Can a British Driver Drive in The Gambia? — IDP Advised, Side Switches Right

Can a British licence holder drive in The Gambia? Yes — your UK licence is recognised for a visit, and you should carry an International Driving Permit with it. The IDP is recommended rather than always legally demanded, but it settles questions at the hire desk and at the checkpoints you’ll meet on the roads. The real challenges in this small West African country are on the tarmac, not in the documents.

The side of the road changes. You drive on the left at home; The Gambia drives on the right. The hazard window is your first hour, and it’s the instinctive moments that catch you — joining a roundabout that now flows the other way, pulling out of a fuel station, or a glance in the wrong direction at a junction. Take the first stretch somewhere quiet rather than straight into Banjul or the coastal-resort traffic, and stay deliberate at every turn until right-hand driving stops feeling backwards.

Conditions matter more than the limit. On paper you’ll see about 50 km/h in towns, 80 on rural roads and up to 100 km/h on the main highway running inland. In practice the bigger issue is the surface: away from the few good roads, expect potholes, unsealed sections, fading markings, livestock on the carriageway and pedestrians close to fast traffic. After dark, unlit vehicles and people at the roadside make night driving genuinely risky, so plan to be off the rural roads before sundown. Drive to the road in front of you, not the number on the sign. The alcohol limit is 0.08, the same as England’s, but the demanding conditions make staying completely dry the sensible policy.

Carry your UK licence, IDP and passport together and keep them accessible for checkpoints. The emergency number is 112. Sort the IDP at home — you can’t arrange one once you’ve arrived.

Confirm your paperwork with the Driving Permit Checker, read the full rules on our Gambia driving guide, and if you’re touring more widely, see how penalties are handled in our overview of driving fines abroad.