Driving Permit for Antigua & Barbuda
Driving in Antigua & Barbuda: traffic keeps left and visitors need a US$20 local temporary permit plus their home licence. Learn when an IDP is required, permit costs, validity and rental rules.
- Drive on
- Left
- Convention
- Not a party
- IDP validity
- 3 months
- Processing time
- 24-48 hours
Do you need an IDP to drive in Antigua & Barbuda?
Antigua & Barbuda has not ratified either UN road-traffic convention, but an IDP alone will not put you legally on the road. The islands' distinctive rule is that every visiting driver must obtain a local temporary driving permit — about US$20 (EC$50), valid for three months — issued against a valid home-country licence. The permit is available from car-rental agents at the time of hire, from the Transport Board, or at local police stations, and the UK Foreign Office confirms that hire companies will usually handle the process for you. Carry both the permit and your original licence whenever you drive.
Where does the IDP fit in? Rental firms on the island recommend one for all foreign drivers and effectively require it — or a professional, typewritten translation — when your home licence is not printed in a Latin-script language (Russian, Japanese, Arabic and similar). In every case the original home licence must still be presented: the IDP is a translation of your licence, not a replacement for it, and it does not remove the need to buy the local temporary permit.
Traffic drives on the left, a legacy of British rule, and most rental cars are right-hand drive. Roads are generally slow-going: expect potholes, unmarked speed bumps, and narrow rural stretches with blind corners; pedestrians often walk in the road and some routes are unlit at night, so take extra care after dark. Visitors who stay long-term (beyond the three-to-six-month window) are expected to convert to a full Antiguan and Barbudan driving licence.
Antigua & Barbuda has not ratified either UN road-traffic convention.
Antigua & Barbuda is not a contracting party to the 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, so no treaty obliges it to recognise an International Driving Permit. That does not automatically make an IDP useless: rental companies and police often ask for a readable translation of a foreign license, and many drivers carry one for exactly that reason. Read the country detail below and confirm the current rules with your rental company before you travel.
What you need to drive in Antigua & Barbuda
Have these ready before you pick up the keys.
Valid home-country driving licence — the original must be presented and carried at all times
Local temporary driving permit (about US$20 / EC$50, valid 3 months), issued by rental agents, the Transport Board or local police stations
IDP (1949 format) recommended for all foreign drivers; effectively required (or a professional typewritten translation) if your licence is not in Latin script
Traffic drives on the left — most rental cars are right-hand drive
The temporary driving permit costs the same — about US$20 (EC$50) — whether bought from a rental company, a police station or the Transport Board, and is valid for three months
Rental agents issue the temporary permit at the counter when you collect the car, making pick-up the easiest place to sort your paperwork
For non-Latin-script licences, local rental firms accept either an IDP or a professional typewritten translation — but the original licence must always be presented too
The UK FCDO advises drivers not to stop if pedestrians flag them down, to keep car doors locked while driving, and to call the police without moving the vehicle after an accident
Antigua & Barbuda drives on the left, like the UK and most of the English-speaking Eastern Caribbean
Long-stay visitors are expected to swap to a full local licence after roughly three to six months on the islands
What to know before you turn the key
Antigua & Barbuda drives on the left — the driver sits on the right, and roundabouts flow clockwise.
Carry your IDP and your original license together — rental desks and police checks will ask for both documents.
Car-hire companies usually handle the temporary permit paperwork on the spot when you collect the vehicle — bring your physical home licence
The UK FCDO warns of potholes, unmarked speed bumps, narrow rural roads with blind corners, and unlit roads at night
If you have an accident, call the police and do not move the vehicle; taxis are unmetered with zone-based fares, so agree the fare before setting off
Driving without the local temporary permit or without carrying your home licence can result in police fines and can invalidate your rental insurance; specific fine amounts are set locally and vary, so always keep both documents in the vehicle.
Local rules to watch in Antigua & Barbuda
Low-emission zones, tolls, and city-specific rules that catch visiting drivers out.
Most visitors collect rental cars at V.C. Bird International Airport or in St. John's, where agents issue the temporary driving permit on the spot at hire time
Barbuda has a very limited road network and few rental options — most visitors explore it on organised day tours rather than self-driving
Signs you'll meet on the road
Eight internationally recognised signs — including which side of the road Antigua & Barbuda keeps.
Common questions about driving in Antigua & Barbuda
Drive Antigua & Barbuda, confidently.
Apply online in minutes and get instant digital access to your IDP translation — with an IDP PVC card option if you want one in your wallet.