International Driving Permit in Uruguay

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

Driving in Uruguay: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Uruguay?

Per the UN depositary, Uruguay acceded to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic on 8 April 1981 and does not appear among the parties to the 1949 Geneva Convention; the 1968 Convention obliges its parties to recognise valid domestic licences and 1968-model IDPs issued by another party, on the conditions of its art. 41(1). No Uruguayan law or regulation found obliges a visitor to carry an IDP or names one: Ley 18.191 art. 26 says only that every driver of a motor vehicle must hold a driving licence issued by the competent traffic authority in each department ('Todo conductor de un vehículo automotor debe ser titular de una licencia habilitante que le será expedida por la autoridad de tránsito competente en cada departamento') and that the holder must carry it and show it on demand; the law contains no article at all on foreign licences. The 1984 national traffic regulation says that valid foreign licences may be recognised for one year from the holder's last entry into Uruguay, without prejudice to the conventions Uruguay has joined (Decreto 118/984, art. 3.11). Neither text says which governs a visitor, so whether a visitor may drive on a foreign licence, with or without an IDP, is not established: check with the departmental traffic authority before you travel.

• Tourists and short-term visitors: Uruguay's traffic law requires a licence issued by a departmental traffic authority (Ley 18.191, art. 26); a 1984 regulation says valid foreign licences may be recognised for one year from last entry. Neither says which governs visitors. Check with the authorities before you travel; the answer below says what is known.
• Car renters: Carry the original home licence at all times, with your passport showing the entry stamp, the vehicle registration, and the rental and insurance papers. Ley 18.191 art. 26 requires the holder of a licence issued by a departmental traffic authority to carry it and show it on demand; no Uruguayan text found says whether a licence not in Spanish needs an IDP or a translation. UK government advice is that hire car companies often have stricter requirements, such as 2 years of driving experience and holding an IDP.

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

What side of the road does Uruguay drive on?

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

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

How long a visitor may drive is not established: a 1984 regulation says foreign licences may be recognised for one year from the last entry (Decreto 118/984, art. 3.11), but Ley 18.191 requires a departmental licence. Ley 18.191 (2007) says every driver of a motor vehicle must hold a licence issued by the competent traffic authority in each department (art. 26), has no article on foreign licences and does not refer to the regulation; check with the departmental traffic authority before you travel. A tourist may stay 90 days, renewable for a further 90 days (Decreto 394/009, art. 13). UK government advice is: 'You can use a UK photocard driving licence to drive in Uruguay for the first 90 days after you arrive' and 'After 90 days, you must get a Uruguayan driving licence'; Canadian government advice is: 'You may drive in Uruguay with your valid Canadian driver's licence for up to 6 months.' Practical catch: a Uruguayan licence is obtained by converting the foreign one (homologación or revalida) at an intendencia, whose counter requires a Uruguayan cédula de identidad or Uruguayan passport - it is a residents' route, not something a tourist can complete. (UK FCDO Uruguay travel advice (90 days) and Government of Canada travel advice (6 months); Decreto 118/984, art. 3.11 (foreign licences, one year from last entry); Decreto 394/009, art. 13 (tourist stay); Ley 18.191, art. 26 (licence issued by a departmental traffic authority))

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

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

Uruguay 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 8 Apr 1981.

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 Uruguay with your country's licence?

This answer is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Uruguay as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Uruguay is a 1968 Vienna Convention state (acceded 8 April 1981) and not a 1949 Geneva party. Whether a visitor may drive on a foreign licence, with or without an IDP, and for how long, is not established. Its traffic law, Ley 18.191 (2007), requires every driver to hold and carry a licence issued by the competent traffic authority in each department (art. 26) and has no article on foreign licences; the national traffic regulation of 1984 says that valid foreign licences may be recognised for one year from the holder's last entry into Uruguay, without prejudice to the conventions Uruguay has joined (Decreto 118/984, art. 3.11). Neither text says which governs a visitor, so check with the departmental traffic authority before you travel. A tourist may stay 90 days, renewable for a further 90 days (Decreto 394/009, art. 13). UK government advice is that a UK photocard licence can be used for the first 90 days; Canadian government advice is that a Canadian licence can be used for up to six months. A Uruguayan licence is obtained by converting the foreign one at the intendencia of the department of residence (homologación in Montevideo, revalida in Canelones), against a Uruguayan cédula de identidad or a Uruguayan passport, so it is a residents' route. Alcohol is zero tolerance at 0.0 g/l by statute. 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).

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 answer below says what could not be confirmed.

What you need to carry — Check with local authorities before travel

Why — Uruguay's traffic law requires a licence issued by a departmental traffic authority (Ley 18.191, art. 26); a 1984 regulation says valid foreign licences may be recognised for one year from last entry. Neither says which governs visitors. [1]

Sources and notes for the answer above

[1] Ley 18.191, art. 26; Decreto 118/984 (Reglamento Nacional de Circulación Vial), art. 3.11

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 Uruguay? Uruguay's official IDPs are issued by Automóvil Club del Uruguay (ACU). 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 Uruguay? Rules for new residents

Anyone settling in Uruguay converts the foreign licence by homologación (Montevideo) or revalida (Canelones and other departments) at the intendencia of the department of residence. The counter asks for an Uruguayan cédula de identidad or Uruguayan passport, so the route is closed to tourists - which is why the 'get a Uruguayan licence after 90 days' advice cannot be followed on a tourist stamp. Official source.

Driving rules in Uruguay tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Permanent dipped headlights (or factory DRL), seat belts front and rear, certified motorcycle helmets, child restraints for children aged 0 to 12 in the rear seats, a first-aid and road-safety case containing two reflective vests (vehicles with four or more wheels), at least one approved warning device (vehicles with more than two wheels), and a reflective vest, jacket or bands for moped, motorcycle and quadricycle riders and passengers.
• Drink-driving: 0.0 g/l - absolute zero tolerance. Ley 18.191 art. 45 (as amended by Ley 19.360): a driver is disqualified whenever blood alcohol, or its breath-test equivalent, exceeds 0.0 grams per litre. Ley 18.191 art. 46: the licence of a driver found over the limit is withheld and the entitlement to drive is suspended for six months to one year for a first offence and for up to two years for a repeat; after a further repeat the licence may be cancelled. Refusing the test also means the licence is withheld, a fine of up to 100 UR may be imposed, the refusal counts as a presumption of guilt, and the driver is disqualified for six months to one year, or up to two years for a repeat. Decreto 303/023 (art. 4) fixes the suspension by blood alcohol: 6 months up to 0.6 g/l, 8 months up to 1 g/l, 10 months up to 1.9 g/l and 12 months above that, rising to 18 to 24 months for a repeat and 60 months for a second repeat, on top of a fine from the national schedule of unified traffic fines. UK FCDO adds that a fine, possible imprisonment or a community work order may follow.
• Speed limits: Drive on the right. Ley 18.191 art. 15 states the general rule - no driver may exceed the permitted speed and speed must suit the circumstances; the limits are in the Reglamento Nacional de Circulación Vial (Decreto 118/984). In urban and suburban areas the general limit is 45 km/h; the departmental authority may set a 60 km/h limit, signposted as such, and exceptionally allow up to 75 km/h for light vehicles on well-lit roads with two or more lanes each way and a central divider (art. 13.3). Outside urban areas the limit is 90 km/h for light vehicles without a trailer and 80 km/h for other vehicles (art. 13.2). On suitable roads or stretches the Ministry of Transport and Public Works may authorise up to 110 km/h for light vehicles without a trailer, and these are signposted (art. 13.4). Posted values govern.
• Carry the original home licence at all times, with your passport showing the entry stamp, the vehicle registration, and the rental and insurance papers. Ley 18.191 art. 26 requires the holder of a licence issued by a departmental traffic authority to carry it and show it on demand; no Uruguayan text found says whether a licence not in Spanish needs an IDP or a translation. UK government advice is that hire car companies often have stricter requirements, such as 2 years of driving experience and holding an IDP.
• Dipped headlights must be on permanently on every public road (Ley 18.191 art. 30, as amended by Ley 19.824 of 18 September 2019); a vehicle fitted with daytime running lights at the factory may use them instead. The rule covers every road within the law's scope, which Ley 18.191 art. 4 sets as all public roads in urban, suburban and rural areas, including private roads open to public use - not just highways.
• Seat belts are compulsory front and rear (Ley 18.191 art. 31). Children aged 0 to 12 must travel in the rear seats in an approved restraint, and adolescents under 18 who are shorter than 1.50 m must use the same systems (Ley 19.061 art. 1). Children and adolescents who cannot reach the footrests may not be carried on mopeds or motorcycles; a motorcycle with a sidecar may carry them in an approved restraint system (Ley 19.061 art. 2). Certified helmets are compulsory for motorcyclists (Ley 18.191 art. 33).
• Every motor vehicle with four or more wheels, except quadricycles, must carry a case of first-aid and road-safety items ('maletín con elementos de primeros auxilios y seguridad vial') (Ley 19.061 art. 15; Decreto 81/014, art. 60), and its required contents include two reflective vests (Decreto 81/014, art. 63). Every motor vehicle with more than two wheels must also carry at least one approved warning device ('baliza autorizada'), and larger goods vehicles, road trains and buses two (Decreto 118/984, art. 7.22); a fire extinguisher is required only in goods vehicles and buses (art. 10.22). Riders and passengers of mopeds, motorcycles and quadricycles must wear a reflective vest or jacket, or reflective bands (Ley 19.061 art. 7). Canadian advice says the safety kit is usually provided in rental cars - check the boot before leaving the depot.
• Every toll plaza takes the Telepeaje electronic tag, and the UK FCDO says Uruguay is introducing tag-only tolls; rental cars carry a tag, so confirm with the hire firm how tolls are billed back to you. A foreign-registered car can register for the Pase Turista, which identifies the car by its number plate at the toll; the tolls are paid afterwards online, in cash at ABITAB or RedPagos outlets, or by card at a toll office. Canadian advice also notes that turning right on a red light is illegal, and names hilly, winding roads, poor lighting, lane markings and paving, many intersections without stop signs or traffic lights, poorly maintained cars and drivers who often ignore traffic laws among the causes of frequent fatal accidents.

Read more about driving in Uruguay

• 10 Interesting Facts About Uruguay
• Best Places to Visit in Uruguay

Watch what driving in Uruguay looks like

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. UK FCDO Uruguay travel advice (90 days) and Government of Canada travel advice (6 months); Decreto 118/984, art. 3.11 (foreign licences, one year from last entry); Decreto 394/009, art. 13 (tourist stay); Ley 18.191, art. 26 (licence issued by a departmental traffic authority)
3. Resident licence conversion rule
4. UN depositary status list, 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic - 'Uruguay ... 8 Apr 1981 a'
5. UN depositary status list, 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic - Uruguay absent (confirms 1968-only)
6. Ley 18.191 art. 26 - licence must be issued by the departmental transit authority, carried and produced on demand
7. Ley 18.191 art. 46 - alcohol testing, suspensions, refusal fine up to 100 UR
8. Ley 18.191 art. 30 (amended by Ley 19.824/2019) - permanent dipped headlights / DRL
9. Ley 19.061 - child restraints (art. 1), no children who cannot reach the footrests on mopeds or motorcycles (art. 2), reflective vests for moped, motorcycle and quadricycle riders (art. 7), first-aid and road-safety case (art. 15)
10. Intendencia de Canelones - revalida of a foreign driving licence; certified translation and a psychophysical fitness certificate required
11. Government of Canada Uruguay - 'up to 6 months' on a Canadian licence, no right turn on red, safety equipment, 911/105/104
12. UK IDP table - Uruguay listed as 1968
13. UK FCDO - 'Telephone: 911 (ambulance, fire, police)'
14. Decreto 118/984, Reglamento Nacional de Circulación Vial - foreign licences (art. 3.11), warning devices (art. 7.22), fire extinguishers (art. 10.22), speed limits (arts. 13.2 to 13.4)
15. Decreto 81/014, regulation of Ley 19.061 - first-aid and road-safety case for vehicles with four or more wheels except quadricycles, with two reflective vests (arts. 60 and 63)
16. Decreto 394/009 art. 13 - tourists may stay 90 days, renewable for a further 90 days
17. National driving licence table (gub.uy) - categories and minimum ages: A 18, G1 16, G2 18, G3 21
18. Decreto 303/023 - unified traffic fine values; drink-driving suspension periods by blood-alcohol level (art. 4)
19. Montevideo Portal, 1 September 2019 - fire service line 104 out of service, fire calls only on 911
20. Telepeaje - Pase Turista: tolls for foreign-registered vehicles read from the number plate
21. Automóvil Club del Uruguay (ACU) — authorized IDP issuer in Uruguay
22. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
23. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic