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Driving in Philippines
The rules of the road as our desk recorded them, native unit first.
Driving side
Right
Speed limits
40 / 80 / 100 km/h · 25 / 50 / 62 mph
urban / rural / motorway
International permit (IDP)
Recommended · Both accepted
A foreign licence is valid for 90 days from arrival; an IDP smooths rentals and checkpoints and is worth carrying.
Blood alcohol limit
0.05%
Tolls
Tolled expressways around Manila (NLEX, SLEX, SCTEX) using RFID stickers; provincial roads are free.
Headlights
Not required by day.
Child seats
Mandatory under 12 years and 150 cm since 2021, though enforcement and rental stock are both patchy.
Manila traffic is a genuine reason not to drive. On the islands, a scooter is the standard way to get around - with a helmet, which is legally required and routinely ignored locally.