International Driving Permit in Singapore

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

Driving in Singapore: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Singapore?

In practice yes, for every non-ASEAN driver — but as police guidance, not as a statutory duty. No Singapore statute requires a visitor to carry one: the Road Traffic Act asks only for a valid foreign driving licence, and the Road Traffic (International Circulation) Rules merely make it lawful for a person "resident abroad and intending to make only a temporary stay in Singapore" to drive here on an international driving permit or on a permit issued under the law of a country which is a party to the 1949 Convention. The requirement is the Singapore Police Force’s own, published for a foreigner residing in Singapore for less than 12 months, who must "Possess a foreign driving licence and International Driving Permit (IDP) issued by an authorised body from your country of origin; or Possess an official translation of your foreign driving licence in English if an IDP is not available." The Traffic Police publish no separate rule for short-stay visitors, so carry the IDP. Note the published rule contains no "only if your licence is not in English" carve-out, so even holders of English-language licences (UK, US, Australia, Ireland) should carry an IDP. The IDP must be the 1949 Geneva Convention form: the Road Traffic (International Circulation) Rules define "international driving permit" as "a driving permit in the form prescribed in the 1949 Convention issued by the competent authority in Singapore or the competent authority of a country which is a party to the Convention". Licences from the other ASEAN member states are exempt from the IDP requirement.

• 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 foreign licence, the 1949-Convention IDP (or official English translation if no IDP is available), your passport with the entry stamp or pass evidence, the rental agreement and insurance papers. The entry stamp matters because the 12-month clock runs from your last entry.

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

What side of the road does Singapore drive on?

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

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

Up to 12 months starting from the date of the holder's last entry into Singapore, provided the foreign licence remains valid and the holder is not a Singapore citizen, permanent resident or work pass driver. (Road Traffic Act 1961 (Singapore), s.38(1) "Recognition of foreign driving licences and driving permits", current version as at 30 Jul 2026)

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

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

Singapore 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: succession on 29 Nov 1972.

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 Singapore with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Singapore as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. Singapore recognises a valid foreign licence for 12 months from your last entry into the country, but the Traffic Police require a 1949-Convention International Driving Permit alongside it, or an official English translation where no IDP is available. Licences from the other ASEAN member states are the one exception and need no IDP. The statutory clock runs from the entry stamp, but the Traffic Police set the licence-conversion requirement by length of residence, and no Singapore source says a border trip restarts it. 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 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] Singapore Police Force foreign-licence guidance; Road Traffic (International Circulation) Rules (R 7), rule 2(1) definition of "ASEAN member country"

[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.

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 Singapore? Singapore's official IDPs are issued by Automobile Association of Singapore (AAS) — 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 Singapore? Rules for new residents

The 12-month visitor clock is not available to Singapore citizens, permanent residents, or work pass drivers (holders of an Employment of Foreign Manpower Act work pass who drive passengers or goods for hire, reward, or under a contract of employment). Foreigners residing in Singapore for more than 12 months also need a Singapore driving licence. Official source.

Driving rules in Singapore tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Seat belts are compulsory. Children below 135 cm in height must use an approved child restraint, booster seat or adjustable seat belt. Motorcycle helmets are mandatory. Confirm what emergency equipment and insurance the rental car carries.
• Drink-driving: The prescribed limit is 35 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, or 80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood (Road Traffic Act 1961 s.72(1)). Enforcement is aggressive and roadside breath testing is routine. First conviction under s.67: a fine of not less than $2,000 and not more than $10,000, or imprisonment up to 12 months, or both, plus disqualification from holding or obtaining a driving licence for at least 2 years. Second or subsequent conviction: a fine of not less than $5,000 and not more than $20,000 and imprisonment up to 2 years, plus disqualification for at least 5 years. Three or more convictions can mean lifetime disqualification. A police officer may arrest without warrant.
• Speed limits: Generally 50 km/h on ordinary roads unless signed otherwise, and commonly 70-90 km/h on expressways. Signs and variable message controls govern. Speed-camera enforcement is dense.
• Carry the original foreign licence, the 1949-Convention IDP (or official English translation if no IDP is available), your passport with the entry stamp or pass evidence, the rental agreement and insurance papers. The entry stamp matters because the 12-month clock runs from your last entry.
• Traffic keeps left. The general urban limit is 50 km/h unless a sign says otherwise, and expressways are typically 70-90 km/h. Posted and variable signs always control.
• Electronic Road Pricing, bus-lane, parking and camera enforcement are extensive and largely automated. Confirm in writing how the rental company bills ERP charges, tolls and administrative fees, and how it handles fines issued after you leave.
• Driving into or out of Malaysia on a rental car is usually restricted or prohibited by the rental contract, and a trip across the Causeway does not reliably reset the 12-month s.38 clock in the way travellers assume. Check the contract and do not treat a border run as a licence-validity reset.

Read more about driving in Singapore

• Road taxes in different countries
• 10 Interesting Facts About Singapore
• Best Places to Visit in Singapore

Watch what driving in Singapore looks like

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

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. Road Traffic Act 1961 (Singapore), s.38(1) "Recognition of foreign driving licences and driving permits", current version as at 30 Jul 2026
3. Resident licence conversion rule
4. Road Traffic Act 1961 s.2 - definition of "foreign driving licence" (treaty-recognition condition).
5. Road Traffic Act 1961 s.67 - drink-driving penalties and mandatory disqualification.
6. Road Traffic Act 1961 s.72(1) - current "prescribed limit" (35 µg/100 ml breath; 80 mg/100 ml blood).
7. Road Traffic (International Circulation) Rules (R 7) - definitions of "international driving permit" (1949 Convention form) and "ASEAN member country" (nine states).
8. Automobile Association of Singapore (AAS) — authorized IDP issuer in Singapore
9. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
10. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic