UK Drivers in Armenia 2026: 1968 IDP Required, Keep Right

If you are from the UK and planning to drive in Armenia, the paperwork answer is short: you need your UK licence and a 1968 International Driving Permit, both, and the permit can only be bought in the UK. The Foreign Office says exactly that. After the paperwork comes the side of the road. Armenia keeps right, and every British reflex points the other way.

Which permit, and why that one

There are two IDP models on sale in the UK, and only the 1968 version works here. Armenia acceded to the 1968 Vienna Convention in 2005 and has never joined the 1949 convention, so a 1949 permit has no legal footing. Buy the right one before you leave, because GOV.UK is clear that you cannot buy an IDP outside the UK. Keep it with the photocard licence and your passport; you will show all three at any police stop.

Canada’s advice phrases the requirement as an IDP or an Armenian licence. For a short visit the IDP is the only practical route. Planning a Caucasus loop? The Driving Permit Checker shows what Georgia and other neighbours ask for.

Left to right, and other drivers

The left-to-right switch is mostly a first-day problem. The trouble spots are predictable: pulling out of a fuel station, entering a roundabout that runs anticlockwise, turning left across what is now oncoming traffic. Begin outside the city centre, not in central Yerevan.

The harder adjustment lasts longer. The Foreign Office describes the standard of driving as poor and tells visitors to expect drivers who drive recklessly and ignore traffic laws. Canada adds that drink-driving by others is common at weekends. In practice that means wider gaps, slower approaches to junctions and no assumption that a red light will stop cross traffic.

A plan built around daylight and season

GOV.UK puts the roads at their worst from November to February, the coldest months. Canada notes that main routes and roads in Yerevan have improved, but rural roads carry large potholes and snow is poorly cleared in winter. Both governments steer you away from driving in the dark: outside towns, poor surfaces combine with a lack of lighting.

A sensible itinerary follows from that:

• Do long cross-country legs in the morning, with time spare before sunset.
• In winter, check conditions the evening before any mountain drive and keep a fallback day.
• Download offline maps; signal can drop in the regions.
• Treat unlit rural roads as closed after dark.

Alcohol: a quarter of England’s limit

Under Article 126 of Armenia’s Code of Administrative Offences a driver is intoxicated above 0.2 grams of alcohol per litre of blood (0.02%), or 0.1 mg per litre of breath. England and Wales allow 80 mg per 100 ml, four times as much. Canada’s advice calls Armenia’s limit 0.0% and the WHO profile lists 0.04 g/dl, but the Code is what police apply. A first offence brings a fine and five penalty points, and above one gram per litre the licence is withdrawn for a year. Drink nothing on a driving day.

What must be in the car

British law asks for none of these, so check them yourself at the rental desk. Armenia expects a car to carry:

• a fire extinguisher
• a first aid kit
• a reflective vest
• a warning triangle

Spare bulbs are recommended. Look for each item before you sign, and ask for anything missing.

Days without the car

Yerevan is not the place to practise. For city days, GOV.UK suggests the GG taxi app, which it describes as reputable, and warns that taxis hailed on the street risk inflated fares. It also suggests reading the RAC’s Armenia guide for the full rules of the road.

Numbers to save

112 for any emergency, or the direct lines: 102 police, 103 medical help, 101 fire service. Country rules sit in the Armenia driving guide; if a ticket arrives after you are home, see who pays driving fines abroad.

Sources

• GOV.UK foreign travel advice, Armenia, safety and security (1968 IDP plus UK licence; IDP only from the UK; driving standards; November to February; night driving; GG taxi app; RAC guide): gov.uk
• Global Affairs Canada, Armenia travel advice (describes a 0.0% limit; road conditions; weekend drink-driving; 112/102/103/101): travel.gc.ca
• WHO Global status report on road safety 2023, Armenia profile (reports 0.04 g/dl): who.int
• Code of Administrative Offences of Armenia, Article 126 (intoxication above 0.2 g of alcohol per litre of blood or 0.1 mg per litre of breath): arlis.am
• UN Treaty Collection, 1968 Convention on Road Traffic (Armenia acceded 2005): treaties.un.org
• GOV.UK, the drink-drive limit (80 mg per 100 ml in England and Wales): gov.uk