Driving in Africa – Let’s explore here

If you’re thinking about driving in Africa on an overland journey, you should make yourself aware of the different regulations for each country. Our African country pages detail lots of information by country. This page summaries information for the whole of Africa on international driving permits, carnet de passages requirements, as well as other useful information.

Do you require an international driving permit in Africa?

You may require an international driving permit in Africa, depending on which country you are travelling through. There are three types of permits: 1926, 1949 and 1968. For UK citizens, international driving permits can be bought from the post office.

The 1968 permit lasts for 3 years or until your UK driving licence expires, whichever comes first. A 1926 or 1949 permit lasts for 12 months.

The table below shows which type of international driving permit is required for each African country.

Can you use your UK driving license when driving through Africa?

For some African countries you do not require an international driving license, as your UK driving license is valid. This is especially the case for short term visits, or when transiting through the country on an overland journey.

The table below shows which African countries you can drive in with your UK driving license.

You may also find it useful to refer to our other information on driving abroad within each individual country page, as well as our information on obtaining a Carnet de passage. You may also find it useful to refer to our other information on visas.

International driving permit and Carnet de passage information by African country

Country	International driving permit	Carnet required	Notes
Algeria	1949		UK driving licence valid for 3 months.
Angola	1949		UK driving licences valid for 30 days.
Benin	1949 / 1968		UK driving licences valid indefinitely.
Botswana	1949	Yes	Botswana driving license required after 90 days.
Burkina Faso	–		UK driving licences valid indefinitely.
Burundi	1949	Yes	UK driving licence valid for 6 months. Burundi driving licence required after 6 months.
Cabo Verde	1968		UK driving licence valid for 6 months. Cabo Verde driving licence required after 6 months.
Cameroon	1949		UK driving licence valid for 6 months. Cameroon driving licence required after 6 months.
Central African Republic	1968		UK driving licences valid indefinitely.
Chad	1949		You must convert your UK driving licence to a Chadian one to drive in Chad.
Comoros	1949		UK driving licence valid for 3 months.
Democratic Republic of Congo	1968	Yes	UK driving licences valid indefinitely.
Republic of the Congo	1949	Yes	UK driving licences valid indefinitely.
Cote d’Ivoire	1968		UK driving licence valid for 6 months.
Djibouti	1949		UK driving licence valid for 12 months.
Egypt	1949	Yes	UK driving licence valid for 6 months. Egypt driving licence required after 6 months.
Equatorial Guinea	1949	Yes	UK driving licence valid for 6 months.
Eritrea	1949		UK driving licences valid indefinitely.
Eswatini	1949	Yes	UK driving licences valid indefinitely. If your vehicle is not registered in Eswatini, you must complete a customs declaration form at the border post and pay a 100 Swazi emalangeni road fund levy.
Ethiopia	1949	Yes	UK driving licences valid 2 weeks. To drive for longer, contact the Ethiopian Ministry of Transport and Logistics to apply for an Ethiopian driving licence.
Gabon	1949		UK driving licences valid indefinitely.
Gambia	1949	Yes	UK driving licences valid for 3 months. Gabon driving licence required after 3 months.
Ghana	1949 / 1968	Yes	UK driving licences valid indefinitely.
Guinea	1949		All valid UK driving licences should be accepted
Guinea-Bissau	1949		UK driving licences valid for 3 months.
Kenya	1968	Yes	UK driving licences valid for 3 months. Kenya driving licence required after 3 months.
Lesotho	1949	Yes	UK driving licences valid for 3 months. Lesotho driving licence required after 3 months.
Liberia	1968		UK driving licences valid indefinitely.
Libya	1949	Yes	UK driving licences valid indefinitely.
Madagascar	1949		UK driving licences valid indefinitely.
Malawi	1949	Yes	UK driving licences valid for 90 days.
Mali	1949		UK driving licences valid indefinitely.
Mauritania	–		UK driving licences valid indefinitely.
Mauritius	–		UK driving licences valid indefinitely.
Morocco	1968		UK driving licences valid up to a year.
Mozambique	1949		UK driving licences valid for 90 days.
Namibia	1949	Yes	UK driving licences valid indefinitely.
Niger	1968		UK driving licences valid for 3 months. Niger driving licence required after 3 months.
Nigeria	1968	Yes	UK driving licences valid for 3 months. Nigeria driving licence required after 3 months.
Rwanda	1949	Yes	UK driving licences valid up to a year
Sao Tome and Principe	1949		UK driving licences valid indefinitely.
Senegal	1968	Yes	UK driving licence valid for 6 months. Senegal driving licence required after 6 months.
Seychelles	1968		UK driving licences valid for 3 months.
Sierra Leone	1949		UK driving licence valid for 1 month.
Somalia	1926		UK driving licences valid indefinitely.
South Africa	1968	Yes	UK driving licences valid up to a year.
South Sudan	1949	Yes	UK driving licences valid indefinitely.
Sudan	1949	Yes	UK driving licences valid for 3 months.
Tanzania	1949	Yes	UK driving licence valid for 6 months. To drive in Zanzibar, a Zanzibar driving permit is required.
Togo	1949		UK driving licence valid for 6 months.
Tunisia	1968		UK driving licences valid up to a year.
Uganda	1949 / 1968	Yes	UK driving licences valid for 3 months.
Zambia	1949	Yes	UK driving licences valid for 90 days.
Zimbabwe	1968	Yes	UK driving licences valid up to a year.