Driving Permit for Senegal
Do you need an IDP for Senegal? Senegal is party to the 1949 and 1968 road traffic conventions, so IDPs are recognised. Drive on the right, up to 6 months on a UK licence.
- Drive on
- Right
- Convention
- 1949 + 1968
- IDP validity
- 6 months
- Processing time
- 24-48 hours
Do you need an IDP to drive in Senegal?
Senegal is party to both major road traffic conventions: it succeeded to the 1949 Geneva Convention on 13 July 1962 and acceded to the 1968 Vienna Convention on 16 August 1972, per the UN treaty depositary. IDPs issued under either are therefore recognised. Your home licence remains the legal document and the IDP is its multilingual translation, so the two travel together. The UK Foreign Office states you can drive in Senegal on a UK licence for up to six months, and that a 1968 IDP may be helpful in offering a translation for traffic officials. Other nationalities should confirm their own limit. Anyone staying longer must obtain a Senegalese licence.
The IDP is not a formality here. ASIRT's 2024 road safety review lists the IDP among the documents drivers are required to carry, alongside a valid national licence, passport, the vehicle's carte grise, a current-year vignette tax disc and the yellow Attestation d'Assurance insurance card. French is the official language and ASIRT notes that most police officers do not speak English, so a French-language translation is genuinely useful at the roadside. Police checkpoints are common, and some rental agencies operate at Blaise Diagne International Airport.
Senegal drives on the right. Yield to traffic approaching from the right, except at roundabouts, where circulating traffic has priority. The minimum driving age is 18; ASIRT gives 23 as the minimum age to rent a car. Seat belts are required for driver and front passengers, and helmets for motorcycle riders, passengers and cyclists. Speed limits are 50 km/h urban, 30 km/h school zones, 90 km/h rural and 110 km/h highways. A toll road runs from Dakar City to Diamniadio, paid in local cash. After a crash, call police on 17 and do not move the vehicle until officers permit it.
Senegal recognises the IDP under both the 1949 Geneva and 1968 Vienna Conventions.
Senegal is a signatory to both the 1949 Geneva and 1968 Vienna Conventions. In practice, an IDP issued by another signatory country is recognised for your permitted visitor stay — in Senegal, plan on 6 months.
What you need to drive in Senegal
Have these ready before you pick up the keys.
Minimum driving age is 18; ASIRT gives 23 as the minimum age to rent a car, and individual agencies may impose stricter limits
Carry your original national driving licence at all times — an IDP is only a translation and is not valid on its own
IDP recognised under both conventions: ASIRT lists it among documents drivers are required to carry, and the UK FCDO says a 1968 IDP may help by offering a translation for traffic officials
Also carry your passport, the vehicle's carte grise, the current-year vignette tax disc and the yellow Attestation d'Assurance insurance card
The UN treaty depositary records Senegal succeeding to the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic on 13 July 1962 and acceding to the 1968 Vienna Convention on 16 August 1972, so permits issued under either convention are recognised.
ASIRT lists the documents drivers are required to carry as: a valid national licence, an International Driving Permit, passport, vehicle documents including the carte grise, the current-year vignette tax disc and the yellow Attestation d'Assurance insurance card.
ASIRT gives maximum speed limits as 50 km/h in urban areas, 30 km/h in school zones, 90 km/h on rural roads and 110 km/h on highways.
ASIRT states there is no legal blood alcohol limit for drivers in Senegal, and that police may administer breath tests to drivers suspected of drink driving. Treat any specific BAC figure quoted elsewhere online with caution.
Seat belts are required for the driver and front-seat passengers, and helmets are compulsory for motorcycle and motorbike drivers and passengers and for cyclists. ASIRT notes there are no laws requiring children to be secured in appropriate safety restraints.
A toll road runs through Grand Dakar from Dakar City to Diamniadio, paid in local cash at booths; ASIRT advises insisting on the toll highway route for airport journeys. The rainy season runs June to September, when roads and bridges may become impassable.
What to know before you turn the key
Senegal 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.
Some rental agencies operate at Blaise Diagne International Airport; ASIRT warns vehicles may be in poor condition and lack seat belts, so inspect the car before signing the agreement.
Police checkpoints are common, and ASIRT states it is legal for police to confiscate and hold a driver's licence and passport until traffic fines are paid in full.
Yield to traffic approaching from the right, except at roundabouts, where traffic already circulating has right of way.
No national fine schedule for visiting drivers could be verified from an authoritative source, so treat any specific figure quoted online with caution. What is documented is the mechanism rather than the amount. ASIRT's 2024 road safety review states that police checkpoints are common and that it is legal for police to confiscate and hold a driver's licence and passport until traffic fines are paid in full. After a crash, ASIRT says police may retain driving licences or passports until the crash is resolved, and recommends carrying certified photocopies; it also reports that drivers found to be at fault in a crash face prison sentences of five months to two years. The UK Foreign Office advises contacting police on 17 after an accident and not moving your car until an officer gives permission. Carrying your national licence together with an IDP means the documents ASIRT lists as required are all present at a checkpoint. If you stay beyond the period that applies to your licence, the UK Foreign Office is explicit that you must obtain a Senegalese driving licence.
Local rules to watch in Senegal
Low-emission zones, tolls, and city-specific rules that catch visiting drivers out.
Dakar: ASIRT says driving is not recommended — traffic is undisciplined and there are few traffic or road signs. Traffic lights are lacking throughout most of the country and the existing ones are in Dakar. Hiring a professional driver through a reputable hotel or tourist agency is recommended.
Saint-Louis: approximately 260 km north of Dakar on Route 2, with few signs. ASIRT also advises against self-driving here. Nationally, roads are poorly lit or unlit and most road crashes in Senegal occur at night.
Casamance: ASIRT reports landmines remain in the region, particularly off main roads, and advises avoiding the area. The UK FCDO describes decades of low-intensity separatist violence, advises alertness near the Gambian and Guinea-Bissauan borders, and notes the risk of clashes is lower in the main tourist areas.
Signs you'll meet on the road
Eight internationally recognised signs — including which side of the road Senegal keeps.
Common questions about driving in Senegal
Drive Senegal, confidently.
Apply online in minutes and get instant digital access to your IDP translation — with an IDP PVC card option if you want one in your wallet.