Driving in the Seychelles

Renting a car is one of the best ways to explore Seychelles at your own pace enjoying all the beauties these islands have to offer. However, many tourists are wondering if their driving licence is enough to drive around or if they also need an International Driving Permit. We are pleased to inform them that visitors holding a foreign driving licence are allowed to drive around Mahé and Praslin Island. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation on the Internet, so we decided to cover this topic in detail here.

The Seychelles recognize the Geneva Road Traffic Convention of 1949 and their Road Transport (Recognition of Foreign Driving Permits) Regulations (31 July 1967) state that "a person resident outside Seychelles who holds […] a domestic driving permit issued in a country outside Seychelles, during a period of three months from the date of his last entry into Seychelles may drive [...] in Seychelles a motor vehicle of any class or description which he is authorized by that permit to drive".

So, no matter where you're from, you can use your national driving licence for up to 3 months to drive around Seychelles. In case you'd like to extend your stay for more than 3 months, you would need to convert it into a Seychelles permit from Seychelles Licensing Authority (Orion Mall, 5th June Avenue, tel. + 248 4283444). For tourists from China, Rusia or India, we recommend the licence to be also written in Latin letters so to be readable without any special language skills and speed up a possible road check. Otherwise, it would be wise to obtain an International Driving Permit in your home country, especially if you're a regular traveler.

Here is some extra information you might need when driving in the Seychelles:

• Cars drive on the left hand side and the priority is for vehicles coming from the right;
• Speed limit is 40 km/h (25 mph) in built-up areas and 65 km/h (40 mph) on the open roads, so keep an eye on the signposts;
• Drivers and front-seat passengers are mandatory to wear seatbelts;
• The permitted blood alcohol level is 0.08%. Nonetheless, our insurance policy requires you to be 100 % sober;
• The police phone number is 999.

The highway police of Seychelles keeps a rigorous eye on lawbreakers. If you are found infringing the above traffic rules it could lead to heavy penalties which will be levied on you. It is important to know that additionally to Seychelles traffic regulations, our insurance company requires a minimum driving age of 21 years and that your driving licence has been first issued at least 1 year ago.

These being said, whether you want to explore Mahe or Praslin Island, the rental of a car will make your visit much enjoyable and easier and you can use your own driving licence.