Can a British Driver Use Their Licence in Guinea-Bissau? — IDP Recommended + the Side Switch

Guinea-Bissau is one of West Africa’s least-travelled countries, and self-driving here is an expedition rather than a holiday hire. Honest information on traffic rules is scarce, so this page sticks to what is genuinely known and avoids inventing the rest.

The verdict for a UK licence holder

The practical setup is your British licence plus an International Driving Permit. Guinea-Bissau is a former Portuguese territory that follows the 1968 Vienna conventions, and an IDP is the document police and the few rental operators expect to see. Arrange it in the UK before you travel — you will not get one locally — and keep it with your licence and passport. Where detailed law is unclear, carrying the IDP is the cautious default.

The side switch is the real adjustment

The UK drives on the left; Guinea-Bissau drives on the right. This is the single biggest change, and it is harder here than in Europe because you are relearning the side on roads that are often unsurfaced, unmarked and shared with pedestrians, livestock and bicycles. Take your first stretch slowly, be deliberate at every junction, and keep to daylight while the instinct settles.

What we will not pretend to know

Reliable figures for speed limits, the drink-drive threshold and on-the-spot fines simply are not well documented for Guinea-Bissau, and inventing them would do you no favours. The truthful guidance is straightforward: drive to the road, not to a sign, keep speeds low through Bissau and the villages, assume no street lighting after dark, and do not drink at all before driving — enforcement is unpredictable and the safest margin is zero.

Before you go

Check that your travel and breakdown insurance explicitly covers self-driving in Guinea-Bissau, as many policies exclude it. Carry cash, spare fuel and water for any journey beyond the capital, and download offline maps because coverage is minimal outside Bissau.

Confirm exactly what documents you should carry with the Driving Permit Checker, and read our broader guidance on penalties abroad in who pays driving fines abroad before you set off.