Can an American Drive in Guyana? — IDP Advised + the Switch to the Left

Guyana is one of South America’s quieter self-drive destinations, and for an American the licence side is easy enough — it is the left-hand traffic and the road conditions that deserve your attention.

Driving in Guyana on a US licence

You can drive in Guyana on your US licence as a visitor. Carry an International Driving Permit with it: the IDP is a recognised translation that smooths things over with rental companies and at the occasional police check. Arrange it in the US before you travel, because it cannot be issued once you arrive, and keep the IDP, your US licence and your passport together.

The switch every American notices first

Guyana, unusually for the continent, drives on the left — the reverse of the United States. That makes the first day the risky one: pulling out of a forecourt, joining a roundabout, or the instinctive glance the wrong way at a junction. Start on quiet roads, not in central Georgetown, and consciously keep left until it stops feeling backwards.

Speeds are low and the surface matters more

Limits sit at about 40 km/h in towns, 80 km/h on rural roads and 100 km/h on the main coastal highway — modest numbers, and for good reason. Away from that coastal strip, roads turn to packed earth and laterite, the interior is sparse and unlit, and animals and pedestrians share the carriageway. Drive to the surface, not the sign. The drink-drive limit is 0.08 BAC, the same as much of the US, but treat it as zero on unfamiliar roads after dark. Fuel runs about $1.08 a litre, and stations thin out fast once you leave the coast, so fill up before any long leg.

Check the rules in full on our Guyana driving guide, confirm your documents with the Driving Permit Checker, and use the Speed Limit Map to set expectations before you set off.