French Guiana for US Drivers 2026: IDP or French Translation
United States
French Guiana
Yes. French Guiana follows French law, so for a short stay your US licence must come with an international driving permit or an official French translation. Driving is on the right, as at home.
French Guiana is a French overseas department on the north-east coast of South America, and its road law is French law. That decides the paperwork for an American visitor more than anything about the place itself.
What French law asks of a US licence
Service-public.fr, the French government’s official guide, sets out the short-stay rule for licences from outside the EU and EEA. Your licence must be valid, and it must “être rédigé en français, ou être accompagné d’un permis de conduire international … ou d’une traduction officielle.” A US licence is in English, so you need an international driving permit or an official French translation alongside it. The US card on its own does not meet the rule.
For most Americans the permit is the easier route. It follows the 1949 Geneva Convention, which both the United States and France have joined, and it has to be obtained at home before departure. A translation also works. If it is done abroad it must be legalised or apostilled, and if it is done in France it has to come from an authorised translator or from the US embassy. Hire companies often add their own conditions, such as a minimum age or a year of driving experience.
Same side, French habits
Traffic keeps to the right, so the steering-wheel position and lane discipline will feel normal. The differences are French ones: priority to the right at some unmarked junctions, a lot of roundabouts, and signs in French.
Distances, alcohol and help
Nearly every road and town lies on the coastal strip between Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, Kourou and Cayenne. The interior is rainforest with few roads, so carry water, fuel and a charged phone on long stretches. GOV.UK gives the blood-alcohol limit as 0.05%, lower than in most US states, and drink-driving can lead to a fine or prison. For emergencies, dial 112, or 15 for an ambulance, 18 for fire and 17 for police.
The Driving Permit Checker covers other countries on your route, and the guide to driving fines abroad explains how French penalties follow a hire car.
Sources
- Service-public.fr, driving in France on a foreign licence during a short stay (F1459): https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1459
- GOV.UK foreign travel advice, French Guiana (drink-drive limit, emergency numbers): https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/french-guiana
- UN Treaty Collection, 1949 Convention on Road Traffic (XI-B-1), list of parties: https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetailsV.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XI-B-1&chapter=11
Speed limits, fines, equipment & license requirements
Your home country driving rules for reference
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, for a short stay, but not on the US card alone. French Guiana is a French department, and French law requires a licence from outside the EU and EEA to be in French or to come with an international driving permit or an official translation.
Yes. The permit issued in the United States follows the 1949 Geneva Convention, and France is a party to it. Get it before you leave, because it cannot be issued in French Guiana.
On the right, like the United States. The signs, priority rules and roundabout habits are French, though, so learn the main European signs before you set off.