Irish Drivers in Turkey 2026: Side Switch and a Translation
Ireland
Turkey
Irish drivers can drive in Turkey for six months from entry, but the Irish IDP is the 1949 type that UK government advice says Turkey no longer accepts, so carry a notarised Turkish translation of your licence. Traffic keeps right, motorways run to 130 km/h (140 on toll motorways), and the alcohol limit is 0.05%, as in Ireland.
Most Irish drivers assume an EU-style trip when they book Turkey, then get a surprise at the rental desk. Turkey sits outside the EU, so your Irish licence does not work on its own, and the road itself runs the opposite way to home. The short version for anyone typing “can you drive in Turkey”: yes, for six months from entry, with a notarised Turkish translation of the licence, and on the right.
The permit that does not help
The add-on most Irish drivers reach for, an International Driving Permit, is the wrong one here. Ireland is a party only to the 1949 Geneva Convention, and UK government travel advice states that in Turkey the 1949 IDP is not accepted any more. The document it names instead is a licence notarised in Turkish. So have your licence translated and certified by a notary or a Turkish consulate before you fly, and carry the translation with the licence and your passport. Our records note the same rule for other 1949-only issuers.
Check the position again just before you travel, because rental firms sometimes keep to their own rules. The Driving Permit Checker is a quick way to confirm what you need.
Left to right
Ireland drives on the left, Turkey on the right, and that reversal is the thing most likely to catch you out. The danger window is short but real: pulling out of a fuel station, entering a roundabout that now flows anticlockwise, or glancing the wrong way at a junction on day one. Take the first session somewhere quiet rather than central Istanbul.
Istanbul traffic is its own category. Road manner is assertive, lane discipline is loose and gaps close fast. Road quality also varies sharply once you leave the toll motorways. The coast and the interior are far calmer, so build confidence away from the big cities first.
Speeds, in context
| Ireland | Turkey | |
|---|---|---|
| Towns | 50 km/h | 50 km/h |
| Rural roads | 60 local, 80 regional, 100 national | 90 two-way, 110 divided |
| Motorway | 120 km/h | 130 km/h (140 on toll motorways) |
| Alcohol | 0.05 | 0.05 |
The 140 km/h figure applies to build-operate-transfer toll motorways, which have been allowed that speed since 2 June 2022; state-run motorways are 130. WHO gives 110 as the top limit outside towns, with ordinary two-lane roads signed lower.
Fines since February 2026
Since 27 February 2026 speeding fines follow fixed steps, and in towns they start from just 6 km/h over. Outside towns, nothing is fined below 11 km/h over.
| In a town | Fine |
|---|---|
| 6-10 km/h over | TRY 2,000 |
| 11-15 km/h over | TRY 4,000 |
| 16-20 km/h over | TRY 6,000 |
| 21-25 km/h over | TRY 8,000 |
| 26-35 km/h over | TRY 12,000 |
| 36-45 km/h over | TRY 15,000 |
| 46-55 km/h over | TRY 20,000 + 30-day licence confiscation |
| 56-65 km/h over | TRY 25,000 + 60-day licence confiscation |
| 66 km/h or more | TRY 30,000 + 90-day licence confiscation |
Outside towns 11-15 km/h over costs TRY 2,000. Other offences: no seatbelt TRY 2,500 (about EUR 65), phone in hand and running a red light TRY 5,000 each (about EUR 130). An Irish driver pays EUR 60 and 3 points for a seatbelt and EUR 80 and 3 points for a red light, so the Turkish amounts are a different order of magnitude. Test a speed in the Speeding Fine Calculator, and if you are unsure who settles a camera ticket on a rental, who pays driving fines abroad covers it.
In the car and who to call
Turkey requires a fire extinguisher, first-aid kit, warning triangle and spare bulbs; a reflective vest is recommended. Ireland recommends all of these. The general emergency number is 112, the same as at home, with 155 for the police and 110 for the fire service, which Ireland routes through 112. The alcohol limit for private cars is 0.05%, the same general limit as in Ireland, so nothing new there. The Turkey driving guide has the full rules.
Sources
- GOV.UK foreign travel advice, Turkey, road travel (1968 IDP or a licence notarised in Turkish; the 1949 permit no longer accepted): gov.uk
- Karayolları Trafik Yönetmeliği article 88, as amended in Resmî Gazete no 31146 of 5 June 2020 (foreign licences usable for six months from entry): resmigazete.gov.tr
- Karayolları Trafik Yönetmeliği article 97 (0.50 per mille for private cars): mevzuat.gov.tr
- Law no 7574 amending the Highway Traffic Law, Resmî Gazete of 27 February 2026 (step fines by km/h over): resmigazete.gov.tr
- UN Treaty Collection, 1949 Convention on Road Traffic (Ireland 1962) and 1968 Convention on Road Traffic (Turkey a party; Ireland not): treaties.un.org
- WHO Global status report on road safety 2023, Türkiye profile (50 km/h urban, 110 km/h rural maximum, 0.05 g/dl) and Ireland profile (0.05 g/dl): who.int, who.int
- Karayolları Genel Müdürlüğü (KGM), legal speed-limit table: cars 130 km/h on KGM-operated motorways, 140 km/h on build-operate-transfer (YİD) motorways, per Interior Ministry letter of 2 June 2022: kgm.gov.tr
Speed limits, fines, equipment & license requirements
Your home country driving rules for reference
Side-by-side driving rules comparison
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Frequently Asked Questions
Probably not. Ireland is a party only to the 1949 Geneva Convention, so the IDP issued in Ireland is a 1949 permit, and UK government travel advice says Turkey no longer accepts the 1949 IDP. Carry a Turkish translation of your licence certified by a notary or a Turkish consulate instead; a foreign licence can be used for six months from entry.
Yes, as a visitor, for six months from entry, provided the licence is accompanied by a notarised Turkish translation. Turkey sits outside the EU, so an Irish licence does not work on its own the way it does in France or Spain.
Turkey drives on the right. Coming from Ireland, where traffic runs on the left, your first hour is the risky one: roundabouts now run anticlockwise, and the instinctive first look at a junction goes the wrong way.
Since February 2026 fines go in fixed steps. In towns, 6-10 km/h over costs TRY 2,000 and 16-20 over TRY 6,000; outside towns nothing is fined below 11 km/h over. The general alcohol limit for cars is 0.05%, the same as Ireland's.