🇱🇧 Drive Lebanon with Confidence
Drive on a 1968 IDP or your own valid licence. Prepare for challenging urban and mountain roads.
Do You Need an IDP in Lebanon?
Recommended — An IDP Is an Alternative to Your Licence, Not an Addition
Lebanon lets foreign visitors drive on either a 1968 International Driving Permit or their own valid national licence. That is a different shape of rule from most of the region: the IDP stands in place of your home licence rather than sitting alongside it, so a valid licence on its own already covers you in law. What an IDP adds is a UN-standard version of the same details, printed in several languages. Police and military checkpoints are frequent in and around Beirut, and a document the officer can read shortens the conversation. Rental desks, which set their own terms, commonly ask for one too.
Key Warning
Beirut traffic follows few formal rules. Lane markings are largely ignored, traffic signals are often treated as suggestions, and aggressive driving is the norm. Mountain roads to the Cedars and Bekaa Valley are narrow with sharp switchbacks.
Driving Rules in Lebanon
Drive on the Right
Lebanon drives on the right. In practice, especially in Beirut, drivers use any available space. Defensive driving is essential at all times.
Mountain Roads
Roads to the Cedars of God, Bcharre, and the Bekaa Valley climb steeply through mountain passes. Guardrails are often missing. Drive slowly and use your horn on blind curves.
Checkpoints
Military and police checkpoints are common throughout Lebanon. Always have your driving licence or IDP, your passport, and your rental documents ready. Approach slowly and follow instructions.
Speed Limits
Urban: 50 km/h. Highways: 100 km/h. Speed limits are rarely enforced outside of radar traps. However, police can fine you on the spot.
Renting a Car in Lebanon
What you need to know before picking up your rental vehicle.
What Rental Desks Ask For
A valid driving licence, passport and credit card — plus an IDP at many agencies, which set their own document policies. Minimum age 21. An international credit card is needed for the deposit.
Typical Costs
Compact from $35–55/day. Full insurance strongly recommended given road conditions. Fuel prices fluctuate significantly.
Top Rental Companies
Avis — Beirut airport. Europcar — City locations. Lenacar — Local Lebanese agency with flexible terms.
Get Your IDP for Lebanon — From $29
Digital delivery in 1–2 business days (express as fast as 2 hours). Physical copy shipped worldwide. Valid for 1 year.
Apply Now →Lebanon IDP FAQ
Not as a legal condition. Lebanon lets you drive on either a 1968 International Driving Permit or your own valid national licence — the IDP is an alternative to your home licence, not a document you carry in addition to it. In practice it earns its keep at Lebanon's frequent checkpoints and at rental desks, because it presents the same details in a form an officer or agent can read.
Driving in Lebanon requires confidence and defensive driving skills. Beirut traffic is chaotic, mountain roads are challenging, and road conditions vary significantly. An experienced driver with proper documentation can navigate safely.
Yes, major international and local rental agencies operate at Rafic Hariri International Airport. Bring a valid licence, your passport and an international credit card for the deposit. Agencies set their own document policies and many Beirut desks ask for an IDP as well — check your booking terms before you fly.