Driving Permit for Guinea-Bissau
Driving in Guinea-Bissau on a foreign licence: no IDP is treaty-mandated, as the country is party to neither road traffic convention, but hire firms often ask for one. Traffic drives on the right.
- Drive on
- Right
- Convention
- Not a party
- IDP validity
- 3 months
- Processing time
- 24-48 hours
Do you need an IDP to drive in Guinea-Bissau?
Guinea-Bissau sits outside the international driving permit system. The UN Treaty Collection lists it as a party to neither the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic nor the 1968 Vienna Convention, the two treaties that underpin IDP recognition today. It is also absent from the UK government's table of which IDP version each country needs, guidance that tells travellers to check with the embassy when a country is not listed. Short-stay visitors drive on their own national licence: UK government advice says a UK photocard licence can be used in Guinea-Bissau for up to three months. That figure is written for UK licence holders, so other nationalities should confirm their position with a Guinea-Bissau embassy.
The practical picture differs from the legal one. Portuguese is the official language, so an English or French licence will not necessarily be easy to read at a rental counter or a roadside check. UK government advice says hire car companies often set stricter requirements than the law, such as a year of driving experience, a higher minimum age and holding an IDP, and that drivers still using an older paper licence may need to update it or get the correct version of an IDP. Treat an IDP here as a recognised translation that removes friction, not as a legal entitlement to drive.
Traffic drives on the right. UK government advice recommends local car insurance recognised by the ECOWAS Brown Card scheme, the regional third-party liability arrangement Guinea-Bissau belongs to, which matters if you cross into Senegal or Guinea. Keep the vehicle's registration card number in the car; a hire firm should provide it. Traffic is generally light, but driving standards and road conditions are poor, including in Bissau, and most roads outside the capital are unpaved. Official advice is to avoid road travel at night and take suitable precautions in the June to October rainy season.
Guinea-Bissau has not ratified either UN road-traffic convention.
Guinea-Bissau 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 Guinea-Bissau
Have these ready before you pick up the keys.
Valid national driving licence held for the whole trip; UK government advice says a UK photocard licence can be used in Guinea-Bissau for up to 3 months
No IDP is treaty-mandated, but carry one anyway: UK advice says hire car companies often require an IDP, and holders of older paper licences may need one
Passport, plus the vehicle's registration card number kept with you in the car - your hire firm should provide this
Motor insurance: UK advice recommends local cover recognised by the ECOWAS Brown Card scheme, of which Guinea-Bissau is a member state
Guinea-Bissau appears in the UN participant lists for neither the 1949 Geneva nor the 1968 Vienna convention; neighbouring Senegal is party to both (1949 by succession in 1962, 1968 by accession in 1972), while Guinea is on neither list.
The UK government's own table of which IDP version each country requires does not list Guinea-Bissau, and instructs travellers to check with the country's embassy when a destination is unlisted.
Portuguese is the official language, so an IDP functions here mainly as a recognised translation of an English or French licence.
The ECOWAS Brown Card is West Africa's cross-border third-party motor liability scheme, and Guinea-Bissau is one of its member states.
UK government advice says you need the vehicle's registration card number with you in the vehicle, which a hire car firm should provide.
Most roads outside the capital are unpaved, and UK advice describes road conditions and driving standards as poor even in Bissau.
What to know before you turn the key
Guinea-Bissau 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.
Hire car companies set their own rules on top of the law: UK government advice cites a year of driving experience, a higher minimum age and holding an IDP as common conditions.
Most roads outside Bissau are unpaved and driving standards are poor even in the capital; UK advice is to avoid road travel at night and take suitable precautions in the June to October rainy season.
Drink-driving is the one clearly flagged offence: UK government advice warns that if you are tested and found to have any alcohol in your system, you may get a fine and a possible prison sentence.
We could not find an authoritative published tariff of traffic fines for Guinea-Bissau, so treat any specific figure quoted online as unverified. The one penalty flagged in official guidance is drink-driving: UK government advice says it is a serious offence, and that if you are tested and found to have any alcohol in your system, you may get a fine and a possible prison sentence. UK advice also says to keep the vehicle's registration card number with you in the car and recommends insurance recognised by the ECOWAS Brown Card scheme, both worth having in order at roadside checks. Because neither road traffic convention applies here, an IDP is not a legal entitlement to drive and will not by itself settle a dispute over your licence. For stays beyond a short visit, ask the Guinea-Bissau authorities or your embassy what is required: we found no authoritative source setting out the rules for long-stay foreign drivers.
Local rules to watch in Guinea-Bissau
Low-emission zones, tolls, and city-specific rules that catch visiting drivers out.
Bissau: the capital and the practical base for hiring a vehicle; supply is limited and most road journeys start here.
Bafata and Gabu: the main towns of the eastern interior; the inland run mixes tarmac with unpaved sections and is slower in the rains.
Bijagos Archipelago: an island group reached by boat rather than by road, so a hire car is of little use once you leave the mainland.
Signs you'll meet on the road
Eight internationally recognised signs — including which side of the road Guinea-Bissau keeps.
Common questions about driving in Guinea-Bissau
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