Country driving guide · 2026
Everything UK and EU drivers need before crossing the border into Algeria: 9 legal requirements + 8 other things worth knowing.
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Tick before you go
9 legal must-haves. Print it, tick them off, throw it in the glovebox.
1968 Vienna Convention IDP required
UK and EU drivers must carry a 1968 Vienna Convention International Driving Permit alongside their home licence; the older 1949 IDP is not recognised.
Passport with valid Algerian visa
Most UK and EU nationals need a visa obtained in advance; passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond entry.
Local third-party insurance mandatory
Green Card is not valid in Algeria; you must buy compulsory third-party insurance (assurance frontière) at the port or land border, typically 30-60 EUR per month depending on vehicle.
V5C and temporary import declaration
Bring the original V5C / registration document; the vehicle is logged on your passport at entry and must leave with you, or heavy customs duties apply.
Warning triangle and hi-vis vest
A red warning triangle and reflective jacket are compulsory in the vehicle; spare bulbs and a first-aid kit are strongly recommended and frequently checked at police roadblocks.
Drive on the right
Traffic drives on the right and overtakes on the left; give way to traffic from the right at unmarked junctions.
Speed limits 120 / 80 / 50 km/h
Motorway 120 km/h, open road 80-100 km/h, urban 50 km/h; speed cameras and radar checks are common on the A1.
Zero-tolerance alcohol limit
BAC limit is 0.0 g/L: any detectable alcohol can lead to arrest, a heavy fine and vehicle impound.
Declare cash over 1,000 EUR at the border
Foreign currency above the equivalent of ~1,000 EUR must be declared on entry; keep the declaration form to re-export the unspent balance, otherwise it will be confiscated.
FCDO advises against all travel to areas near the Libyan, Malian, Nigerien, Mauritanian and Tunisian borders, and against all but essential travel to much of the Saharan interior: self-driving outside the northern coastal strip is not realistic for most visitors.
UK and EU drivers must carry a 1968 Vienna Convention International Driving Permit alongside their home licence; the older 1949 IDP is not recognised.
Most UK and EU nationals need a visa obtained in advance; passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond entry.
Green Card is not valid in Algeria; you must buy compulsory third-party insurance (assurance frontière) at the port or land border, typically 30-60 EUR per month depending on vehicle.
Bring the original V5C / registration document; the vehicle is logged on your passport at entry and must leave with you, or heavy customs duties apply.
Call 17 for urban police, 14 for gendarmerie on rural roads, and 14 (Protection Civile) for ambulance and fire; English is rarely spoken, French or Arabic helps.
A red warning triangle and reflective jacket are compulsory in the vehicle; spare bulbs and a first-aid kit are strongly recommended and frequently checked at police roadblocks.
Outside the north, carry jerry cans of fuel, several days of water, a satellite phone and recovery gear: service stations can be 300+ km apart and breakdowns in the desert are life-threatening.
The East-West Highway (Autoroute Est-Ouest) and other autoroutes have no tolls or vignette; budget only for fuel.
Traffic drives on the right and overtakes on the left; give way to traffic from the right at unmarked junctions.
Motorway 120 km/h, open road 80-100 km/h, urban 50 km/h; speed cameras and radar checks are common on the A1.
BAC limit is 0.0 g/L: any detectable alcohol can lead to arrest, a heavy fine and vehicle impound.
Unlit vehicles, livestock, unmarked roadworks and security checkpoints make night driving genuinely dangerous; plan to be off the road by sunset.
Expect multiple document checks per day, especially approaching cities and in the south; be patient, hand over IDP, passport and insurance, and never photograph the checkpoint.
Saharan sandstorms (especially Feb-May) can close roads with zero visibility; summer temperatures exceed 45 C and tyres/cooling systems fail readily.
Currency is the Algerian dinar (DZD); petrol is roughly 0.25 EUR/litre and diesel around 0.20 EUR/litre: among the cheapest in the world, but card payment is rare so carry cash.
Foreign currency above the equivalent of ~1,000 EUR must be declared on entry; keep the declaration form to re-export the unspent balance, otherwise it will be confiscated.
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Traffic drives on the right and overtakes on the left; give way to traffic from the right at unmarked junctions.
Motorway 120 km/h, open road 80-100 km/h, urban 50 km/h; speed cameras and radar checks are common on the A1.
BAC limit is 0.0 g/L: any detectable alcohol can lead to arrest, a heavy fine and vehicle impound.