Driving Permit for Iran

Iran is a contracting party to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, and foreign visitors are expected to carry a 1968-model International Driving Permit (IDP) alongside their original national licence. This is not a formality you can sort out on arrival: the UK government tells its drivers they need a 1968 IDP for Iran and warns that you cannot buy one once abroad, while Canadian travel advice states plainly that you must carry an IDP to drive in the country. Arrange the permit before departure.

Traffic drives on the right. On the ground, self-drive tourism works differently from Europe: the big international rental chains have little or no presence, so cars are hired through local agencies — and because foreign bank cards do not work in Iran, deposits, fuel and motorway tolls are paid in cash. Many visitors simply hire a car with a driver, which is inexpensive and removes the stress of Tehran's famously assertive traffic. Police checkpoints, formal and informal, are a routine part of road travel, so keep your passport, licence and IDP with you.

Iran's roads demand caution: the accident rate is high, lane discipline is loose, and night driving on intercity routes is best avoided. Alcohol is illegal nationwide, so there is effectively zero tolerance for drinking and driving. If you are involved in an accident, however minor, do not leave the scene — wait for the police to write their report. Women travellers should note that riding motorbikes on public roads is not widely accepted and risks arrest, though women driving cars is unremarkable.