Driving Permit for Qatar

Qatar recognises the International Driving Permit under the 1968 Vienna Convention, and for most visitors it is effectively mandatory rather than optional. UK government advice is explicit: unless you hold a Qatari license, carry the 1968-version IDP together with your home license, and get the permit before you travel because it cannot be issued once you are abroad. National licenses on their own are accepted only for a very short window — Canadian government advice puts it at just 7 days — while licenses issued in other Gulf states are treated more generously. Anyone staying longer than six months is expected to convert to a Qatari license.

At the rental desk you will find the big international firms — Avis, Budget, Europcar and Hertz all operate in Qatar, mostly out of Doha and Hamad International Airport — and counters routinely ask for your passport, home license and IDP before handing over the keys. On the road, enforcement is uncompromising: speed cameras are widespread, fines are issued electronically, seat belts are compulsory for the driver and front passenger, and using a handheld phone while driving costs 500 riyals.

Traffic drives on the right. The single most important local rule is Qatar's zero-tolerance alcohol law: driving after any amount of alcohol is punishable by one month to three years in prison, a fine of 10,000 to 50,000 riyals, or both, with deportation a real possibility. Official advisories also warn that road discipline is poor, speeds are high and serious accidents are common — flashing headlights usually means an oncoming car is claiming priority, not giving way. If you have a collision, report it through the Metrash app; leaving the scene is a criminal offence.