Can a Brit Drive in Papua New Guinea? — Same Side, IDP Advised, Low Limits

Papua New Guinea is a long way from a typical British self-drive holiday, and the practical questions are different from Europe. The licence answer, though, is reassuringly simple, and the one thing in your favour is something most overseas destinations take away.

The licence verdict

Yes, a British licence holder can drive in Papua New Guinea on a short visit. Carry an International Driving Permit with your UK licence — it is the recognised translation officials and hire firms expect to see, and you should sort it in the UK before you fly rather than hope to arrange one locally. Keep your passport with both.

The side you already know

Here is the rare bit of good news: Papua New Guinea drives on the left, exactly like home. The single biggest source of trouble for British drivers abroad — relearning every junction, roundabout and overtake on the opposite side — simply does not apply. Your instincts at a give-way line are the right ones.

Low limits, and roads that set their own

The bigger adjustment is pace and surface, not paperwork. Limits are low by British standards: roughly 50 km/h in towns, 70 km/h on rural roads and 80 km/h on the fastest stretches. Outside Port Moresby and the main centres, sealed road is the exception rather than the rule, so the posted number is often academic — potholes, washouts, single-lane bridges and unlit vehicles after dark all force you well below it. Plan routes in daylight, keep distances conservative and fuel up when you can; pump prices sit around $0.95 a litre. The drink-drive limit matches the UK at 0.08, but rural hazards make sober driving the only realistic plan. The emergency number is 112.

Check your paperwork on our driving permit checker, read the country detail on our Papua New Guinea driving guide, and if a fine comes your way, our driving fines abroad — who pays explains how liability works for visiting drivers.