-R/2021, art. 15(e) and (f), as amended by Regulation 33-R/2025). A foreigner must show a work visa card to sit either test, so this route is for residents, not tourists. Official source.

Driving rules in Maldives tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Seat belts and motorcycle helmets are expected; carry the rental agreement, registration and insurance papers. Not verified against the consolidated regulation.
• Drink-driving: Treat it as zero. Alcohol is illegal to import and is available only on licensed resort islands; Canada's advice is that travellers should not take any alcohol outside of resorts. No numeric BAC limit for drivers was located in the consolidated law. No verified figure. Alcohol offences in the Maldives carry criminal and immigration consequences for foreigners; drink-driving penalties were not confirmed against the current law.
• Speed limits: Traffic drives on the left (Government of Canada travel advice: "Traffic drives on the left"). Obey posted limits; Malé and Hulhumalé are dense with scooters and speeds are very low. No official numeric urban limit was verified.
• If your licence was issued by a 1968 Convention party or by one of the 30 countries on the Ministry's list, carry the original national licence plus your passport, the rental agreement, vehicle registration and insurance papers. An IDP is not legally required but is a useful translation aid.
• If your licence was issued by neither a 1968 Convention party nor a country on the Ministry's list, it gives you no right to drive, and an IDP does not change that. Canada's official travel advice for Maldives states: "A local driving permit is required to drive in the Maldives. International driving licences are not permitted." Driving on such a licence counts as driving without a licence: a fine of MVR 1,000 for a first offence, and the vehicle can be held for up to 30 days (Land Transport Act, art. 113).
• UK FCDO advises: "You'll need to have both the correct version of the international driving permit (IDP) and your UK driving licence with you in the car" and "You cannot buy an IDP outside the UK, so get one before you travel." Note the UK's own IDP country table does not list Maldives and says "If the country you're visiting is not included in the table, check with the embassy of the country you're travelling to".
• Hire firms are stricter than the law: UK FCDO notes they "often have stricter requirements for their customers, such as a year of driving experience and minimum age 20 or 21".
• Self-drive is a niche activity here. Road driving exists mainly in Malé, Hulhumalé and a handful of larger islands linked by the Sinamalé bridge; most resort transfers and inter-island travel are by speedboat, ferry or seaplane, and many resort islands ban private cars entirely.

Read more about driving in Maldives

• Best Places to Visit in Maldives

Watch what driving in Maldives looks like

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

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. Resident licence conversion rule
3. Superseded — Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation gazette notice (IUL)472/1/2021/74, 4 Oct 2021: 27 approved countries, 90 days, under s.33(c) of the repealed 2009 Land Transport Act
4. Primary — earlier gazette notice (IUL)472/1/2021/67, 19 Sep 2021: 26 approved countries
5. Primary — first gazette notice (IUL)472/1/2021/45, 3 Aug 2021: 25 approved countries
6. Primary — UN Treaty Collection: Maldives acceded to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic on 9 Jan 2023, no reservations
7. Primary — UN Treaty Collection: Maldives is not a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
8. Government of Canada travel advice — 'Traffic drives on the left. A local driving permit is required to drive in the Maldives. International driving licences are not permitted.'
9. UK FCDO Maldives — IDP + licence boilerplate and hire-car age/experience note (conflicts with Canada; UK IDP table omits Maldives)
10. UK IDP country table — does not list Maldives; advises checking with the embassy
11. Emergency numbers: police 119, ambulance 102, fire 118
12. Plus.mv, 15 Apr 2025 — foreign applicants must now pass the same driving assessment as Maldivians for a local licence
13. PSM News — Ministry of Transport IDP training programme; Maldivian IDPs recognised in 1968 Vienna Convention states
14. President's Office, 2 Feb 2021 — decision to seek parliamentary approval to join the 1968 Vienna Conventions on Road Traffic and Road Signs
15. Ministry of Economic Development, Transport and Trade ePortal (transport.gov.mv now redirects to trade.gov.mv)
16. Primary — Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, list of approved countries dated 12 May 2025 (published by the Ministry of Economic Development, Transport & Trade): 30 countries whose licences may be used for 90 days from the date of arrival
17. Primary — Regulation No. 102-R/2021 on issuing driving licences, in force under art. 134(b) of the Land Transport Act until replaced: the temporary licence, the tests and the work visa card required to sit them
18. Primary — Regulation No. 33-R/2025, in force 13 Apr 2025: a listed-country licence is converted only after the practical test and for its remaining validity; any other foreign licence leads only to a temporary licence after both tests
19. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
20. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic