Guide to driving in Albania with a Bahrain licence.
A valid Bahrain driving licence can be recognized in Albania under the 1968 Vienna Convention when the domestic permit conforms to Annex 6 and covers the vehicle being driven. In that case an International Driving Permit (IDP) is not separately required by Article 41. A 1968 Convention IDP is also recognized when carried with the corresponding domestic licence. No fixed visitor-day limit was verified.
Bahrain and Albania are Contracting Parties to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. Article 41 requires recognition of qualifying domestic permits and, separately, Annex 7 international permits presented with the corresponding domestic permit. Recognition is limited to valid permits and the vehicle categories they cover.
The treaty basis is Article 41 of the 1968 Vienna Convention. It covers a domestic permit conforming to Annex 6 when issued by another Contracting Party and still valid. The rule does not apply to learner-driver permits. This is treaty-based recognition rather than evidence of a Bahrain-Albania bilateral licence agreement.
An IDP is not the only route to recognition because Article 41 separately recognizes an Annex 6-conforming domestic permit. If an IDP is used, the relevant treaty model is the 1968 Vienna Convention Annex 7 permit and it must be presented with the corresponding domestic licence. Bahrain's Ministry of Interior General Directorate of Traffic currently provides an international driving licence service based on a valid Bahrain licence. An official recommendation that Bahrain visitors should obtain an IDP specifically for Albania was not verified.
The Convention states that a permit issued by one Contracting Party is recognized in another until the latter becomes the holder's place of normal residence. A fixed maximum number of visitor days was not verified, so no day count is stated. Albania's current foreign-licence conversion guidance lists countries eligible through EU status, specified treatment, bilateral agreement or reciprocity, and Bahrain is not in the published bilateral or reciprocity list.
No named rental-company policy was verified for this pair. A rental company may impose contractual document, age, payment, or licence-holding-period conditions beyond the legal recognition rule, so check the selected company's published terms before booking.
The treaty requires the relevant permit to remain valid. If relying on a 1968 Convention IDP, it must be presented with the corresponding domestic driving licence. Pair-specific roadside document practices and insurance conditions are unverified – confirm with official authority.
Recognition applies only to vehicle categories covered by the permit and does not extend to learner-driver permits. Treaty recognition also ceases once Albania becomes the holder's place of normal residence. No Bahrain-specific exemption from those Convention conditions was verified.
For a visitor, use a current Bahrain licence only if it satisfies the Convention's Annex 6 conditions and covers the vehicle category. If there is doubt about the licence format or a rental company's documentation rules, obtaining Bahrain's 1968 Convention IDP provides a treaty-recognized international permit, but carry it together with the domestic licence.
This information was checked against the listed sources on 30 September 2026.