Rules for overlanding in Libya

For stays up to three months you need an Arabic translation of the details on your Italian licence; for longer stays an International Driving Permit is required. Check what applies to the licence you hold.

The ministry states that any movement in the country on wheels carries a high risk and is strongly discouraged, above all if made independently.

A security permit from the local authorities is required to travel to Benghazi or other parts of Cyrenaica. It normally has to be paid for, the price varies, and the advice is to go through a local sponsor to get it.

The conditions under which non-Libyan citizens can make the overland crossing between Tripoli and Benghazi have to be checked with local sponsors.

Entering through the eastern border needs a further security permit issued by the local authority, which again requires a local sponsor's cooperation.

Having the help of a local contact is strongly recommended, for security reasons as well, to get through the arrival procedures at Tripoli Mitiga airport.

Importing alcoholic drinks is prohibited. Bringing in cured meats is also discouraged.

Taking out more than 200 Libyan dinars is prohibited, and dinars are not convertible abroad in any case. To change what is left when leaving, you are often asked to show the receipts for the exchanges you made during your stay.

Entry to Libya is barred to anyone whose passport carries an Israeli visa or other evidence of a stay in or transit through Israel.

A passport is mandatory, with at least six months' validity on arrival and one full blank page; no other travel document is accepted. A visa is compulsory, and the application and on-arrival registration procedures should be checked with the Libyan diplomatic missions in advance.

Libya's customs law (Law No. 10 of 2010), as published on the Libyan Customs Authority website, provides for the temporary importation of certain goods with suspension of duties and taxes, against a financial guarantee, a bank guarantee or a written undertaking deposited with the customs administration. The cases in which temporary importation may be allowed include commercial or personal means of transport, and the goods must belong to a person who is not resident in Libya. The law also says that the provisions of international agreements on the temporary importation of commercial and personal means of transport are to be observed, and that the Director-General sets the rules, including the periods, cases and conditions. (Libyan Customs Authority (مصلحة الجمارك الليبية) — Law No. 10 of 2010 on Customs, Chapter 4 'Temporary Importation' (arts. 142-151))

The Council of Bureaux (COB), which runs the Green Card system, does not list Libya among the member countries of that system. It names Libya, together with other countries, as eligible for future COB membership. The COB page does not say what insurance a foreign vehicle needs in Libya. (Council of Bureaux (COB) — Green Card system)