American Samoa on a US Licence 2026: Right Side, Slow Roads

Americans drive on the right in American Samoa, exactly as at home. If you only need to know which side to expect, that is the answer, and the rest of this page is about what else is worth knowing before you pick up a car on a small island. The territory has been under the US flag since 1900, when Tutuila came under US control, and it is administered through the US Department of the Interior. That history does not mean every mainland rule applies. American Samoa still writes its own motor-vehicle rules.

Why Americans drive on the right

Right-hand traffic in the United States is usually traced to the horse-drawn freight wagons of the late eighteenth century and was fixed in law state by state long before motor cars. American Samoa inherited the same convention along with US administration, so the steering wheel, the lane you hold and the direction you overtake all match the mainland. The surprise comes when you leave: independent Samoa, a separate country with its own government, drives on the left. If your trip includes both islands, expect to relearn the road when you land.

Licence: the questions to put to the hire firm

A US licence is the document most visitors from the mainland carry, and American Samoa is the one place outside the states where it is the home document. The territory sets its own motor-vehicle rules, so before you book, ask the rental company in writing what it needs from a US licence holder and for how long it will rent to a visitor. An International Driving Permit is not normally part of a trip between the US and one of its territories, but carrying one does no harm and may be useful if you continue to another country. For onward legs the Driving Permit Checker lists other countries’ requirements.

Searches for “American Samoa DMV” or “OMV” lead to the territory’s own motor-vehicle office. That office handles local licensing for people who live there. A short-stay visitor’s practical questions are answered by the rental firm, so start with them.

What Tutuila’s roads are like

Most visitors stay on Tutuila, where the main road follows the coast between villages and the harbour at Pago Pago. Distances are measured in minutes rather than hours, and speeds are low. Posted signs govern speed; follow them and the pace of the traffic around you rather than a figure from the mainland. Expect:

• pedestrians walking along the road edge and crossing between villages
• buses that stop without warning
• stray dogs on the road and at village edges
• bends above the sea where the shoulder is narrow

The National Park Service warns visitors that stray dogs may bite. In practice that means keeping windows up when you stop in a village, not getting out to approach a dog, and slowing well before a dog or a person near the edge of the road.

Weather and phones

After heavy rain, give surfaces extra margin, especially on hill sections and bends. Mobile coverage is reasonable around Pago Pago and patchier elsewhere, so download offline maps before setting out.

Alcohol and emergencies

No official legal limit for the territory is available to cite here, so the safe rule is not to drink and drive. For emergencies the record lists 911 for police, ambulance and fire, the same number you use at home. Save it, plus the rental company’s roadside line, before you leave the lot.

First-day plan

Collect the car in daylight. Walk round it and photograph any marks, check the tyres and spare, and ask the desk where to refuel before you set off. Then drive a short loop on the quietest road available to get used to the pace. The American Samoa driving guide gives the wider regional picture.

Sources

• US Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs, American Samoa (US territory by deed of cession from 1900; administered by the Department of the Interior since 1956): doi.gov
• National Park Service, National Park of American Samoa, safety (stray dogs may bite): nps.gov