International Driving Permit in Uzbekistan

🗓 We could not independently verify the road-traffic law for Uzbekistan; facts here rely on official travel guidance where available. 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 Uzbekistan: key facts
• Do you need an International Driving Permit in Uzbekistan?
• What side of the road does Uzbekistan drive on?
• How long can you drive in Uzbekistan with a foreign licence?
• Is Uzbekistan a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?
• Why acceptance of your licence varies from place to place
• Can you drive in Uzbekistan with your country's licence?
• Where to get an International Driving Permit
• Moving to Uzbekistan? Rules for new residents
• Driving rules in Uzbekistan tourists get fined for
• Read more about driving in Uzbekistan
• Sources

Driving in Uzbekistan: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Uzbekistan?

Uzbekistan's own recognition norm (Regulation annexed to Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 408 of 31.05.2018, pt. 74) makes both international driving permits and national driving licences that meet the requirements of the 1968 Vienna Convention valid on Uzbek territory — so a Vienna-conforming national licence is legally sufficient on its own and an IDP is not a blanket statutory requirement. In practice carry one anyway: the UK FCDO instructs British drivers to have both the 1968 IDP and the UK licence in the car, and rental firms and traffic police routinely expect an IDP. Uzbekistan acceded only to the 1968 Vienna Convention (17 January 1995) and is not a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention, so a 1968 IDP is the type to carry. Drivers from 1949-only countries (United States of America, Japan, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Ireland) face a genuine gap: their national licence does not meet Vienna Annex 6 form and their home authority issues only a 1949 IDP — acceptance of a 1949 IDP is not established in the Uzbek text and should be confirmed with the rental company and the Uzbek embassy before travel.

• 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.

No specific penalty for driving without the required document was verified from an authoritative source. Foreign-government travel advice.

What side of the road does Uzbekistan drive on?

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

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

Uzbek law sets no separate day-count for visitor use of a foreign licence — recognition runs for the duration of lawful presence. The widely repeated "30 days" comes from UK FCDO wording ("You can drive in Uzbekistan with a valid UK driving licence for 30 days") and coincides exactly with the UK's 30-day visa-free allowance ("You can visit Uzbekistan without a visa for tourism or business for up to 30 days") — it is a length-of-stay clock, not a licence-recognition clock. Nationals with a longer visa or longer visa-free entitlement should not assume a 30-day cut-off, and nationals with shorter permission get less. (UK FCDO Uzbekistan Safety and security (30-day driving sentence) cross-read against UK FCDO Uzbekistan Entry requirements (30-day visa-free stay))

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

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

Uzbekistan 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 17 Jan 1995.

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 Uzbekistan with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Uzbekistan as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. Uzbekistan recognises foreign driving on a convention-conformity test, not on nationality: international driving permits and national licences meeting the 1968 Vienna Convention are valid, while other foreign licences go through Ministry of Foreign Affairs verification and exchange. Uzbekistan is a 1968 Vienna party and not a 1949 Geneva party, so the 1968 IDP is the one to carry — advisable for everyone, and effectively unavoidable for drivers whose home licence is not Vienna-conforming. There is no separate statutory visitor day-count; the often-quoted 30 days is the UK's visa-free stay length, not a licence clock. A Russian or Uzbek translation is recommended but expressly not required, and a foreign vehicle runs its own 90-day customs clock. 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:

• Treaty recognises licence + IDP — advised — the 1968 Vienna Convention obliges this destination to recognise a national licence conforming to Annex 6 of that Convention, and separately an IDP presented together with the national licence it belongs to; this row does not record whether your own licence conforms to Annex 6, and the licence-and-IDP pair is recognised either way, so carrying both is advised. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, gives the basis.
• No convention basis established for your licence — IDP advised — no road-traffic convention basis for your licence could be established at this destination, so this row settles neither that the licence alone is enough nor that anything must be carried with it; carrying an IDP is advised as a practical translation of your licence rather than as a legal entitlement. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, says what could not be established.
• 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] 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

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 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 Uzbekistan? Rules for new residents

Two separate clocks. The visitor clock is the length of lawful stay (see the visitor time limit in the key facts above). The resident clock is different and is not a permitted-driving period at all: once a person is settled in Uzbekistan, the foreign licence route ends and an Uzbek national licence must be obtained. Separately, all arrivals must register with the local OVIR within 3 days of arrival (hotels do this for you) — an immigration duty, not a driving one. Secondary source.

Driving rules in Uzbekistan tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Seat belts and a ban on hand-held phone use are the expected norms and are widely reported, but were not verified against the consolidated Road Traffic Rules here. Carrying a warning triangle and basic breakdown kit is prudent given road and lighting conditions.
• Drink-driving: Treat Uzbekistan as zero-tolerance for alcohol at the wheel. The exact statutory BAC threshold was not verified against the current Code of Administrative Liability on 29 July 2026 — do not publish a numeric limit. Penalties for driving under the influence are reported as severe and can include licence consequences. No current tariff figure was verified; confirm locally.
• Speed limits: Traffic keeps to the right. Limits are posted in km/h. The specific statutory urban / rural / motorway limits were not verified against the 2022 Road Traffic Rules (CM Resolution No. 172 of 12.04.2022) on 29 July 2026 — follow posted signs.
• Carry the passport at all times — this is a standalone legal duty in Uzbekistan and police check often; failure can bring a fine or arrest. Carry the original licence, a 1968 IDP, the vehicle registration document and insurance valid for Uzbekistan.
• Optional but useful: a Russian or Uzbek translation of the licence and IDP smooths traffic-police interaction. It is expressly not a legal requirement.
• "Foreign nationals can drive their own car into Uzbekistan without paying import duties and taxes for up to 90 days. After the 90 days, daily fees will be applied." The car must be declared at the point of entry. This 90-day customs clock is independent of the driver's licence question.
• "Roads often have poor surfaces and bad lighting. Driving standards are below those in the UK and can be erratic." Many buses and taxis run on compressed natural gas and safety regulations on these vehicles are often not followed — prefer modern vehicles where possible.
• Register with the local district OVIR within 3 days of arrival (hotel staff normally handle it; private hosts register you via the Emehmon system). Late or missing registration draws per-day fines or deportation — a common trip-ender for self-drive travellers on rural itineraries.

Read more about driving in Uzbekistan

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

Watch what driving in Uzbekistan looks like

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

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. Resident licence conversion rule
3. UK FCDO Uzbekistan — 30-day visa-free stay and 3-day OVIR registration (shows the 30-day figure is a stay clock)
4. UK FCDO Uzbekistan — emergency numbers 103/101/102, unified 112 (2024), Safe Tourism 1173
5. Ministry of Justice explanation on foreign-issued licences, citing points 74 and 76 of the Regulation to CM Resolution No. 408 — verification via MFA, medical exam, theory and practical tests
6. lex.uz — CM Resolution No. 408 of 31.05.2018 with annexed Regulation (consolidated text; page truncates before pts. 74-76)
7. lex.uz — Road Traffic Rules, CM Resolution No. 172 of 12.04.2022, adopted in accordance with the 1968 Vienna Convention
8. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic; Uzbekistan accession 17 January 1995 (91 parties)
9. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic; Uzbekistan does not appear in the participants list
10. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
11. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic