Driving Permit for Turkey

Turkey drives on the right-hand side of the road and recognises the International Driving Permit (IDP) under the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, of which it is a signatory. If you plan on driving in Turkey with a foreign license, you can generally use your valid national driving licence as a visitor, but an IDP is strongly recommended — and for many travellers it is effectively required. Because an IDP is a certified translation of your licence into multiple languages, it removes ambiguity for rental desks and traffic police who may not read the Latin, Cyrillic, Arabic, or other script on your home licence.

The IDP requirement in practice depends on your licence. If your national licence is printed in the Latin (Roman) alphabet, an IDP is recommended but not always legally mandatory for short visits. If your licence is in a non-Latin script — such as Arabic, Cyrillic, Chinese, or Japanese — an IDP or an official Turkish translation is effectively required to drive in Turkey. According to UK government guidance, you need a 1968-Convention IDP or a driving licence notarised in Turkish, and the older 1949-Convention IDP is no longer accepted. Crucially, an IDP is never valid on its own: you must carry it together with your original national driving licence at all times.

On the ground, the IDP matters most at two points. First, major international car rental companies in Turkey commonly ask to see an IDP alongside your national licence, and their own terms may require it regardless of the legal minimum, so it is worth confirming your rental company's requirements before you travel to avoid being turned away at the counter. Second, Turkish traffic police conduct roadside and highway checkpoints, and a clear, officially translated permit makes these stops far smoother. Always obtain your IDP in the country that issued your licence before you travel, as you generally cannot get one after arriving in Turkey.