Can you rent a car in Pakistan? Who can drive it and what to bring

Yes, you can rent a car in Pakistan, whether you live there, hold a British or Canadian passport with Pakistani roots, or are visiting for the first time. The harder question is usually not "can I?" but "who else is going to drive it?" In most families the answer is two cousins, a brother-in-law and whoever landed at the airport most recently. Each of those people needs a licence that is valid in Pakistan, identity papers that match the name on the agreement, and their name written into that agreement before the keys change hands. If you hold a UK licence, the UK government says you need the 1968 International Driving Permit as well as your photocard, and you must get the permit before you leave the UK. Sort the driver list first and the rest of the rental is paperwork.

This guide walks you through who can rent, what each driver should carry, how to get everyone named properly, what the agreement should say in writing, and when a car with a driver is simply the calmer option. One early warning: the UK government advises against all travel to parts of Pakistan, including the whole of Balochistan and Peshawar, so check the route section before you plan any long drive.

Who can rent a car in Pakistan

Rental firms decide who they will hand a car to, and each one sets its own rules on age, how long you must have held a licence, deposits and accepted cards. What they cannot change is the law on who is allowed to drive. Broadly, you fall into one of three groups.

Residents of Pakistan

If you live in Pakistan, you drive on a Pakistani licence issued by your district or provincial authority. Licences issued in one province are recognised in the others, so a Lahore licence is fine in Karachi or Islamabad. You will normally be asked for your CNIC alongside the licence, and the details on both should match the agreement exactly.

Overseas Pakistanis

This is the group where confusion starts. Holding a NICOP or a CNIC proves who you are; it does not make your foreign licence valid on its own. If you hold a UK licence, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office is clear: you need both the 1968 International Driving Permit and your UK licence in the car, and the permit cannot be bought once you are outside the UK. If you also still hold a Pakistani licence that is in date, bring it too and mention it in your enquiry; the rental firm can then tell you which licence it wants to see.

Foreign visitors

Visitors with no Pakistani connection should expect to show their home licence plus an International Driving Permit, backed by a passport with a valid visa; confirm with your own country's licensing authority which permit it issues. Pakistani licensing rules also provide for foreigners' licences that last for the length of the holder's visa, and for international permits valid for one year, but for a short trip the permit issued in your home country is the realistic route.

How to rent a car in Pakistan when several people will drive

Here is where family trips go wrong. The booking is made by one person, usually the organised one in Birmingham or Toronto, and the agreement is signed with only their name on it. Then a week later a cousin takes the car to collect sweets for the mehndi, and nobody has asked whether he is covered.

If a person is not named on the agreement, you should assume the insurance and the firm's cover do not extend to them. That leaves the family carrying the cost of any damage, and possibly a very awkward conversation at a police checkpoint.

Step 1: Make the real driver list, not the polite one

Sit down with the family before anything is booked and ask one direct question: who, honestly, will drive this car at any point? Include:

• The person booking
• Anyone meeting you at the airport who might "just take it home"
• Relatives who will do the school or shopping runs
• Anyone likely to drive late after a wedding function

If someone says "only in an emergency", put them on the list. Emergencies are exactly when you want cover.

Step 2: Check each person's licence against their passport country

For every name on the list, write down which country issued their licence and whether they will need an International Driving Permit. A UK licence holder needs the 1968 permit. A resident needs their Pakistani licence. Someone from a third country needs whatever permit their home licensing authority issues, and you should check that before the trip rather than on arrival.

Step 3: Collect copies before you enquire

Ask each driver for clear photos of:

1. Licence, front and back
2. International Driving Permit (where needed)
3. Passport photo page, and visa page for foreign nationals
4. CNIC or NICOP, where they hold one

Send these with your enquiry so the firm can say early whether every person is acceptable. Better a "no" now than at the counter with your bags in the car park.

Step 4: Ask the firm to confirm every name in writing

Request a written reply that lists every approved driver by full name as it appears on their licence. Then, at collection, check that the printed agreement shows the same list. If a name is missing, do not drive away and plan to "sort it later".

Step 5: Bring originals, not just photos

Copies are for the enquiry. On the road, each driver should have their original licence and permit with them whenever they are behind the wheel. The FCDO warns that driving without the right documents can lead to detention and a police report, which is not how anyone wants to spend a family visit.

What each named driver should carry in the car

Keep one small pouch per driver, or one family folder that lives in the glovebox. A workable checklist:

• Original licence (Pakistani, or foreign photocard)
• International Driving Permit, where required, in date
• Identity document: CNIC for residents; passport, and NICOP or CNIC if held, for overseas Pakistanis; passport with visa for foreign visitors
• A copy of the rental agreement showing the driver's name
• The firm's breakdown and accident number saved in every driver's phone, not just the booker's
• Vehicle papers the firm provides; ask where they are kept before you leave the yard

One simple habit helps: take a photo of the full agreement on the day you collect and share it in the family WhatsApp group. When the car is somewhere across town with someone else, you will be glad everyone can see the same page.

Car rental agreement Pakistan: what it should state in writing

A car rental agreement in Pakistan can be anything from a printed booklet to a single signed sheet. Whatever the format, you want the following written down before you drive, not agreed verbally over tea.

Two items deserve extra attention. First, the deposit: know how much is held, whether it is cash or on a card, and exactly when it comes back. Second, where you may drive. Some firms restrict northern routes or long intercity runs, and your plans for a day trip might not match their map.

If a firm will not put these things in writing, treat that as your answer.

Can I rent a car without driver? Yes, but know the trade-offs

In Pakistan, hiring a car very often means hiring the driver with it, so the question "can I rent a car without driver" is a fair one. The answer is yes: self-drive hire exists, though not every firm offers it. It simply means the firm hands you the car and you take responsibility for it.

How to rent a car without driver, step by step

1. Decide the dates and the city you will collect from. Collection from the airport is often more convenient but not every firm offers it.
2. Build your driver list using the steps above.
3. Send an enquiry with documents and ask the firm to confirm the vehicle category, deposit, mileage terms and every named driver.
4. Read the draft agreement before you travel, if the firm will share it.
5. At collection, walk around the car with the staff member, photograph every panel, and check tyres, spare wheel, jack and lights.
6. Check the paperwork in the car and save the emergency number.
7. On return, get written confirmation that the car is back and the deposit is being released.

You can read more about how self-drive hire works through our partner network on our self-drive hire page, and there is a fuller look at deposits and handovers in self-drive questions for overseas bookers.

When self-drive is the wrong choice

Self-drive suits some trips beautifully. For others, it creates more worry than it removes. Be honest with yourself about which kind of trip you are planning.

Driving conditions are different from home

Both the UK and US governments describe road standards that will feel unfamiliar. The US State Department's Pakistan page notes that Pakistan drives on the left, that roads outside major cities are poorly maintained and weather-dependent, and that many vehicles lack working headlights while many roads are unlit and unsigned, so take care at night. It recommends driving with experienced local drivers or guides. The FCDO's safety and security advice calls local driving standards erratic, especially at night, and urges care on long cross-country journeys.

If you have never driven in South Asian city traffic, Lahore at school-run time is a steep first lesson.

The route matters more than the car

The FCDO currently advises against all travel to several parts of Pakistan, including the whole of Balochistan, Peshawar and a list of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts including Swat and Upper and Lower Dir, and the Karakoram Highway between Mansehra and Chilas. It advises against all but essential travel to further areas, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Sindh north of and including Nawabshah, and Dera Ghazi Khan. These positions change, so read the FCDO regional risks page before you plan any drive outside the main cities.

For mountain roads further north, the FCDO recommends experienced local drivers and clear weather only, warns that landslides frequently block or destroy roads, and notes that some routes, such as the N15 between Chilas and Babusar, are inaccessible at times of year. A hired car and a family member who has never driven a hairpin in the rain is not the plan.

Signs a car with a driver is simpler

• You are arriving on a long-haul flight and would be driving straight out of the airport
• The trip revolves around weddings, with late finishes and several venues
• Nobody in the family holds a licence that is valid in Pakistan without extra paperwork
• You plan intercity drives, or anything towards the northern areas
• Elders or small children will be in the car and you want both hands free for them
• You would rather not be responsible for a deposit, damage checks and parking

In those cases a car and driver usually takes more worry off the trip than it adds to the budget. The driver knows the roads and the parking, and the licence questions disappear.

Booking from abroad: what to send ahead

If you are planning from the UK, the Gulf or North America, most of the work happens before you fly. Here is what to have ready in your enquiry.

Before you contact anyone

• Get the International Driving Permit sorted. For UK licence holders it is the 1968 version. The GOV.UK page on international driving permits explains that you need a valid GB or Northern Ireland driving licence to get one (paper licence holders are told to update to a photocard or get an IDP), and that it is sold in person at certain shops that offer PayPoint. Do this early: the FCDO says you cannot buy one outside the UK.
• Check that licences are in date for the whole trip, not just the pickup day.
• Check CNIC and NICOP expiry. NADRA's website says its Pak Identity portal handles smart ID card renewals with home delivery, but a fresh or new CNIC cannot be applied for online. Leave time if anyone's card is close to expiry.

What to put in the enquiry

1. Arrival city and airport, flight number and landing time
2. Pickup and return dates and times
3. Where you want the car handed over: airport, hotel or family home
4. Vehicle size you need, counting luggage honestly
5. The full list of intended drivers, with licence country for each
6. Copies of each driver's licence, permit and ID
7. Where you plan to drive, including any intercity trips
8. Anything that needs a straight answer, such as child seats

What to ask back

• Is every person on my list acceptable as a driver?
• What deposit is held, how, and when is it returned?
• Can you share the agreement wording before I travel?
• What happens if my flight is delayed and I arrive late for pickup?
• Who do I call if the car breaks down, and is a replacement offered?

When you are ready, you can plan your journey with us (planned link) and share these details. Requests go to our partner network, and whatever vehicle, terms and price come back are confirmed by the operator in writing, so read them before you commit. Our booking terms (planned link) set out how enquiries are handled.

If you are comparing longer self-drive options across several cities, our sister service iDrive, the network behind Pakistan Taxi, has a self-drive car rental page covering its own process.

Travelling on to Saudi Arabia?

Many families combine a Pakistan visit with Umrah. Licence rules there are separate, so if you are thinking of driving in the Kingdom too, our sister company Saudi Cab Co explains whether you need an International Driving Permit for Saudi Arabia. Check that before you assume your Pakistan paperwork covers both.

A few mistakes that cause the most trouble

These come up again and again, and every one is avoidable.

• Only the booker named. Then the cousin drives, and there is a scrape. Name everyone.
• Wrong International Driving Permit. There are different versions; UK licence holders need the 1968 one for Pakistan.
• Name mismatches. "Mohammed" on the passport, "Muhammad" on the licence, and a third spelling on the agreement. Ask the firm to use the spelling on the licence.
• No condition photos. Without them, it is your word against the yard's on return.
• Assuming the route is fine. Check the FCDO regional advice before any drive outside the main cities, and the firm's own route rules.
• Keys handed over at the airport without the agreement. However tired you are, read it first.

Questions people ask

Can I drive in Pakistan on my UK licence alone?

The FCDO says UK licence holders need both the UK licence and the 1968 International Driving Permit in the car. The licence alone is not enough.

Does a NICOP let me drive?

No. A NICOP or CNIC is an identity document. It proves who you are but it is not a driving licence. You still need a licence valid in Pakistan.

Can my relative in Pakistan drive the car I rented?

Only if they are named on the agreement and hold a valid Pakistani licence. Ask the firm to add them before collection, not after.

Is it better to hire a driver for a wedding trip?

Often, yes. Late finishes, several venues and parking make self-drive hard work during a wedding week, and a driver removes the licence question for everyone in the family.