Solomon Islands on a UK Licence — IDP Recommended, but at Least It's Left-Hand Drive

The Solomon Islands are a scattered Pacific archipelago and a former British protectorate, which gives a UK driver one unexpected advantage: the side of the road is already correct. Almost everything else about driving here is dictated by geography.

Can a British licence holder drive in the Solomon Islands?

Yes. Your UK licence is accepted for a visit, and an International Driving Permit is recommended to carry alongside it — useful at the car-hire desk and at any roadside check. The British colonial connection means a UK licence is broadly understood, but the IDP removes any friction. Keep the IDP, your UK licence and passport together, and arrange the permit at home before you travel.

No side switch — the road network is the real issue

The Solomon Islands drive on the left, exactly like the UK. This is the rare destination where the single biggest hazard most British drivers face abroad — switching sides — simply does not exist. Your reflexes at junctions and roundabouts are already right, which lets you focus entirely on the roads themselves, and they need that focus. Honiara, on Guadalcanal, holds most of the sealed road; venture beyond it and you meet gravel, deep potholes, single-lane bridges and sections that wash out in tropical downpours. Many islands have barely any roads at all, and getting between them means a boat or a plane, not a car. A high-clearance vehicle is sensible, and driving after dark on unlit rural roads is best avoided.

Speeds, alcohol and the basics

Limits are 50 km/h in towns, 70 on rural roads and a notional 80 as the top figure — but the surfaces keep you well below that, so the road is the real speed limit. The drink-drive limit is 0.08, though on roads this rough and remote, none before driving is the only sensible policy. The emergency number is 112, and given how far apart settlements are, carrying water and a charged phone on any longer drive is wise.

Confirm what documents you need with the Driving Permit Checker, and budget your trip’s fuel and distances with the Fuel Cost Calculator before you go.