Mauritania Mali
Mauritania 
MaliLast reviewed July 2026
Crossing the border
Mauritania and Mali share a land border you can cross by car. Keep your passport, national driving licence and International Driving Permit together, and check opening hours and any toll or vignette requirements before you travel.
Driving rules in Mali
- Drive on the right.
- Sandy, remote desert roads.
- 0.08% alcohol limit.
- Carry passport, IDP and home licence.
Once you're driving in Mali
Destination-specific detail sourced from national road authorities, motoring clubs and rental policies — the things that catch cross-border drivers out.
Driving on a foreign licence
Foreign visitors need an International Driving Permit (which acts as the official French/multilingual translation) alongside their valid home licence; rental firms in Bamako require the IDP to complete a hire. There is no meaningful short-stay exemption for an untranslated foreign licence.
Tolls & road charges
Mali has no developed national toll network or vignette for tourists; main routes are generally free, though informal 'fees' are levied at police and security checkpoints. International rental presence is limited, so most hire 4x4s from Bamako firms.
Parking in the cities
Bamako parking is informal with no colour-coded paid zones; 'gardiens' watch parked vehicles for a small CFA-franc tip. Use secure hotel or guarded parking, as theft is a risk.
Fines & camera enforcement
Checkpoint stops frequently end in an unofficial cash 'fine' regardless of any actual offence, and people posing as police may demand money; keep registration, insurance and your IDP accessible. Documented fines on a hire car are passed back to the renter.
If you have an accident
Drive on the right and carry a warning triangle, first-aid kit and fire extinguisher (mandatory). If a crash occurs and it is safe, it is often safer to drive to the nearest police or military checkpoint to report it than to remain at the scene; emergency numbers are police 17, ambulance 18, fire 15, though service is unreliable outside central Bamako.
Driving in the capital
Bamako traffic is congested and chaotic with huge numbers of motorbikes that ignore traffic rules, few working signals and poor street lighting; avoid night driving even in the capital.
Sources: smartraveller.gov.au · travel.gc.ca · countryreports.org · driverabroad.com