International Driving Permit in Maldives

🗓 Facts checked against Maldives'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 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 Ministry of Transport now issues 1968-type IDPs to Maldivians (PSM News). But the domestic recognition norm for incoming drivers is country-based, not IDP-based: under s.33(c) of the Land Transport Act (4th amendment) the Ministry accepts a valid national licence from an approved country for 90 days — the gazette notices name countries, not IDPs. Canada's travel advice states flatly "A local driving permit is required to drive in the Maldives. International driving licences are not permitted." UK FCDO says the opposite ("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"), yet the UK's own IDP table does not list Maldives at all — that FCDO sentence is generic boilerplate. Net: an IDP is not a legal requirement for approved-country licence holders and is not a verified stand-alone route for anyone else. Carry one as a translation aid. And if your country is not on the approved list, do not assume there is a Maldivian document you can obtain instead: the Ministry’s own list of driving-licence services contains no visitor or temporary permit, and its one route for a foreigner — conversion of a foreign licence — requires a work permit, which makes it a residents’ route. Check with the Ministry, or your rental firm, before you count on driving at all.

• 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 country is on the 27-country approved 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?

90 days. Under s.33(c) of the Land Transport Act (4th amendment) the Ministry accepts a valid driving licence issued by an approved country for a period of 90 days without the holder obtaining a Maldivian licence. Beyond 90 days a Maldivian licence is required. Whether the 90 days runs from date of arrival or from first use was not confirmed in the gazette text. (Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation gazette notices, 3 Aug 2021 (IUL)472/1/2021/45, 19 Sep 2021 (IUL)472/1/2021/67 and 4 Oct 2021)

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. The Maldives runs a closed approved-country list, not a convention rule. If your licence was issued by one of 27 Ministry-approved countries you may drive on it for 90 days; if not, expect to need a Maldivian permit — an IDP alone is not a verified substitute. 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: 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.
• 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.
• IDP required — the destination requires an IDP in addition to your national licence. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, says which IDP to carry and what else to carry with it.
• 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] Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation gazette notice of 4 October 2021 under s.33(c) Land Transport Act (4th amendment) — 27 approved countries, 90 days

[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

[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

Two different clocks. Visitors: 90 days on an approved-country national licence. Anyone staying longer, and any foreign resident/worker, must hold a Maldivian licence issued by the Ministry (Transport Division) — a work permit is part of the application file, so this route is aimed at 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 "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 country is on the 27-country approved 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 country is not on the approved list, do not assume an IDP will do. 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." Check with the Ministry (or your rental firm) before you count on driving.
• 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. Primary — earlier gazette notice (IUL)472/1/2021/67, 19 Sep 2021: 26 approved countries
4. Primary — first gazette notice (IUL)472/1/2021/45, 3 Aug 2021: 25 approved countries
5. Primary — UN Treaty Collection: Maldives acceded to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic on 9 Jan 2023, no reservations
6. Primary — UN Treaty Collection: Maldives is not a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
7. 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.'
8. UK FCDO Maldives — IDP + licence boilerplate and hire-car age/experience note (conflicts with Canada; UK IDP table omits Maldives)
9. UK IDP country table — does not list Maldives; advises checking with the embassy
10. Emergency numbers: police 119, ambulance 102, fire 118
11. Plus.mv, 15 Apr 2025 — foreign applicants must now pass the same driving assessment as Maldivians for a local licence
12. PSM News — Ministry of Transport IDP training programme; Maldivian IDPs recognised in 1968 Vienna Convention states
13. President's Office, 2 Feb 2021 — decision to seek parliamentary approval to join the 1968 Vienna Conventions on Road Traffic and Road Signs
14. Ministry of Economic Development, Transport and Trade ePortal (transport.gov.mv now redirects to trade.gov.mv)
15. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
16. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic