Driving in Antigua and Barbuda with a Colombia Driving Licence: IDP Requirements and Rules
A visitor with a valid Colombia driving licence can drive in Antigua and Barbuda after obtaining the required temporary local driver's licence. The Royal Police Force requires the original valid national licence for that process. An International Driving Permit is not part of the verified legal application requirements, and Colombia's Ministry of Transport states that Colombia does not issue an official IDP. A visitor temporary licence may be granted for up to three months.
Quick answer
Your Colombian licence is the supporting national licence for the Antigua and Barbuda temporary driver's licence. Do not drive on the Colombian licence alone. Obtain the local temporary licence first and keep the original Colombian licence available.
Legal treatment of a Colombia licence
Colombia and Antigua and Barbuda are separate sovereign states. Antigua and Barbuda's Vehicles and Road Traffic Act allows the responsible authority to grant a temporary driver's licence to a bona fide visitor for a period not exceeding three months. Royal Police Force guidance says a visitor must present an original valid driver's licence, pay ECD 50 or USD 20 and provide a local address. The police guidance does not identify Colombia as subject to a separate rule.
The Act excludes a chauffeur's licence from the temporary visitor licence provision. Treatment of individual Colombian licence categories beyond that statutory limitation was not verified.
IDP requirement and applicable model
The verified Antigua and Barbuda visitor licensing requirements do not require an International Driving Permit. The Royal Police Force asks for the original valid driver's licence. Colombia's Ministry of Transport states that Colombia is not a party to the international convention framework it describes for International Driving Permits and that Colombia does not issue an official PIC, the Spanish term used by the Ministry for an IDP. No Geneva or Vienna IDP model is therefore identified as necessary for this visitor process.
No official Antigua and Barbuda recommendation telling Colombian visitors to obtain an IDP was verified. A private document marketed as an IDP should not be treated as a substitute for the original Colombian licence or the Antigua and Barbuda temporary licence.
Visitor and resident rules
Section 40 of the Vehicles and Road Traffic Act permits a temporary driver's licence for a bona fide visitor for a period not exceeding three months. The maximum statutory period is therefore 90 days for this temporary licence. Actual lawful driving also depends on the licence granted and the holder continuing to satisfy the relevant visitor conditions.
The Royal Police Force notes that residents of OECS member states may not need a temporary licence while visiting. That exception does not apply to Colombia. Detailed long-term resident conversion or testing rules for Colombian licence holders were not verified.
Rental-car requirements
Rental policy is separate from driving law. Hertz at V.C. Bird International Airport states that renters must present a valid national driver's licence and must also have a local permit, which Hertz says is available at its counter and valid for three months. Hertz states that an International Driver's Licence is not accepted for rental. These are Hertz requirements and should not be assumed to represent every rental company.
Police documents and insurance
For the temporary driver's licence, the Royal Police Force lists the original valid driver's licence, the prescribed fee and a local address. No separate translation is listed in those official requirements. A specific insurance condition tied to use of a Colombia licence could not be verified, so insurance requirements are unverified – confirm with official authority.
Relevant exceptions
The statutory visitor licence cannot be a chauffeur's licence. The police also identifies a possible exemption for visiting residents of OECS member states, but a Colombian licence holder does not qualify merely by holding a Colombian licence. No Colombia-specific bilateral exemption or special vehicle-category rule was verified.
Official sources used
- Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda, temporary driver's licence requirements for visitors, checked 6 October 2026, https://police.gov.ag/licenses/
- Laws of Antigua and Barbuda, Vehicles and Road Traffic Act, section 40 on temporary driver's licences for bona fide visitors, checked 6 October 2026, https://laws.gov.ag/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/cap-460.pdf
- Colombia Ministry of Transport, driving-licence validation guidance stating that Colombia does not issue an official International Driving Permit under the convention framework described by the Ministry, checked 6 October 2026, https://mintransporte.gov.co/publicaciones/12382/convenios-de-convalidacion-de-licencias-de-conduccion/
- Hertz, V.C. Bird International Airport rental information, national licence and local permit requirements, checked 6 October 2026, https://www.hertz.com/us/en/location/antiguaandbarbuda/coolidge/anut50
Practical recommendation
Bring the original valid Colombia driving licence and obtain the Antigua and Barbuda temporary driver's licence before driving. Do not purchase an unofficial IDP expecting it to replace either document. For a rental car, check the chosen company's terms because identification, age, payment and insurance requirements can be stricter than the legal licensing rules.
Last verified date
This information was checked against the listed official and first-party sources on 6 October 2026. Driving-licence, visitor and rental requirements can change, so recheck the Royal Police Force and your rental company before travel.