Driving in Antigua and Barbuda with an Andorra Driving Licence: IDP Requirements and Rules
An Andorra licence holder can drive in Antigua and Barbuda as a visitor only after obtaining the local temporary driving permit. The tourism authority requires a valid home-country licence plus the local permit, and section 40 of the Vehicles and Road Traffic Act limits the visitor temporary driver licence to no more than three months. An IDP is not recognized as the driving authorization there and cannot replace the local permit. Translation and resident rules are only partly verified.
Quick answer
Use the valid Andorra licence to obtain the temporary Antigua and Barbuda driving permit. Do not rely on an International Driving Permit as the document that makes driving legal. Section 40 sets a maximum of three months for the bona fide visitor temporary driver licence. The database day field remains NULL because the statute states the period in months rather than a fixed number of days.
Legal treatment of the Andorra licence in Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority says rental-car visitors need a valid driving licence from their home country and must purchase a temporary local driving permit. That destination-wide rule applies to a valid Andorra licence because no Andorra-specific exclusion or separate treatment was found in the checked official guidance. The foreign licence is therefore part of the required documentation, but it is not sufficient on its own.
Section 40 excludes a chauffeur licence from the visitor temporary-licence route. How each Andorra licence category maps to local classes beyond that exception was unverified – confirm with official authority.
IDP requirement, recommendation, and applicable model
Government of Canada travel guidance states that the International Driving Permit is not recognized in Antigua and Barbuda. The local temporary permit is the document a visitor must obtain. The Government of Andorra advises travellers to follow the destination rules and directs Andorran licence holders to the Automòbil Club d’Andorra when an IDP is needed.
Automòbil Club d’Andorra is the authorized Andorran issuer and states that its IDP follows the 1968 Vienna Convention model. That identifies the Andorran IDP model, but it does not make the document a substitute for the Antigua and Barbuda local permit. No destination-government recommendation to carry an IDP was verified. A private rental company may still recommend it for translation in some cases.
Visitor and resident rules
Section 40 of the Vehicles and Road Traffic Act allows the visitor temporary driver licence for a period not exceeding three months and limits it to a bona fide visitor. Because the statute expresses the maximum in months rather than a fixed number of days, max_visitor_days is left NULL.
Once a person is no longer a bona fide visitor, section 40 is no longer the verified basis for driving. The research did not establish a resident conversion deadline or any Andorra-specific exchange right, so those resident details are unverified – confirm with official authority.
Rental-car requirements
For a rental, the tourism authority requires a valid home-country licence and the temporary local permit. SunCars Rentals Antigua states that its rental agents can issue the local permit and that it is valid for three months. SunCars also publishes a language-based policy: for non-English licences using Latin-based letters it recommends an IDP but does not require one, while for non-Latin scripts it requires an IDP or a professional typed translation. This is rental policy rather than destination law.
Police or authority documents and insurance
Section 41 of the Vehicles and Road Traffic Act requires the driver of a motor vehicle to produce the driver licence when a police officer requires it. If it is not produced immediately, the section allows the licence to be produced in person within 48 hours at the police station specified by the officer. For a visitor, the safest document to have available is the local temporary driver licence together with the original home licence used to obtain it.
For a visitor bringing a private motor car or motor cycle into Antigua and Barbuda, section 29 requires compliance with the laws protecting third parties against motor-vehicle risks before a temporary vehicle licence is issued. No separate insurance condition tied specifically to an Andorra licence, and no named rental insurance term, was verified. Automòbil Club d’Andorra separately states that an IDP does not itself provide or imply insurance.
Relevant exceptions
The central exception is that a foreign licence or IDP does not replace the Antigua and Barbuda temporary permit. Translation requirements may also differ at the rental counter according to the language and script shown on the home licence. No Andorra-specific treaty exemption, vehicle-category exception, or resident conversion privilege was verified.
Official sources used
- Antigua and Barbuda Vehicles and Road Traffic Act, Cap. 460 — visitor temporary driver licence, three-month statutory maximum, police production rule, and own-vehicle third-party risk condition, checked 2026-10-05.
- Vehicles and Road Traffic Amendment Act 2025 — later amendments to the principal Act and licensing administration reviewed for this check, checked 2026-10-05.
- Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority — valid home-country licence, temporary local permit, and EC$50 fee, checked 2026-10-05.
- U.S. Department of State — visitor permit requirement, approximate US$20 cost, and three-month validity, checked 2026-10-05.
- Government of Canada — IDP not recognized and temporary local licence required, checked 2026-10-05.
- Government of Andorra — guidance for using an Andorran driving licence abroad and referral to the authorized IDP issuer, checked 2026-10-05.
- Automòbil Club d’Andorra — 1968 Vienna Convention IDP model and issuing authority, checked 2026-10-05.
- SunCars Rentals Antigua — local permit issuance and language or script translation policy, checked 2026-10-05.
Practical recommendation
Carry the original valid Andorra licence and obtain the local temporary driving permit before taking a vehicle onto the road. If a rental company asks for an IDP or translation because of the licence language or script, treat that as an additional rental-document condition. Do not rely on the Andorran 1968 IDP instead of the local permit.
Last verified date
This information was checked against the listed sources on 2026-10-05. Driving-licence, rental, residence, and insurance rules can change, so unverified categories should be confirmed with the relevant authority or rental provider before travel.