International Driving Permit in Turkey

🗓 Facts checked against Turkey's road-traffic law and official sources. Research last updated: 28 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 Turkey: key facts
• Do you need an International Driving Permit in Turkey?
• What side of the road does Turkey drive on?
• How long can you drive in Turkey with a foreign licence?
• Is Turkey a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?
• Why acceptance of your licence varies from place to place
• Can you drive in Turkey with your country's licence?
• Where to get an International Driving Permit
• Moving to Turkey? Rules for new residents
• Driving rules in Turkey tourists get fined for
• Read more about driving in Turkey
• Sources

Driving in Turkey: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Turkey?

No IDP (and no translation) is required by Turkish law for a foreign visitor during the first 6 months: KTY Art 88(1)(b) grants the right to drive on any foreign state-issued licence ('dış ülkelerden alınan sürücü belgeleri') from the date of entry, with no convention-membership gate and no accompanying-document condition — the recognition scope is effectively any foreign state licence, treaties reserved ('İlgili kanunlar ile ikili ve çok taraflı anlaşma hükümleri saklı kalmak üzere'). An IDP is an independently valid basis to drive: KTK Art 36 allows driving by persons 'holding a licence under multilateral agreements or a valid international driving permit' ('çok taraflı anlaşmalara göre sürücü belgesi bulunan veya geçerli uluslararası sürücü belgesi olan kişilerce sürülebilir'), and Turkey is party to both conventions (UNTC: 1949 Geneva accession 17 Jan 1956; 1968 Vienna accession 22 Jan 2013), so both IDP types are accepted with the national licence. Nuance: UK FCDO states 'The 1949 IDP is not accepted any more' — consistent with Vienna Art 48 superseding Geneva between mutual 1968 parties; a 1949 IDP remains relevant only for holders from 1949-only states. The certified-Turkish-translation carry duty in the current Art 88 text (as amended 5/6/2020) attaches only to Turkish citizens staying >6 months, not to foreign visitors.

• 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: UK FCDO is stricter than the Turkish regulation's text: 'You need a 1968 international driving permit (IDP) or a UK driving licence notarised in Turkish to drive in Turkey. The 1949 IDP is not accepted any more.' (both sentences verbatim). Carrying a 1968 IDP (or notarised translation) avoids roadside and rental-desk friction even though KTY Art 88 imposes no such condition inside the 6-month window.

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

What side of the road does Turkey drive on?

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

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

Maximum 6 months from the date of entry into Turkey (foreigners driving on a foreign licence). This is an entry clock, not a residence clock — the clause runs 'ülkemize giriş yapıldığı tarihten itibaren' (from the date of entry into the country). After the 6 months the foreign licence is no longer valid for driving in Turkey — exchange for a Turkish licence is mandatory. (Turkish citizens returning with foreign licences get 2 years from entry.) (Karayolları Trafik Yönetmeliği Art 88(1)(b), as amended RG-5/6/2020-31146; statutory basis KTK Art 39 last para (which sanctions use 'contrary to the period and conditions set in the regulation'); consolidated mevzuat.gov.tr text)

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

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

Turkey 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 Turkey accepts from visitors is shown in the table above.

• 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic: accession on 17 Jan 1956.
• 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic: accession on 22 Jan 2013.

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 Turkey with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Turkey as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. Turkey lets a foreign visitor drive on any foreign state-issued licence for up to 6 months from the date of entry — the recognition norm (Karayolları Trafik Yönetmeliği, Art 88) has no convention-membership gate, and no IDP or translation is required by the regulation during that window. Turkey is party to both the 1949 Geneva and 1968 Vienna conventions, so either IDP type is also valid alongside the licence, and carrying one is strongly advised in practice (UK guidance even calls a 1968 IDP or notarised Turkish translation a requirement). After 6 months the foreign licence is no longer valid: it must be exchanged for a Turkish licence (a documentary conversion via any civil registry office — the published requirement list contains no exam). Driving outside the permitted period or conditions costs 4,712 TL per stop (2026). 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.
• 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] Karayolları Trafik Yönetmeliği Art 88(1)(b)

[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 Turkey? Turkey's official IDPs are issued by Turkish Touring and Automobile Club (TTOK) — 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 Turkey? Rules for new residents

A foreigner who stays past 6 months from entry may no longer drive on the foreign licence and must exchange it for a Turkish one. Exchange is filed at any civil registry office (nüfus müdürlüğü) — KTY Art 88 says application may be made to any nüfus müdürlüğü and required documents are determined by the Nüfus ve Vatandaşlık İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü (both clauses). Per NVİ's official FAQ the exchange (tebdil) is a documentary conversion — the published requirement list contains no exam item (though the FAQ nowhere states 'without exam' in so many words): original foreign licence + colour copy, notarised or consular-certified Turkish translation, identity document, driver health report, biometric photo (last 6 months), blood-type document or written declaration, education document (with notarised translation if foreign-issued), criminal-record check (pulled electronically), fees. The exchanged foreign licence is not kept by the holder: 'Ülkemiz sürücü belgesi ile değiştirilen dış ülkelerden alınmış sürücü belgesi Karayolları Trafik Yönetmeliğinin 88. Maddesi uygulama talimatına göre ilgili ülkeye gönderilir' — sent back to the issuing country (on the FAQ). Official source.

Driving rules in Turkey tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: KTY Art 64 + 1 Sayılı Cetvel (equipment annex, as amended RG-21/3/2012-28240): fire extinguisher for cars/minibuses/vans ≥1 kg dry powder total, at least one unit, TS 862 EN3-compliant or CE-approved, kept 'ready for use' ('kullanılmaya hazır bir durumda'); two reflective warning devices ('Reflektör ... ECE R 27 Regülasyonuna uygun iki adet yansıtıcı'); tool/spares kit incl. jack, wheel-bolt wrench, spare bulbs, pliers, screwdriver, portable lamp/torch, a pair of snow chains for snowy/icy days ('bir çift patinaj zinciri') and a tow rope ('çekme halatı'); spare wheel or temporary-use tyre / self-repairing-run-flat alternative (M1/N1 'Stepne' row). No first-aid-kit line for private cars appears in the current consolidated annex (confirmed by search of the annex text).
• Drink-driving: 0.50 promille (g/l) for private-car drivers; for all other drivers the applied floor is 0.21 promille ('Hususi otomobil dışındaki araçları alkollü olarak kullanan sürücüler bakımından promil alt sınırı 0.21 olarak uygulanır'), with 0.20 as the nominal limit in the criminal-referral clause — KTK Art 48; above 1.00 promille the criminal code applies in addition (TCK Art 179/3). All figures are in the consolidated KTK. KTK Art 48 (fine amounts as amended by Law 7574, 12/2/2026): 1st offence 25,000 TL + licence withdrawn 6 months; 2nd within 5 years 50,000 TL + 2 years; 3rd or more 150,000 TL + 5 years each — the administrative fine and the six-month withdrawal apply even where the act is also a criminal offence (verbatim: 'fiili bir suç oluştursa bile, 25.000 Türk lirası idari para cezası verilir ve sürücü belgesi altı ay süreyle geri alınır'). Drug-driving: 150,000 TL + licence cancelled (Art 48 eighth para, amended 12/2/2026-7574/12 — verbatim: '150.000 Türk lirası idari para cezası uygulanır ve sürücü belgesi iptal edilir').
• Speed limits: Cars (M1): 50 km/h urban / 90 two-way intercity / 110 divided roads / 120 motorways (KTK Art 50 caps + KTY Art 100 table — table row 'Otomobil (M1) ... 50 90 110 120' verified; Interior Ministry may raise car limits by up to 20 km/h where signed — KTK Art 50 verbatim; motorway minimum 40 km/h, intercity minimum 15 km/h — KTY verified). Speeding fines rewritten by Law 7574 (12/2/2026-7574/14), banded by excess — urban: 2,000 TL for 6–10 km/h over rising through 9 bands to 30,000 TL for 66+ km/h over (46–55 km/h over = 20,000 TL); outside built-up areas the bands start at 11–15 km/h over = 2,000 TL (KTK Art 51).
• UK FCDO is stricter than the Turkish regulation's text: 'You need a 1968 international driving permit (IDP) or a UK driving licence notarised in Turkish to drive in Turkey. The 1949 IDP is not accepted any more.' (both sentences verbatim). Carrying a 1968 IDP (or notarised translation) avoids roadside and rental-desk friction even though KTY Art 88 imposes no such condition inside the 6-month window.
• Rental desks typically require age 21+ (higher for larger cars) and a licence held 1–2 years, with young-driver surcharges; an IDP is frequently demanded when the licence is not in Latin script (unverifiable against any official source — commercial practice only).
• Bringing your own vehicle: carry a Green Card (third-party insurance) at the border ('a green card to show you have third party insurance' — FCDO verbatim); Turkish customs limits apply to temporarily imported vehicles.
• Official pages lag the law: the MFA's public page still describes the pre-2020 rule — it still reads 'en fazla 1 yıl süreyle araç kullanılabilir' for returning Turkish citizens although the regulation was amended to 2 years on 5/6/2020 — always check the consolidated mevzuat.gov.tr text.

Read more about driving in Turkey

• Driving in Turkey: A Comprehensive Guide for Travelers
• 10 Interesting Facts About Turkey
• Exploring Innovation and Heritage: A Glimpse into Turkey’s Thriving Automotive Scene
• Best places to visit in Turkey
• Renting a Car in Turkey: Guide for 2026
• What is Turkey Famous For?

Watch what driving in Turkey looks like

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

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. Karayolları Trafik Yönetmeliği Art 88(1)(b), as amended RG-5/6/2020-31146; statutory basis KTK Art 39 last para (which sanctions use 'contrary to the period and conditions set in the regulation'); consolidated mevzuat.gov.tr text
3. Resident licence conversion rule
4. EGM 2026 Traffic Administrative Penalty Guide (code 39/4 = 4,712 TL / 3,534 TL discounted) — trafik.gov.tr
5. MFA guidance for citizens abroad (still reflects the pre-2020 '1 yıl' wording)
6. UK FCDO Turkey travel advice — driving section (1968 IDP or notarised translation; '1949 IDP is not accepted any more')
7. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, status (Türkiye accession 22 Jan 2013)
8. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, status (Türkiye accession 17 Jan 1956)
9. Turkish Touring and Automobile Club (TTOK) — authorized IDP issuer in Turkey
10. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic