Can an Indian Drive in Cambodia? — IDP Required + the Side Switch

Cambodia is the one destination in this group with a firmer licence rule, so it pays to get the paperwork right before you arrive — the permit question has a stricter answer than most.

The verdict: IDP required, not just recommended

You can drive in Cambodia on your Indian licence, but only with an International Driving Permit — and here the IDP is required, not optional. Foreign drivers are expected to hold one, so this is the single most important thing to sort before you go. Arrange the IDP in India before you travel; it can’t be issued in Cambodia, and your home licence covers stays of up to about three months. Keep the IDP, your Indian licence and your passport together, and confirm the requirement on the Driving Permit Checker.

You switch to the right

India drives on the left; Cambodia drives on the right. That reversal is the main mechanical adjustment, and Cambodia raises the difficulty because the traffic is dense and scooter-heavy — Phnom Penh’s flow can feel relentless to a first-timer. Don’t make your first right-side drive the airport run into the capital; ease in somewhere calmer and be deliberate at every junction until the new direction feels automatic.

Low speeds, a modest alcohol limit, cheap fuel

Town limits are a low 40 km/h, rural roads about 60 km/h, and the faster highways up to 100 km/h — lower at the top than India’s 120, which suits the mixed traffic. The blood-alcohol limit is 0.05, looser than India’s 0.03, but with bikes weaving on every side a zero-alcohol policy is the only sensible one. Fuel runs about $1.15 a litre, and the emergency number is 112. Cross-check any limit on our Speed Limit Map, and find the full country detail on our Cambodia driving guide.