UK Drivers and Afghanistan in 2026: The FCDO Says Do Not Go

This page cannot give the usual verdict. For a British traveller the deciding fact about driving in Afghanistan is not the licence but the UK government’s advice.

The travel advice

The FCDO advises against all travel to Afghanistan, and its advice describes road travel as highly dangerous, with border crossings volatile and liable to close at short notice. Travelling against FCDO advice can invalidate your travel insurance. Read the full advice on GOV.UK before considering any journey.

The licence question

There is no recognised paperwork route. Afghanistan does not appear among the parties to either the 1949 Geneva or the 1968 Vienna road traffic convention, so an international driving permit has no treaty standing there. The Driving Permit Checker covers countries where a UK licence or IDP is recognised.

What else GOV.UK warns about

• Traffic drives on the right, the opposite of the UK.
• Alcohol may not be used or brought into the country; you could be arrested.
• Photographing government buildings, military sites or Taliban checkpoints can lead to detention.
• The Taliban have made it illegal for women to travel more than 72 km without a male relative.
• Mobile and internet services can be cut without warning, so do not rely on phone navigation.
• The police number listed by GOV.UK is 119.

The Afghanistan driving guide holds the rest of what is known.

Sources

• GOV.UK foreign travel advice, Afghanistan (advice against all travel; insurance): gov.uk
• GOV.UK foreign travel advice, Afghanistan safety and security (road travel highly dangerous; border crossings; alcohol ban; checkpoints; women’s travel limit; communications cut-offs): gov.uk
• GOV.UK foreign travel advice, Afghanistan getting help (police 119): gov.uk
• UN Treaty Collection, 1949 Convention on Road Traffic (parties): treaties.un.org and 1968 Convention on Road Traffic (parties): treaties.un.org