Can an American Drive in Mozambique? — IDP Required, and You Switch to the Left

Can an American driver legally drive in Mozambique? Yes, but with an important caveat on paperwork: treat an International Driving Permit as required, not optional. Carry it together with your US licence and passport, because police checkpoints are common in Mozambique and an IDP is the document an officer expects to see translating your home licence. Get it in the United States before you fly — there is no practical way to arrange one once you have arrived.

The change that demands the most care is the side of the road. The United States drives on the right; Mozambique drives on the left. That mirrors every instinct you have built over years of driving — which way you look first at a junction, which side you overtake, how a roundabout flows. The dangerous window is your first day, especially pulling out of a fuel station or a hotel car park. Collect the car, do a slow lap on a quiet road, and stay consciously deliberate at every turn until left-hand traffic feels natural rather than wrong.

On speed, towns are limited to 50 km/h, rural roads to 80, and the motorway cap is 100 km/h. The numbers, though, are less of an issue than road conditions: outside the main routes, surfaces vary, unlit vehicles and pedestrians appear after dark, and long rural drives leave little margin for error. Drive in daylight where you can, keep speeds conservative, and treat the posted limit as a ceiling rather than a target. The alcohol limit is 0.06, below the US 0.08, and with checkpoints frequent the sensible policy is simply none before driving.

A couple of practical notes: fuel runs around $1.12 a litre, and the capital is Maputo, where city traffic is the most demanding driving you will do. Keep your documents accessible at all times — you will be asked for them, and producing the IDP, licence and passport smoothly makes every stop quicker.

Before you go, confirm exactly what your situation needs with our Driving Permit Checker, read the wider rules on the Mozambique driving guide, and the Driving Fines Abroad — Who Pays explainer is worth a look before you set off.