Driving Permit for Belarus
Driving in Belarus? Traffic keeps right, a zero alcohol limit applies, and police and rental desks expect a 1968-convention IDP with your foreign licence, valid up to 3 months. Get your IDP before you travel.
- Drive on
- Right
- Convention
- 1968 Vienna
- IDP validity
- 3 months
- Processing time
- 24-48 hours
Do you need an IDP to drive in Belarus?
Belarus is a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, so it recognises International Driving Permits issued under that convention. Official Belarusian sources list an "international driving licence" among the documents foreign motorists must carry, alongside the original national licence and vehicle papers. In practice, visitors can drive on their home-country licence for up to three months, but an IDP (or a certified Russian translation) is what traffic police and rental desks actually expect — especially if your licence is not printed in Cyrillic script.
The rental scene is dominated by local firms and aggregators rather than the big Western brands, and most desks in Minsk ask for both your original licence and an IDP before releasing a car. The legal driving age is 18, though rental companies commonly set higher minimums and add young-driver surcharges. If you bring your own vehicle, Green Card insurance is mandatory — or you must buy Belarusian border insurance on entry — and foreign-registered cars must register with the BelToll electronic system before using tolled motorways.
Traffic drives on the right. Belarus enforces a strict zero alcohol limit — any detectable amount, including one beer, is an offence — and speed limits are typically 60 km/h in towns, 90 km/h outside them and 110–120 km/h on motorways where signed; drivers with under two years' experience are capped at 70 km/h. Seat belts are compulsory and phones may only be used hands-free. Note that several EU land-border crossings into Belarus have been closed or restricted in recent years, so check the current border situation before planning to arrive by car.
Belarus recognises the IDP under the 1968 Vienna Convention.
Belarus is a signatory to the 1968 Vienna Convention. In practice, an IDP issued by another signatory country is recognised for your permitted visitor stay — in Belarus, plan on 3 months.
What you need to drive in Belarus
Have these ready before you pick up the keys.
Minimum driving age 18 (rental firms usually set higher minimums, around 21, with young-driver surcharges)
Original national driving licence plus a 1968-convention IDP — expected by traffic police and rental desks
Green Card insurance or Belarusian border insurance is mandatory for foreign-plated vehicles
Foreign-registered cars up to 3.5 t must register with the BelToll electronic toll system before using tolled motorways
Belarus drives on the right; speed limits are typically 60 km/h in built-up areas, 90 km/h outside them, and 110–120 km/h on motorways where signed.
The drink-driving limit is zero — any detectable alcohol, including a single beer, is an offence.
Drivers with under two years' experience are limited to 70 km/h nationwide.
Motorway tolls are collected electronically via BelToll: foreign-registered cars up to 3.5 t must register and carry an on-board unit, while cars of that class registered in EAEU countries (e.g. Russia, Kazakhstan) are exempt.
Foreign-plated vehicles must carry Green Card insurance or buy Belarusian border insurance on entry — border policies are issued in minutes at crossing points.
After about three months, long-stay residents are expected to obtain a Belarusian driving licence.
What to know before you turn the key
Belarus drives on the right — the driver sits on the left, and roundabouts flow anti-clockwise.
Carry your IDP and your original license together — rental desks and police checks will ask for both documents.
Major Western rental brands are largely absent — car hire in Minsk runs through local firms and aggregators, which routinely ask for an IDP or a Russian translation of your licence.
Several EU land-border crossings into Belarus have been closed or restricted in recent years; check the current border status before planning to arrive by car.
Traffic police checks and radar speed enforcement are widespread — carry originals of all documents, never photocopies.
Belarus enforces its zero-alcohol rule strictly: drink-driving brings heavy fines and licence withdrawal, with severe sanctions for repeat offences. On-the-spot fines apply for speeding and missing documents, and unpaid BelToll passages incur fixed penalty charges for foreign-registered vehicles.
Local rules to watch in Belarus
Low-emission zones, tolls, and city-specific rules that catch visiting drivers out.
Minsk: the country's main rental market — wide avenues, 60 km/h default limits, heavy radar enforcement, and hire desks run by local firms that expect an IDP with your original licence.
Brest: the classic western gateway on the tolled M1 corridor from the Polish border — verify which border crossings are currently open before routing this way.
Signs you'll meet on the road
Eight internationally recognised signs — including which side of the road Belarus keeps.
Common questions about driving in Belarus
Drive Belarus, 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.