Do I need an IDP to drive in Turkey?
🇹🇷 Türkiye · Updated 7 Jun 2026
Direct answer
Usually recommended rather than required. Türkiye accepts foreign licenses for up to six months. EU, US and other Latin-alphabet licenses are accepted directly at rental desks. Licenses not in the Latin alphabet should be accompanied by a 1968-convention International Driving Permit or a notarized Turkish translation — police checks outside tourist areas do look.
At a glance
- IDP required?
- Recommended — required in practice for non-Latin-script licenses
- Foreign license validity
- Up to 6 months from entry
- IDP convention
- 1968 Vienna
- Alternative
- Notarized Turkish translation of your license
- Rental desks
- EU/US licenses accepted directly in tourist areas
Turn this guide into a clean travel plan
Use the guide as context, then confirm your exact license, destination, dates, and vehicle before buying anything.
What Türkiye checks, and where
In Istanbul, Antalya and the coastal rental hubs, an EU or US license plus passport gets you a car with no questions. The picture changes inland and at gendarmerie checkpoints, where an officer reading your license matters: Latin-script licenses are generally workable, while Arabic, Cyrillic or Asian-script licenses without an IDP or Turkish translation invite roadside delays and fines.
IDP or notarized translation — Türkiye accepts both
Türkiye follows the 1968 Vienna convention and explicitly recognizes notarized Turkish translations as an alternative accompaniment to the original license. Get the IDP from your license country's authorized issuer before travel, or have a translation notarized — what you should not do is buy an 'international driver's license' from a third-party website, which Turkish authorities do not recognize.
The six-month line
Tourists can drive on foreign documentation for six months from entry. Cross into residency and Türkiye expects you to convert to a Turkish license. If your plans straddle that line, start the conversion paperwork early — it requires a certified translation of your license as part of the file, which is a legitimate use of a translation service.
What to prepare
- Original license (valid, physical)
- Passport with entry stamp
- IDP (1968 convention) or notarized Turkish translation if your license is not in Latin script
- Rental agreement + compulsory traffic insurance docs
- Run the free requirement check for your license country
Frequently asked questions
Can I rent a car in Turkey with a US or EU license?
Does Turkey accept a translation instead of an IDP?
What happens after six months in Turkey?
Government and authority sources
Also see our authorized issuer guidance for where to get a real IDP when your trip requires one.