UK Licence in Syria 2026: Carry an IDP, Keep Right, 0.00 Alcohol

Syria is not a routine self-drive destination, and the practicalities are correspondingly bare-bones. If you are a British licence holder who needs to drive here, the rules that genuinely matter are short, and this page keeps to what is documented rather than inventing figures.

UK licence in Syria: carry an IDP

The sensible position is to carry an International Driving Permit with your UK licence and passport. The IDP provides a recognised translation of your licence for any checkpoint or rental, which matters more in places where your home card may not be read easily. Arrange it in the UK before you leave, and confirm your case with the Driving Permit Checker. Arrange it in the UK before you leave and confirm your case with the permit checker; the international driving permit guide explains where a UK resident gets it.

The first change: UK left, Syria right

This is the adjustment most likely to catch you out. The UK drives on the left; Syria drives on the right. The whole flow reverses — the side of the lane, the direction of a roundabout, the instinct to look the wrong way at a junction. Give yourself the first stretch on quiet roads and be deliberate at every turn until “right” stops feeling backwards. The guide to which side countries drive on shows where Syria sits on the map.

A zero alcohol limit

Syria enforces a 0.00 blood-alcohol limit, far stricter than the UK’s 0.08. There is no margin to interpret — treat it as a total ban and do not drink at all before driving. A zero limit is far below Britain’s 0.08, and the guide to drink-drive limits around the world shows which other countries do the same.

Speeds, age and emergency numbers

Towns run at around 50 km/h, open roads at 80 and the fastest stretches near 110. The minimum driving age is 18. Save the emergency numbers before you go: police 112, ambulance 110, fire 113. Syria publishes no current fine schedule for visitors, so none is quoted. The dependable rule is to drive to the road, not the sign, and keep well within what you can see. The Syria driving guide lists the country-level rules.