Pakistan on a British Licence — Drive Now, IDP Sensible, Zero Alcohol

If you hold a British licence and you are weighing up a self-drive trip to Pakistan, the licence question has a reassuring answer — and one detail that works entirely in your favour.

Can a British licence holder drive in Pakistan?

Yes. As a visitor you can drive on your UK photocard licence for a short stay, and an International Driving Permit is the sensible companion — not always demanded, but the thing that smooths a roadside check or a rental counter. Carry the IDP, your UK licence and your passport together. Sort the IDP in Britain before you fly; it is a translation of your existing licence, not a separate test.

The side of the road is the same — a rare bonus

Here is the part most guides bury: Pakistan drives on the left, just like the UK. For British drivers that removes the single biggest source of foreign-driving mistakes. There is no reversed roundabout flow to relearn, no instinct to fight at junctions, no wrong-side glance pulling out of a fuel station. Your muscle memory transfers straight across — which means you can spend your attention on the traffic itself rather than on which lane you belong in.

Zero alcohol is the rule, not a guideline

Pakistan’s legal blood-alcohol limit is 0.0. Alcohol is tightly restricted nationwide, so there is no quiet-pint margin to play with — if you are driving, you do not drink, full stop. Enforcement aside, it is simply the cleanest policy in a place where roadside discretion can be unpredictable.

What driving actually feels like

Posted limits run to 50 km/h in towns, 80 on rural roads and up to 120 km/h on the motorway (the M-series motorways are genuinely good, modern toll roads and the easiest way to cover distance). The challenge is rarely the speed sign — it is mixed traffic, motorbikes filtering everywhere, livestock and the gap between motorway quality and ordinary town roads. Drive defensively, leave early, and keep to daylight for any long rural leg.

Petrol is cheap by British standards, around $0.82 a litre. The general emergency number to know is 15 for police. Confirm your paperwork with the Driving Permit Checker, read the full rules on our Pakistan driving guide, and if you are touring more of the region see who pays driving fines abroad before you go.