Guide to driving in Antigua and Barbuda with a Barbados licence.
A holder of a valid Barbados driving licence can drive in Antigua and Barbuda only after obtaining the destination temporary local driving licence. The local permit may be granted to a bona fide visitor for up to three months. The checked destination rules do not require an International Driving Permit (IDP), and a Barbados licence alone is not sufficient authority to drive.
The Barbados licence is accepted as the home-country licence used to obtain the required local visitor licence. No separate IDP or translation requirement was identified for this pair in the checked official guidance. The local visitor licence, not the foreign licence or an IDP by itself, is the document that provides the immediate authority to drive.
Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda are separate sovereign countries. Section 40 of the Antigua and Barbuda Vehicles and Road Traffic Act permits a temporary driving licence, other than a chauffeur licence, to be granted to a bona fide visitor for a period not exceeding three months. The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority tells visitors to bring a valid driving licence from their home country and obtain a temporary local licence. That general rule applies to a valid Barbados licence.
The law does not provide a Barbados-specific exemption from the local visitor licence requirement in the sources checked. Exact category equivalence between Barbados licence classes and Antigua and Barbuda vehicle classes was not verified.
No IDP is legally required under the checked visitor-licence rule. The official destination guidance describes the valid home-country licence plus the temporary local licence as the required route to lawful visitor driving, and no official destination recommendation to obtain an IDP was identified.
Barbados is listed by the United Nations as a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic. Antigua and Barbuda is not listed as a current party in that status record. Because the destination uses its own temporary visitor licence and does not require an IDP in the checked sources, no convention-model IDP needs to be carried for this Barbados to Antigua and Barbuda trip. The Government of Barbados does issue an international driving permit or licence for travel abroad, but it does not replace the local Antigua and Barbuda permit.
A bona fide visitor may receive a temporary local driving licence for a period not exceeding three months. The database maximum-day field is therefore NULL because the legal source states the limit in months rather than as a fixed number of days.
The visitor licence is specifically tied to bona fide visitor status. A Barbados-specific resident exchange or conversion rule was not verified, so resident conversion or exchange is unverified – confirm with official authority.
Hertz at V C Bird International Airport requires a valid national driving licence and a local permit, and states that an international driving licence is not accepted for rental. Comfort Car Rentals requires a valid home-country licence and issues the temporary local licence for drivers without an Antiguan licence. Comfort also applies its own rental eligibility rules, including a minimum age of 25 and at least two years of driving experience.
| Company | Requirement | Source checked |
|---|---|---|
| Hertz, V C Bird International Airport | Valid national licence plus local permit. International driving licence not accepted for rental. | Hertz location page checked 2026-10-05 |
| Comfort Car Rentals Antigua | Valid home-country licence plus temporary local licence for drivers without an Antiguan licence. Company age and experience rules also apply. | Comfort Car Rentals FAQ and terms checked 2026-10-05 |
Section 41 of the Vehicles and Road Traffic Act allows a police officer to require production of the driving licence. A visitor should therefore carry the temporary local driving licence and, as practical evidence supporting that permit and rental eligibility, the valid Barbados licence used to obtain it.
The Motor Vehicles Insurance (Third-Party Risks) Act requires compliant third-party insurance or security to be in force for use of a motor vehicle on a public road. A rental customer should check the rental agreement to confirm that the driver is authorised and to understand any deductible, waiver, or additional coverage terms.
The temporary visitor licence cannot be a chauffeur licence. The exact Barbados-to-Antigua category mapping for motorcycles, commercial vehicles, or other special classes was not verified. The sources checked also did not establish a special Barbados exemption from the visitor permit, a resident exchange right, or a translation exception that changes the core result.
Bring your valid Barbados driving licence and obtain the Antigua and Barbuda temporary local driving licence before driving. Do not rely on an IDP as a substitute for the local permit. Carry both licences, confirm that the local permit covers the vehicle you intend to drive, and make sure the rental agreement lists you as an authorised insured driver.
This information was checked against the sources listed above on 2026-10-05. Driving-licence, rental, insurance, and visitor rules can change, so recheck the destination authority and your rental company before travel.