Bolivia on a UK Licence in 2026: Bring the 1949 IDP Along

Bolivia is one of South America’s most dramatic places to drive — salt flats, altiplano and roads that climb to dizzying heights — but it is not a forgiving one. For a British visitor the licence is the easy part; the altitude and the terrain deserve real respect.

Can you drive there on a UK licence?

Only with a permit beside it. GOV.UK tells British drivers they need both a 1949 International Driving Permit and the UK licence in the car to drive in Bolivia. The IDP is the 1949 version, and it cannot be bought once you have left the UK, so get it before you travel and keep it with your licence and passport.

GOV.UK also warns that landslides can block roads in the rainy season, from November to March, and suggests checking the Bolivian road authority’s status updates before setting out.

The side switch comes first

The UK drives on the left; Bolivia drives on the right. Be deliberate at junctions and roundabouts for your first day until the new direction feels normal — easy to forget when you are also concentrating on unfamiliar mountain roads.

Altitude and terrain are the real story

This is where honesty matters more than a speed figure. Town limits are a low 40 km/h and rural roads 80 km/h — and those numbers reflect reality, because much of Bolivia sits above 3,500 m, with La Paz, the altiplano and many passes higher still. Engines lose power, you may feel the altitude yourself, and roads are frequently narrow, unpaved, edged by long drops and weather-affected. Drive slowly, avoid night driving, keep fuel topped up between towns, and do not attempt remote routes without a capable vehicle.

The drink-drive limit is 0.05, below the UK’s 0.08, so don’t drink and drive. Fill up before remote altiplano stretches, and note that the emergency numbers are police 110, ambulance 118 and fire 119.

Sort your paperwork with the driving permit checker, and read our overseas fines guide for how penalties work when you are driving abroad.

Sources

• GOV.UK foreign travel advice, Bolivia, safety and security (1949 IDP plus UK licence; IDP only sold in the UK; rainy-season landslides): gov.uk
• GOV.UK, International Driving Permits (which IDP version each country uses): gov.uk