Driving in Antigua and Barbuda with a Uzbekistan Driving Licence: IDP Requirements and Rules
A driving licence issued by Uzbekistan does not by itself authorize driving in Antigua and Barbuda. A bona fide visitor must obtain a local temporary driver licence under section 40, for a period not exceeding three months. An International Driving Permit (IDP) is not recognized and does not replace that local licence. No Antigua and Barbuda translation rule specific to the current Uzbekistan licence was verified.
Quick answer
The practical legal path is a local visitor licence, not an IDP. Uzbekistan issues a Vienna Convention-style national licence, but treaty recognition does not apply here because Antigua and Barbuda is not listed as a party to the 1968 Convention.
Legal treatment of the Uzbekistan licence in Antigua and Barbuda
Section 30 of the Vehicles and Road Traffic Act requires a driver on a road to hold a driver licence, subject to the Act. Section 40 creates the visitor route: a bona fide visitor may be granted a temporary driver licence, other than a chauffeur licence, for any period not exceeding three months and subject to any conditions placed on that licence.
For this pair, the important distinction is that the Uzbekistan national licence is not the Antigua and Barbuda driving authorization. It is the underlying foreign credential a traveller should bring when applying for the local visitor licence. The checked destination law does not publish a Uzbekistan-specific exchange or automatic-recognition rule.
IDP requirement, recommendation and model
An IDP is not legally required as the document that authorizes driving in Antigua and Barbuda. Official Canadian travel guidance states that the International Driving Permit is not recognized there and that visitors must obtain a temporary local driver licence. No official recommendation to carry an IDP for this exact pair was verified.
Uzbekistan acceded to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic on 17 January 1995. Antigua and Barbuda is not listed by the United Nations as a party to either the 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna road traffic convention. As a result, no 1949 or 1968 convention IDP model supplies the legal authority to drive in Antigua and Barbuda.
Visitor and resident rules
The visitor licence may be granted for a period not exceeding three months. Because the statute states the limit in months rather than a fixed number of days, no fixed day count is stored for this page.
Section 40 is expressly a bona fide visitor provision. A verified Uzbekistan-specific resident conversion, exchange right or resident grace period was not found, so resident treatment is unverified – confirm with official authority.
Rental-car requirements
Antigua and Barbuda law allows an authorized self-drive hire vehicle owner to hand over a temporary visitor licence on behalf of the licensing authority. This is why a rental counter may be able to arrange the local permit.
J Will Car Rental states that a renter must present a valid driver licence held for at least two years and must obtain an Antiguan Driving Permit if the renter does not hold an Antiguan licence. Its terms also state that temporary permits are available to international customers. These are J Will policies and should not be generalized to every rental company.
Police documents and insurance
Section 41 allows a police officer to require production of the driver licence. The Act also allows production within 48 hours at a police station specified by the officer. No checked official source says an IDP is the document police require.
For insurance, J Will states that comprehensive cover including third-party liability is provided with its rentals and that its collision damage waiver depends on compliance with the rental agreement. A general visitor-driver insurance-document requirement for this exact pair was not verified.
Relevant exceptions
The visitor licence cannot be a chauffeur licence and may contain conditions. Uzbekistan current national licence design uses categories A, B, C, D, BE, CE and DE, but the destination sources checked do not establish an exact category-by-category mapping for the temporary visitor licence.
The current Uzbekistan licence design includes "Driving licence" and the country name in English. That improves practical readability, but no Antigua and Barbuda authority source checked for this page establishes whether a separate translation is required for every Uzbekistan licence format.
Official sources used
- Antigua and Barbuda Laws, Vehicles and Road Traffic Act, Cap 460, sections 30, 40 and 41. Verifies the local driver licence rule, visitor licence of up to three months, exclusion of a chauffeur licence, rental handover mechanism and police production rule. Official law PDF. Checked 2026-10-06.
- Government of Canada, Antigua and Barbuda travel advice. Verifies its official statement that the International Driving Permit is not recognized and that a temporary local driver licence is required for Canadian visitors. Travel advice. Checked 2026-10-06.
- United Nations Treaty Collection, 1968 Convention on Road Traffic. Verifies Uzbekistan accession on 17 January 1995 and the current party list. 1968 Convention status. Checked 2026-10-06.
- United Nations Treaty Collection, 1949 Convention on Road Traffic. Used to check the current party list. 1949 Convention status. Checked 2026-10-06.
- Uzbekistan LexUZ, Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 116 on the national driving licence design. Verifies English wording on the current licence and categories A, B, C, D, BE, CE and DE. LexUZ licence specification. Checked 2026-10-06.
- J Will Car Rental, Terms and Conditions. Verifies that company rental requirements, temporary permit policy and insurance terms. J Will terms. Checked 2026-10-06.
Practical recommendation
Bring the original valid Uzbekistan driving licence and passport, arrange the local temporary visitor driver licence before driving, and do not treat an IDP as a substitute. If your licence is an older format or you are unsure whether its details will be accepted without translation, confirm with the Antigua and Barbuda Transport Board or your rental company before collection.
Last verified date
This information was checked against the sources listed above on 2026-10-06. The date is a verification date, not a claim that the law changed on that date.