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

If you are flying into Vilnius and planning to hire a car for the Baltic coast or the lakes, the licence question has a simple answer — and a couple of habits worth unlearning before you collect the keys.

Can you drive on an Indian licence?

Yes. An Indian licence is accepted in Lithuania for a tourist visit, but you should pair it with an International Driving Permit. Lithuania is in the EU, so EU and EEA licences pass without anything extra; as a non-EU visitor you sit in the group that rental companies and roadside police expect to see carrying an IDP. The IDP is only a translation of your Indian licence — it is not a standalone document, so carry both, plus your passport. Arrange the IDP in India before you travel; you cannot get one once you have landed. You can sanity-check the requirement on our Driving Permit Checker.

The real adjustment: driving on the right

India drives on the left and Lithuania drives on the right, and that reversal is what actually trips Indian drivers up — not the paperwork. The danger window is the first hour: pulling out of a fuel station, joining a roundabout that now flows clockwise, or the instinctive glance the wrong way at a junction. Take that first stint on quiet roads rather than in Vilnius traffic, and keep talking yourself through every turn until “keep right” stops feeling deliberate.

A low alcohol limit and real enforcement

Lithuania’s drink-drive limit is 0.04 — only marginally above India’s 0.03, and well inside the territory where a single drink is a mistake. The simplest rule is none at all if you are driving. Enforcement is routine, including evening checks, and penalties escalate quickly.

Documents and the small stuff

Carry your Indian licence, the IDP and your passport together. Lithuania expects the usual European in-car kit — a warning triangle and reflective vest are the items most often checked. The emergency number is 112. If you are caught speeding, a typical low-level fine for missing required gear or a minor breach runs around EUR 30-50, so keep a card handy.

Before you set off, read the full rules on our Lithuania driving guide and, if you are touring onward through Central Europe, check which countries need a motorway sticker on our vignette countries guide.