Driving Permit for Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan is a contracting party to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, so it recognises the 1968-format International Driving Permit. UK government guidance is unusually specific here: you can drive on your national licence alone for up to 30 days, but for any longer stay you are legally required to carry both your original licence and a 1968-convention IDP in the car. In practice, carrying the IDP from day one is the sensible choice — police document checks are a routine part of driving in Kyrgyzstan, and a convention-format permit avoids arguments at the roadside when your licence is not in a script officers can read.

The rental market is concentrated in Bishkek, with a smaller hub in Osh, and is dominated by local agencies and 4x4 specialists rather than the major international chains — most self-drive trips to Song-Kul, Lake Issyk-Kul or the mountain passes are done in an SUV. Desks will want your original licence and generally expect an IDP alongside it. Police checkpoints are common, particularly on the Almaty–Bishkek corridor; if you are fined, pay through official channels only, never in cash to an officer.

Traffic drives on the right. Outside the capital, expect poorly lit and inconsistently maintained roads, often without clear signage around roadworks, and in winter routes beyond Bishkek are frequently blocked by snow. Kyrgyzstan takes a zero-tolerance approach to drink-driving — being found with any alcohol in your system can mean a fine and a one-year licence revocation. Seat belts are compulsory, handheld phone use at the wheel is banned, and third-party motor insurance is mandatory.