New Zealand on a French Licence — The Side Switch & Why You Still Need an IDP

Here is the trap French drivers don’t expect: your EU licence, which lets you drive across half the world without a second thought, is not enough in New Zealand on its own. The country requires a licence to be in English, and the permis de conduire is not — so you must carry an International Driving Permit or an official English translation with it. This catches French visitors out at the rental desk more than any other rule, so arrange the IDP at home before you fly. Confirm exactly what you need with our Driving Permit Checker.

The driving change is the side. You cross from the right to left-hand traffic, with the wheel on the right and roundabouts turning clockwise. The reflexes take a day to rewire, and the riskiest moments are the small ones — leaving a car park, the first roundabout, the glance the wrong way at a junction. Take your first stint somewhere quiet.

Then there are the roads. Outside the cities New Zealand is narrow and twisting, with blind bends, gravel verges and single-lane bridges all over the South Island. Each bridge has a sign with two arrows: a small red arrow means give way to oncoming cars, a larger black arrow means you go first. Slow right down and read it — local drivers expect you to know it.

The alcohol limit is 0.05, identical to France, so that at least is familiar; just remember enforcement is heavy and breath tests are routine. Speeds are calm — 100 km/h on the open road, far below the autoroute, and 50 in towns. Cameras and mobile patrols are common, and 10 km/h over runs about NZD 80 plus demerit points, which the Speeding Fine Calculator will estimate. Petrol is around $1.72/litre and the emergency number is 111. Read the full rules in our New Zealand driving guide before you collect the car.