Country driving guide · 2026
Everything UK and EU drivers need before crossing the border into South Sudan: 9 legal requirements + 7 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.
1949 IDP plus national licence
South Sudan recognises the 1949 Geneva Convention IDP, which UK drivers obtain from the Post Office for GBP 5.50; carry it alongside your photocard licence at all times.
Visa obtained before arrival
UK and EU nationals need a visa issued by a South Sudanese embassy in advance (around USD 100 single entry); visas on arrival are not reliably available at Juba airport or land borders.
Carnet de Passage for own vehicle
Bringing a foreign-registered vehicle requires a Carnet de Passage en Douane (CPD) issued by the RAC or AA with a substantial financial guarantee; without it the car will be impounded at the border.
Local third-party insurance at the border
UK/EU policies and the Green Card system are not valid; you must buy compulsory third-party motor insurance from a local insurer (e.g. via the Insurance Regulatory Authority of South Sudan) on entry.
Drive on the right
Traffic drives on the right-hand side of the road; most vehicles are left-hand drive but right-hand drive imports from East Africa are also common.
Speed limits 100 / 80 / 50 km/h
There are no motorways; default limits are roughly 100 km/h on open highways, 80 km/h on rural roads and 50 km/h in built-up areas, though signage is sparse and enforcement is by police checkpoint.
Zero-tolerance alcohol limit
Drink-driving is prohibited and police treat any detectable alcohol as an offence; penalties at checkpoints can include on-the-spot detention.
Rainy season closes most roads May-October
From May to October heavy rains flood the Sudd wetlands and turn dirt roads to impassable mud; overland travel outside Juba is effectively impossible and even UN movements switch to air.
Declare cash over USD 10,000 at border
Amounts of foreign currency equivalent to USD 10,000 or more must be declared to customs on entry and exit; undeclared cash is liable to seizure.
The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to the entire country due to armed conflict, intercommunal violence and crime; self-driving as a tourist is not realistic and most visitors move with NGO/UN convoys or armed escort.
South Sudan recognises the 1949 Geneva Convention IDP, which UK drivers obtain from the Post Office for GBP 5.50; carry it alongside your photocard licence at all times.
UK and EU nationals need a visa issued by a South Sudanese embassy in advance (around USD 100 single entry); visas on arrival are not reliably available at Juba airport or land borders.
Bringing a foreign-registered vehicle requires a Carnet de Passage en Douane (CPD) issued by the RAC or AA with a substantial financial guarantee; without it the car will be impounded at the border.
UK/EU policies and the Green Card system are not valid; you must buy compulsory third-party motor insurance from a local insurer (e.g. via the Insurance Regulatory Authority of South Sudan) on entry.
Traffic drives on the right-hand side of the road; most vehicles are left-hand drive but right-hand drive imports from East Africa are also common.
There are no motorways; default limits are roughly 100 km/h on open highways, 80 km/h on rural roads and 50 km/h in built-up areas, though signage is sparse and enforcement is by police checkpoint.
Drink-driving is prohibited and police treat any detectable alcohol as an offence; penalties at checkpoints can include on-the-spot detention.
The police emergency number is 777 but response outside Juba is effectively non-existent; register with your embassy and rely on your organisation's security focal point or the UN's UNDSS for incidents.
Outside Juba almost all roads are unpaved and impassable in the May-October rainy season; travel in a convoy of 4x4s with spare fuel, water, satellite phone, tow rope and a comprehensive first aid kit.
There are no motorways, no vignette and no electronic tolls; expect instead numerous informal police and military checkpoints where small cash payments are routinely demanded.
From May to October heavy rains flood the Sudd wetlands and turn dirt roads to impassable mud; overland travel outside Juba is effectively impossible and even UN movements switch to air.
Do not drive between dusk and dawn anywhere in the country due to armed robbery, unmarked checkpoints, livestock and unlit vehicles; aid agencies enforce this as a hard rule for staff.
The currency is the South Sudanese Pound (SSP) but US dollars in cash (clean, post-2013 notes) are the practical medium of exchange; card payments are essentially non-existent outside a few Juba hotels.
Petrol is officially around USD 1.20-1.50 per litre (roughly EUR 1.10-1.40) at Juba stations but frequent shortages mean black-market prices several times higher and long queues; always top up when fuel is available.
Amounts of foreign currency equivalent to USD 10,000 or more must be declared to customs on entry and exit; undeclared cash is liable to seizure.
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Traffic drives on the right-hand side of the road; most vehicles are left-hand drive but right-hand drive imports from East Africa are also common.
There are no motorways; default limits are roughly 100 km/h on open highways, 80 km/h on rural roads and 50 km/h in built-up areas, though signage is sparse and enforcement is by police checkpoint.
Drink-driving is prohibited and police treat any detectable alcohol as an offence; penalties at checkpoints can include on-the-spot detention.