International Driving Permit in South Africa

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

Driving in South Africa: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in South Africa?

An IDP is not legally required to drive in South Africa: a valid foreign licence is recognised in its own right provided it is in an official language of South Africa, such as English or Afrikaans, or has attached to it a translation into such a language or a certificate of its authenticity or validity in such a language from a competent authority, and it contains or has attached to it the holder's photograph and signature. South Africa is a contracting party to both road-traffic conventions - the 1949 Geneva Convention (accession 9 Jul 1952) and the 1968 Vienna Convention (accession 1 Nov 1977) - so an IDP of either type is valid here; the type you carry is decided by your own issuing country's convention status, not by South Africa. Carry an IDP if your licence is not in an official language of South Africa, is a paper licence with no photograph, or is hard to read; Canadian government guidance also warns that without an IDP it can be difficult to obtain car insurance for a rental car or for a car you buy.

• 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: Carry the original licence (photocard or paper) plus a 1949/1968 IDP where the licence is not in an official language of South Africa or has no photograph, a passport copy with the entry or residence page, rental or ownership papers and insurance documents. For UK paper-licence holders, the UK's IDP table says to take another form of photographic ID, such as a passport, while UK travel advice for South Africa says to get the 1968 IDP before travelling or update to a photocard licence.

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

What side of the road does South Africa drive on?

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

How long can you drive in South Africa with a foreign licence?

South African regulations name no visitor period: a foreign licence that meets the language and photograph conditions is valid for the period for which it was issued, if issued while you lived outside South Africa. This is regulation 110(1) of the National Road Traffic Regulations, which counts you as living outside South Africa if you had been outside the country for an uninterrupted period of more than three months. UK government guidance states that a UK photocard licence can be used 'to drive in South Africa' for up to 12 months. Once you are granted permanent residence, a foreign licence stays valid for at most five years from that grant. Paper licences, licences with no photograph and licences not in an official language of South Africa should be backed by a 1949 or 1968 IDP. (UK FCDO South Africa travel advice, 'Safety and security': 'You can use a UK photocard driving licence to drive in South Africa' for up to 12 months)

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

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

South Africa 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 South Africa accepts from visitors is shown in the table above.

• 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic: accession on 9 Jul 1952.
• 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic: accession on 1 Nov 1977.

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 South Africa with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to South Africa as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. South Africa recognises a valid driving licence from any country. The condition is on the document, not on your nationality: the licence must be in an official language of South Africa, such as English or Afrikaans, or have attached to it a translation into such a language or a certificate of its authenticity or validity in such a language, and it must contain or have attached to it your photograph and signature. A licence in any other language, whatever its alphabet, needs that translation or certificate attached, or an IDP. The National Road Traffic Regulations do not say whether a licence printed only partly in an official language of South Africa, for example with an English title or headings beside another language, meets the condition: if yours is one, check with the authorities before you travel, or attach a translation or carry an IDP. There is no local-permit requirement and no treaty or approved-country gate. South Africa is a party to both the 1949 Geneva and the 1968 Vienna conventions, so an International Driving Permit of either type is valid here - carry one if your licence is not in an official language of South Africa, has no photograph, or is a paper licence. Visitors drive on their home licence; once you are granted permanent residence, it stays valid for at most five years from that grant, and you must exchange it for a South African licence within that time to keep driving. 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.
• IDP or translation — your national licence needs a supporting document alongside it. Which ones the destination accepts, and whether an official IDP can be issued for your licence at all, are in the row for your country of issue, in the table below.
• 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] National Road Traffic Act 93 of 1996, section 23(1), and National Road Traffic Regulations, regulation 110(1): any valid licence issued in another country, in an official language of South Africa or with a certificate of authenticity or validity or a translation in such a language attached, and bearing or with attached the holder's photograph and signature; no treaty gate and no approved-country list. Corroborated by Canadian government advice that a valid Canadian (non-Vienna-party) licence may be used.

[2] South African foreign-licence recognition rule under the National Road Traffic Act framework

[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 South Africa? South Africa's official IDPs are issued by Automobile Association of South Africa (AA South Africa) — 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 South Africa? Rules for new residents

Once you are granted permanent residence, your foreign licence or IDP stays valid for at most five years from that date, and only while it is still valid in the country that issued it. Within those five years, and while it is still valid, you may exchange it for a South African licence (National Road Traffic Regulations, regulation 110(3) and (5)); the Department of Transport says you must convert within five years of receiving your permanent residence permit. UK travel advice tells UK licence holders to exchange within 12 months, but the South African regulation allows five years. This is a residence clock and is separate from the visitor rule. Official source.

Driving rules in South Africa tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Seat belts and child-restraint rules apply. Carry a warning triangle and the complete vehicle, licence and insurance documents; save the rental company's roadside-assistance number.
• Drink-driving: 0.05 g/100 ml of blood for ordinary drivers; 0.02 g/100 ml for professional drivers (National Road Traffic Act, section 65(2)). Professional drivers are those who must hold a professional driving permit: drivers of goods vehicles over 3,500 kg, breakdown vehicles, buses, minibuses over 3,500 kg or built for 12 or more people including the driver, vehicles carrying people for reward or run under an operating licence, dangerous-goods vehicles over 3,500 kg and any vehicle carrying 12 or more people including the driver (National Road Traffic Regulations, regulation 115(1)). Arrest, criminal prosecution, a court-set fine or imprisonment and licence suspension are all possible. The National Road Traffic Act sets a fine or imprisonment for up to six years and names no fine amount (section 89(2)). A conviction also suspends your licence for at least six months for a first offence, five years for a second and ten years for a third or later one, unless the court, on evidence under oath, finds that the circumstances of the offence do not justify it and orders no suspension or a shorter one (section 35).
• Speed limits: 60 km/h in urban areas, 100 km/h outside urban areas and 120 km/h on freeways, unless signs set a different limit (National Road Traffic Regulations, regulation 292). A limit of 80 km/h applies to goods vehicles over 9,000 kg, to goods-vehicle combinations and articulated vehicles over 9,000 kg, and to breakdown vehicles that are towing (regulation 293).
• Carry the original licence (photocard or paper) plus a 1949/1968 IDP where the licence is not in an official language of South Africa or has no photograph, a passport copy with the entry or residence page, rental or ownership papers and insurance documents. For UK paper-licence holders, the UK's IDP table says to take another form of photographic ID, such as a passport, while UK travel advice for South Africa says to get the 1968 IDP before travelling or update to a photocard licence.
• Vehicle crime is a real risk. UK guidance advises keeping the fuel tank above half full, avoiding unfamiliar areas, being extra vigilant at night, keeping windows closed and doors locked, and warns that criminals use jamming technology to block a car's central locking; if carjacked, stay calm and surrender the vehicle and valuables.
• Fatal road crashes are common and frequently involve pedestrians. Drive defensively, avoid driving after dark where possible, and verify routes in advance with a trusted local source such as your hotel or the local police.

Read more about driving in South Africa

• 10 Interesting Facts About South Africa
• Best Places to Visit in South Africa

Watch what driving in South Africa looks like

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

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Sources

1. UK FCDO South Africa travel advice, 'Safety and security': 'You can use a UK photocard driving licence to drive in South Africa' for up to 12 months
2. Resident licence conversion rule
3. UN Treaty Collection - 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic: South Africa, accession 1 Nov 1977
4. UN Treaty Collection - 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic: South Africa, signature 19 Sep 1949, accession 9 Jul 1952
5. UK IDP table - lists '1968' for South Africa; this is the IDP type the UK issues for the UK-South Africa pair, not the full set South Africa accepts
6. Government of Canada travel advice - confirms a valid foreign (Canadian) licence may be used in South Africa, IDP strongly recommended and needed in practice for insurance
7. UK FCDO South Africa health page - 'Dial 112 (from a mobile) or 10177 and ask for an ambulance'
8. National Road Traffic Act 93 of 1996, English text as signed (gov.za) - section 23 (foreign licences and IDPs), section 35 (minimum licence suspensions), section 65 (alcohol limits) and section 89 (penalties)
9. National Road Traffic Regulations, 2000 (KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport compilation, amended to 2012) - regulation 110(1) to (3) (foreign licences: language, photograph, validity), regulation 115 (professional driving permits) and regulations 292 and 293 (speed limits)
10. Government Notice R. 890 of 19 November 2013 - regulation 110(5) of the National Road Traffic Regulations: a foreign licence or IDP may be exchanged within 5 years of permanent residence
11. City of Cape Town - Contact us: report emergencies to 107 from a landline or 021 480 7700 from a cellphone
12. Automobile Association of South Africa (AA South Africa) — authorized IDP issuer in South Africa
13. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
14. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic