This information may change. Always check the official source.Last verified: August 2026 by Ondřej Kadlec
Driving in Panama: the three basics
Drives on the
right
The driver sits on the left and overtakes on the left. Roundabouts turn anticlockwise.
Your licence
Licence plus an IDP
Your own licence works with an International Driving Permit beside it. Get the permit at home before you fly - no country issues one for another country's licence.
Motorways
Tolls by distance
Motorways charge for the distance driven, at barriers or by camera. Budget for it on a long drive; it is rarely trivial.
Panama's corredores are tolled and electronic, Panama City traffic is heavy, and the Darien is not a road.
Electronic tolls on the city corredores, dense traffic, and one famous gap in the road network.
The Corredor Norte and Corredor Sur charge electronically through a windscreen tag; hire cars have one and the charges are settled at the end.
The Pan-American Highway stops at the Darien Gap. There is no road link to Colombia, and the region is not somewhere to drive.
Panama City traffic is heavy and the one-way system around Casco Viejo is unforgiving.
The alcohol limit is 0.05 % with roadside checks at weekends.
The Interamericana west to Boquete and David is a good four-hour drive and the main long route in the country.
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