Driving Permit for Colombia

Tourists can drive in Colombia on a valid foreign driving licence for the length of their permitted stay — normally 90 days on entry, extendable to 180 days in a calendar year. An International Driving Permit is not a strict legal requirement under Ministry of Transport practice, but it is strongly recommended: if your licence is not in Spanish, authorities expect an official translation, and an IDP is the simplest way to satisfy that. Colombia's recognition of foreign drivers actually predates the modern treaties — it ratified the 1943 Inter-American convention rather than the 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna conventions — yet in practice a current IDP presented together with your original licence is accepted by police and rental companies alike.

Traffic drives on the right, as in the US and continental Europe. At the rental desk, expect to show your home licence, passport and a credit card; the UK Foreign Office notes hire companies may also require an IDP, a minimum age of 18 and at least a year of driving experience — many firms set higher age minimums. Carry all vehicle documents in physical form in case police stop you, keep your passport with its entry stamp on you while driving, and note that every vehicle must carry SOAT, Colombia's compulsory accident insurance (included with rentals). Driving standards are poor by European standards and night driving is best avoided.

Speed limits were tightened by Ley 2251 de 2022: 50 km/h in urban areas, 30 km/h in school and residential zones, 90 km/h on national highways and up to 120 km/h on some dual carriageways. Drink-driving is effectively zero-tolerance, with sanctions beginning at 0.02% blood alcohol. In Bogotá, Medellín and Cali, pico y placa rules bar cars from circulating at set times based on the last digit of the licence plate, and intercity routes carry frequent toll plazas (peajes).