Argentina on an Austrian Licence — IDP Required, Same Side, Same 0.05 Limit

The honest answer for Austrian travellers is that the driving itself will feel familiar — it is the one piece of paper that trips people up.

Can an Austrian licence holder drive in Argentina? Yes, but the International Driving Permit is mandatory. Argentina is not a country where the foreign licence stands on its own. Police and, more importantly, rental companies expect the IDP beside your Austrian licence, and a hire desk is within its rights to refuse the keys if you turn up without one. You cannot obtain an IDP once you are in Argentina, so collect it from the ÖAMTC at home before departure. Carry the IDP, your Austrian licence and your passport as a set.

Two things that catch many visitors will not catch you. Argentina drives on the right, exactly as Austria does, so there is no side to relearn. And the blood-alcohol limit is 0.05 — the same number you live with at home — so there is no new threshold to memorise. The safe approach is still zero before driving, because penalties differ province to province and a roadside fine for being over is not a fixed national figure.

Where Argentina genuinely differs is scale and intensity. Buenos Aires traffic is dense, assertive and fast-changing; lane discipline is loose and you will be expected to commit at junctions. Once you leave the capital the picture flips entirely — long-distance roads are good but enormous, often single-carriageway, with hundreds of kilometres between fuel stops. Patagonia in particular is remote, with unsealed sections and real distances between towns, so a full tank and water are not optional. Town limits drop to a low 40 km/h and are enforced; the open road runs at 110 and motorways at 130.

A speeding fine of roughly ARS 10,000–30,000 (about €10–30) is typical for being modestly over, though the exact figure varies by province. Petrol sits near $0.88/litre. The national emergency number is 911.

Confirm your paperwork with the Driving Permit Checker, read the full rules on our Argentina driving guide, and estimate any penalty with the Speeding Fine Calculator.