Driving in Another Country

Driving abroad is not the same skill as driving at home with different scenery. The license rules, the insurance, the road conventions, the police stop and the consequences of a mistake are all different, and the first hour behind the wheel is the worst possible time to discover which. Work out in advance whether you are driving at all, and if you are, what you need to be carrying.

What You Need to Know

First decide whether to drive at all

Americans default to driving because at home it is the cheapest and most flexible option. Abroad that calculation frequently inverts. In a great many destinations, hiring a car with a driver costs little more than hiring the car, and it buys you someone who knows the roads, the checkpoints, the parking, the language and where not to be after dark. In dense European cities, driving is often slower and more expensive than the train. Ask what driving actually buys you on this trip before assuming it.

The documents

The usual set is your home driving license, an International Driving Permit if the destination expects one, your passport, the rental agreement and proof of insurance. The UK government’s guidance makes the general shape clear for anyone taking their own vehicle abroad: you need the vehicle’s registration document and its insurance certificate as well as your license. For a rental, the equivalent paperwork comes from the rental company and should stay in the car.

The conventions you will get wrong

• Which side of the road. Roughly a third of the world drives on the left. The hard part is not the straight road; it is roundabouts, turns across traffic, and looking the correct way as a pedestrian afterwards.
• Priority rules. Who yields at an unmarked junction, and whether a roundabout gives way to entering or circulating traffic, varies.
• Transmission. Manual is the default in most of the world. If you cannot drive one, reserve an automatic specifically and confirm it.
• Signage and units. Speed limits in kilometers per hour, distances in kilometers, and signs in a script you may not read.
• Fuel. Diesel and gasoline pumps are color-coded differently in different countries, and misfueling a rental is expensive and uninsured.

Alcohol limits are stricter than at home, often far stricter

Of the 211 destinations the State Department publishes country information for, 55 address driving under the influence in their transportation information, and a recurring theme is a limit at or near zero rather than the U.S. 0.08. In several countries a single drink puts a driver over the limit, and penalties can include immediate detention. The safe operating rule abroad is that driving and any alcohol at all do not mix.

Checkpoints and being stopped

Police checkpoints on ordinary roads are routine in much of the world and are not in themselves a sign of trouble. Keep documents accessible but not on display, stay in the car unless asked to leave, keep your hands visible, and be unfailingly polite. Where a stop turns into a request for a payment, that is a situation to handle calmly and to report to your embassy afterwards rather than to argue about at the roadside.

How It Works

1. Decide, before booking anything, whether you are driving. Price a driver as well as a car.
2. Check what your destination requires (license, IDP, minimum age, insurance minimums) in its country information.
3. Get the IDP at home if one is expected. It cannot be obtained abroad.
4. Reserve the transmission you can actually drive, and re-confirm it a week out.
5. Read the insurance before you sign. See renting a car abroad.
6. Plan the route in daylight hours, with the day’s driving ending before sunset.
7. Download the map offline before you leave the wifi. See offline maps.

What to Do Before Your Trip

• Read the transportation section of your destination’s country information.
• Obtain an IDP if required or recommended.
• Confirm what your travel insurance excludes while driving.
• Check the minimum rental age and young-driver surcharge, which is often 25.
• Learn the local emergency number and how to describe where you are.

Important Considerations

An accident is a legal event, not just an insurance one

In some countries a driver involved in a serious injury crash can be detained while liability is established, regardless of fault, and may not be permitted to leave the country until the matter resolves. This is one of the strongest arguments for hiring a driver in destinations where road risk is high: it removes you from that position entirely.

Your own insurance probably does not follow you

U.S. auto insurance and the collision coverage attached to a credit card frequently exclude international rentals, and almost always exclude certain countries and vehicle classes. Verify in writing rather than assuming.

Tips for Group Travelers

• Name the drivers in advance and add every one of them to the rental agreement. An unlisted driver voids the cover.
• Two vehicles need a plan for separation: a meeting point, not a chase. See separated from your group.
• For anything above about eight people, a chartered vehicle with a driver is usually cheaper and always simpler than a convoy. See transportation for groups.
• Agree the no-night-driving rule as a group rule, so no individual has to be the one to insist on it.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Assuming your U.S. license is sufficient everywhere. Sometimes it is; 39 destinations’ transportation information specifically raises an international permit.
• Booking a manual by accident and discovering it at the counter.
• Having one drink at lunch. Legal at home, over the limit in a number of destinations.
• Driving the last leg after a long-haul flight. Jet lag and unfamiliar roads is a bad combination; see hydration and jet lag.
• Adding a driver informally. If they are not on the agreement, there is no cover.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use my U.S. driver’s license abroad?

In many countries yes, usually alongside an International Driving Permit that translates it. Requirements vary by destination and by rental company, so check both.

Is hiring a driver expensive?

Less often than Americans assume. In many destinations the daily cost is close to the rental alone, and it removes the parking, navigation, fuel, checkpoint and liability problems at once.

What if I am stopped and asked for a payment?

Stay calm and polite, ask for an official receipt or to be taken to a police station, and do not escalate at the roadside. Report it to your embassy afterwards.

Do I need to worry about driving on the left?

Most people adapt within a day on open roads. The persistent risks are junctions, roundabouts and stepping off a curb looking the wrong way, which continues after you park.

What happens if I have an accident?

Stop, call the local emergency number, do not move vehicles if anyone is injured unless instructed, notify the rental company immediately, and contact your insurer and embassy. Do not sign a statement you cannot read.

Related Travel Tips

• Getting around and transportation, the section this guide belongs to.
• International Driving Permits Explained
• Renting a Car Abroad
• Road Safety for International Travelers
• Getting Around in Another Country

Verify Before You Travel