Driving in the DR with a US or foreign licence

It is the first question almost every visitor asks before renting a car here: will my licence work? The short answer is yes. If you are visiting the Dominican Republic, you can drive with the licence from your own country, as long as it is valid and you carry it with you. The longer answer, with the law in hand and the details that actually matter on the road, is below.

What Dominican law says about a foreign licence

The rules come from Law 63-17 on Mobility, Land Transport, Traffic and Road Safety, passed on 21 February 2017. It defines the driving licence as the document that authorises you to drive, and states that every driver must hold a licence of the category matching the vehicle and is required to carry it while on public roads (article 5, item 23). In other words: the law requires a valid licence that you have on you — not a Dominican one.

Article 207 covers the other situation, the one for people who stay: holders of a foreign licence who reside in the country may apply for a national accreditation while their document is still valid, following INTRANT’s formalities. That is the homologation process, and it only makes sense if you are moving here — not for a holiday or a few weeks of work.

For visitors, the criterion INTRANT has repeatedly given the press is that you may drive on your home-country permit for the first 90 days of your stay. Law 63-17 does not spell out that deadline in those words — it came from the older traffic law — so treat it as what it is: the rule of thumb currently applied.

A US, Canadian or European licence: the same in practice

There is no list of «accepted» and «rejected» countries for visitors. What matters is that the licence is valid, readable and matches the type of vehicle. A licence from the United States, Canada, the UK, Spain or anywhere in Latin America works for a normal car or SUV rental with no paperwork beforehand.

An International Driving Permit is not required under Law 63-17. That said, if your licence is not in the Latin alphabet, bringing one saves explanations at a traffic checkpoint, because it acts as an official translation. It is cheap, you get it at home before flying, and it does not replace your licence — it travels with it.

Driving age and rental age are two different things

The legal driving age in the Dominican Republic is 18. The law allows an exception between 16 and 18 with a parent’s or guardian’s consent, under the conditions in article 200; in practice that does not apply to a visitor.

The minimum age to rent is a separate matter: it is not set by law but by each company, along with its deposit and insurance conditions. That is the part worth asking about before you book — and it is one message away.

What to keep in the glovebox

• Your valid driving licence, always on you: the law requires you to carry it.
• Your passport, or a clear copy, as identification.
• Your International Driving Permit, if your licence is not in the Latin alphabet.
• The vehicle papers we hand over: registration, road tax sticker and insurance policy.
• Cash in Dominican pesos for the highway tolls.

If a DIGESETT traffic officer signals you to stop, you are required to pull over, identify yourself and show the vehicle documents (article 232). It is a routine check, and most common on the roads leaving the city.

Four things that change depending on where you come from

• Driving is on the right, with the wheel on the left, as in the United States and most of the Americas.
• Distances and speed limits are in kilometres, not miles.
• Fuel is sold by the gallon, and prices are published weekly.
• The emergency number is 911, the same as in the United States and Canada.

Speed limits, seat belts, children, alcohol and what the traffic is really like are covered in Is it safe to drive in the Dominican Republic?. And if you are landing at the airport, renting a car for Las Américas Airport has the arrival details.

So which car?

To move around Santo Domingo and head out to the coast, a compact SUV is the comfortable choice: the 2025 Honda CR-V Hybrid Sport Touring is easy in the city and light on fuel on the highway. If you would rather have a sedan for business trips, the Honda Accord Sport does the job; and if you plan to take beach tracks, a 4x4 CR-V such as the 2022 EX-L Sport gives you more margin. The whole fleet is in our catalogue.

Updated on September 23, 2026.